What is ASO? App store optimization explained
ASO (app store optimization) is the work of making an app rank for the searches people type in the App Store and Google Play, and of turning those views into downloads. Most downloads start with a store search, so ASO is usually the cheapest growth channel an app has. This guide covers how store search works, the fields that count, a 16-point checklist and the numbers to track.
By Sinan Yorulmaz · Updated 10/30/2026
- Term
- ASO
- Stands for
- App Store Optimization
- Also called
- App store SEO, app marketing optimization
- Where it applies
- App Store, Google Play
- Measured by
- Keyword rankings, product page conversion and organic downloads
ASO, SEO and Apple Ads compared
They feed each other: a website brings searches to the store, and paid ads show which keywords convert. What changes is where you appear and what you pay for.
| ASO | SEO | Apple Ads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in store search and win the download | Rank a page in Google and Bing | Buy the top slot for a search in the App Store |
| Where | App Store and Google Play search, charts, browse | Search engine results | The ad above App Store search results |
| What you control | Title, subtitle, keywords, screenshots, ratings | Content, links, technical health | Bids, keywords, budget |
| Cost | Time; results compound | Time; results compound | Pay per tap; stops when you stop paying |
| How you measure | Keyword rank, conversion rate, organic installs | Position, clicks, Search Console | Cost per tap, cost per install |
How store search ranks an app
Apple and Google do not publish their formulas, but both stores follow the same broad steps. Each one is a place where an app gains or loses ground.
- 1
The search is matched
The store finds apps whose title, subtitle, keyword field (App Store) or descriptions (Google Play) match the words in the search.
- 2
Apps are ranked
Matching apps are ordered by relevance and by signals such as downloads for that search, conversion, ratings, retention and recent updates.
- 3
The listing is judged
People decide in seconds from the icon, the first screenshots, the rating and the subtitle. A better conversion rate feeds back into ranking.
- 4
Users keep or leave
Reviews, crashes and uninstalls tell the store whether the app delivered. Apps that keep their users hold their positions longer.
ASO checklist
Sixteen checks in four groups. Start with keywords and metadata: an app that does not match a search is never shown for it.
Keywords
- You know which searches your users type, with their popularity and difficulty in each country you sell in. App Store keyword checker →
- You target searches you can realistically reach in the top 10, not only the biggest ones.
- You track your rank for each target keyword daily, with your main competitors next to you. App rank checker →
- Each important country has its own keywords in the local language, not only translated copy.
Metadata
- The App Store title (30 characters) holds your brand and the most important keyword.
- The subtitle (30 characters) adds a second keyword and says what the app does.
- The keyword field (100 characters) has no repeats of words already in the title or subtitle, no spaces after commas and no plurals the store already matches.
- On Google Play, the short description (80 characters) and the full description (up to 4,000 characters) use your keywords naturally, because Google Play indexes them.
Conversion
- The first two or three screenshots show the main benefit in words people search for, readable at thumbnail size.
- The icon stands out next to your competitors’ icons in the search results.
- Custom product pages (App Store) and custom store listings (Google Play) match the message of each ad or audience.
- You test icons and screenshots with product page optimization (App Store) or store listing experiments (Google Play) instead of guessing.
Ratings and reviews
- You ask for a rating at a happy moment in the app, with the official in-app review prompt.
- You reply to reviews, especially low ratings, and fix what people repeat.
- You watch the topics in reviews (bugs, price, missing features) to decide what to build next.
- You release updates regularly and mention the fixes in the release notes.
How to measure ASO
Rankings move every day and differ by country and device, so one check proves little. Track these numbers over weeks and compare them before and after each change.
Keyword rank
Your position for each target search, per country, every day.
Search visibility
How many of your keywords are in the top 10, weighted by their popularity.
Conversion rate
Share of product page views that become downloads, from App Store Connect or Play Console.
Organic downloads
Downloads from store search and browse, without paid installs.
Ratings
Average rating and the number of new ratings in each country.
Competitor moves
Changes in your competitors’ titles, screenshots and ranks for the same keywords.
Searvia tracks App Store and Google Play rankings daily in every country, scores keywords with official Apple popularity when Apple Ads is connected, writes metadata within the character limits and reads your reviews. See pricing →
What not to do
Store reviewers and ranking systems catch most shortcuts, and some of them get an app removed.
- Competitor brand names in your title, subtitle or keyword field: Apple rejects them and they can lead to legal complaints.
- Buying downloads, ratings or reviews: both stores remove them and can remove the app.
- Repeating the same keyword in every field: on the App Store each word counts once, so repeats only waste characters.
- Changing every field at once: you will not know which change moved the rank.
- Judging a change after one day: give the store one to two weeks before you compare.
Read next: App Store optimization guide · App Store keyword research · How App Store ranking works · Google Play ASO · Best ASO tools
ASO questions
A metadata change is indexed within a few days of the update going live. Rank changes usually settle in one to four weeks, depending on how competitive the keywords are and how many downloads the app gets.
No. On the App Store only the app name, subtitle, keyword field and in-app purchase names count for search. On Google Play the title, short description and full description all count.
Yes. The App Store has a hidden 100-character keyword field and ignores the description; Google Play has no keyword field and reads the descriptions instead. Both weigh downloads, conversion and ratings.
Localize rather than translate: people in each country search with their own words. A localized title, subtitle and keywords in the top markets often bring more downloads than any other single change.
Indirectly and directly. A higher rating improves conversion, which helps ranking, and both stores use ratings as a quality signal. A sudden drop in ratings usually shows up in rankings too.
Not directly. Paid installs can add downloads for a search, and the keyword data shows which searches convert, which helps you choose keywords for your metadata.
See where your app ranks today
Check any keyword in any country for free, then track your keywords and competitors every day.