Joshua Franklin Wiedeman

ASO Metadata & Tests

App Store Optimization (ASO) tunes your app’s title, subtitle, description, keywords, screenshots, and icon. The goal is more visibility in store search and a higher share of listing views that turn into installs. It is SEO for the App Store and Google Play.

How it works

Store search is a major discovery channel. ASO works on two levers. Keywords decide how often your listing is shown. Creative assets (icon, screenshots, title) decide how many viewers install. Improving both compounds: more impressions times a higher install rate.

How to do it

  1. Research keywords with an ASO tool such as AppTweak, Sensor Tower, AppFollow, or App Radar. Favor specific use-case terms with real volume and manageable difficulty over generic category terms.
  2. Write the title (30 characters on both stores) as brand name plus your top keyword phrase, for example “Calm - Sleep & Meditation.” Put secondary keywords in the iOS subtitle (30 characters) or the Google Play short description (80 characters).
  3. On iOS, fill the 100-character keyword field with comma-separated single words. Do not repeat words already in the title or subtitle. On Google Play, write a natural long description (up to 4,000 characters) that uses target keywords where they fit.
  4. Design screenshots as a sequence. The first two must state the core value with large text and real UI. Later ones cover key features and end with a clear call to action.
  5. A/B test with Apple’s Product Page Optimization or Google Play’s store listing experiments. Change one element per test (icon, first screenshot, order, subtitle). Run until results are significant, ship the winner, then test the next element.
  6. Use Apple custom product pages and Google Play custom store listings to match listings to specific ad campaigns or audiences.

What to measure

  • Keyword rankings: your position for each target keyword, tracked weekly in your ASO tool.
  • Conversion rate: installs divided by listing views or impressions, from App Store Connect and Google Play Console.
  • Organic installs per day: non-paid installs from the store consoles, tracked over time.

Best practices

  • Review keywords every month or two. Seasons and competitors change the landscape.
  • Design screenshots for the small search-result view. Use large fonts and short phrases.
  • Localize title, keywords, and screenshots for your largest non-English markets.

Common pitfalls

  • Stuffing the title with keywords. It looks spammy and hurts both trust and readability.
  • Changing icon, screenshots, and title in one test. You cannot tell which change mattered.
  • Ignoring ratings. A low rating drags down conversion no matter how good the metadata is. Fix the rating first.