App Store Optimization (ASO)

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name: app-store-optimization description: Optimize mobile app listings for iOS App Store and Google Play — keyword research, screenshot design, rating management, and conversion optimization. Use when launching a mobile app, improving app store rankings, or optimizing download conversion rates. tags: [aso, mobile, app-store, growth]

App Store Optimization (ASO)

Comprehensive ASO framework for iOS App Store and Google Play — keyword research, listing optimization, visual asset strategy, rating management, and A/B testing store pages. The mobile equivalent of SEO.

Use this skill when

• Launching a new mobile app on iOS or Google Play
• Optimizing an existing app listing to improve rankings
• Conducting keyword research for app store visibility
• Designing or testing screenshots and app preview videos
• Managing app ratings and reviews strategically
• Comparing performance across Apple and Google platforms
• Preparing ASO audit reports

Do not use this skill when

• Optimizing a website for Google search (use seo-audit)
• Running paid user acquisition campaigns (use campaign-analytics)
• Designing the app's UX/UI itself (use UX/frontend skills)
• Building the app's technical architecture (use engineering skills)

Instructions

1. Research keywords using the ASO Keyword Research Framework.
2. Optimize listing elements — title, subtitle, description, category.
3. Design visual assets — screenshots, preview video, icon.
4. Set up rating management — review response templates and prompt strategy.
5. Run store listing experiments — A/B test on Google Play, Product Page Optimization on iOS.
6. Produce the ASO Audit Report with keyword priority matrix.

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Platform Differences: Apple vs. Google

Understanding these differences is critical — ASO strategy must be platform-specific:

Factor	Apple App Store	Google Play
Title	30 characters	30 characters
Subtitle	30 characters	N/A (use short description)
Short Description	N/A	80 characters
Long Description	Not indexed for search	Indexed for search — keywords matter here
Keyword Field	100 characters (hidden, comma-separated)	N/A — keywords from title + description
Category	Primary + secondary	Primary + secondary + tags
Screenshots	Up to 10 per device	Up to 8 per device
Preview Video	Up to 3 (30 sec, auto-play muted)	1 (auto-play on listing)
A/B Testing	Product Page Optimization (3 treatments)	Store Listing Experiments (5 variants)
Rating Reset	Can reset on major version	Cannot reset — cumulative
Review Response	Developer can respond	Developer can respond

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ASO Keyword Research Framework

Step 1: Keyword Discovery

Source	Method	What You Get
Competitor analysis	Analyze top 10 competitors' titles, subtitles, descriptions	High-value keywords proven in your category
Auto-suggest mining	Type partial keywords in store search	Real user search patterns
Related searches	Check "You might also like" and related apps	Adjacent keyword opportunities
Review mining	Analyze your and competitors' reviews for language	Words real users use (not marketing speak)
Web keyword tools	Google Keyword Planner, Sensor Tower, App Annie	Volume estimates (directional, not exact)

Step 2: Keyword Scoring

Keyword	Search Volume (1-10)	Relevance (1-10)	Difficulty (1-10)	Score	Priority
				Vol x Rel / Diff

Priority Rules:

• Score >7: Primary keywords — must be in title or subtitle
• Score 4-7: Secondary keywords — keyword field (iOS) or description (Android)
• Score <4: Monitor — don't optimize for these yet

Step 3: Keyword Placement Strategy

Placement	Impact on Ranking	Character Limit	Strategy
App Title	Highest	30 chars	Brand name + #1 primary keyword
Subtitle (iOS)	High	30 chars	2-3 secondary keywords, natural phrasing
Keyword Field (iOS)	High	100 chars	Comma-separated, no spaces after commas, no duplicates from title/subtitle
Short Description (Android)	Medium	80 chars	Primary CTA + 1-2 keywords
Long Description (Android)	Medium	4000 chars	Natural keyword density, mention keywords 3-5 times
In-App Purchase Names	Low	—	Additional keyword surface area

Keyword Field Optimization (iOS)

Rules for 100-character keyword field:
- No spaces after commas (saves characters)
- No duplicates of words already in title or subtitle
- Use singular form only (Apple handles plurals)
- No prepositions (the, a, an, of) — Apple ignores them
- Include common misspellings if characters allow
- Test with Sensor Tower or AppTweak for indexing confirmation

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Store Listing Optimization

Title Formula

[Brand Name] — [Primary Keyword/Value Prop]

Examples:
✅ "Notion — Notes, Docs, Tasks"
✅ "Calm — Sleep & Meditation"
✅ "Duolingo — Language Lessons"

❌ "MyApp: The Best App For Everything You Need" (too generic)
❌ "MA" (too short, no keywords)

Description Structure (Google Play — indexed for search)

Paragraph 1: Hook + primary value proposition (include primary keywords)
Paragraph 2: Key features with benefits (include secondary keywords)
Paragraph 3: Social proof (awards, press, user count)
Paragraph 4: Call to action + differentiator

Category Selection

Decision Factor	Guidance
Primary category	Choose the most specific category that fits
Secondary category	Choose for additional visibility (cross-category browsing)
Competitive density	If your primary category is overcrowded, secondary can help rank higher in a less competitive space
User expectation	Category affects which users find you — align with user intent

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Visual Asset Optimization

Screenshot Strategy

Position	Purpose	Content Strategy
Screenshot 1-2	First impression (shown in search results)	Hero benefit — the #1 reason to download
Screenshot 3-4	Feature showcase	Key features with clear benefit text
Screenshot 5-6	Social proof / differentiation	Awards, ratings, press quotes, unique features
Screenshot 7-10	Deep features	Advanced functionality for engaged browsers

Screenshot Design Principles

Principle	Details
Text overlay	Large, readable text (min 60pt equivalent) — users scan, not read
Benefit-first	Lead with outcome ("Save 2 hours daily") not feature ("Task management")
Sequential story	Screenshots should tell a story left-to-right
Device frame	Optional — some categories perform better without frames
Localization	Translate text overlays for each market (not just the app itself)
Dark backgrounds	Often outperform light in A/B tests (higher contrast on store pages)

App Preview Video

Platform	Duration	Auto-Play	Best Practice
iOS	15-30 seconds	Yes (muted)	First 3 seconds = hook; show core workflow; add text overlays for muted viewing
Android	30 seconds - 2 minutes	Yes (with sound)	Start with benefit, demonstrate 3 key features, end with CTA

Icon Design

Principle	Rationale
Simple, recognizable at 29x29px	Icon appears at many sizes — must be legible small
Limited color palette (2-3 colors)	Visual clarity in store browse
No text in icon	Unreadable at small sizes; redundant with app name
Test against competitors	Your icon appears alongside competitors in search results

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Rating & Review Management

Review Response Templates

Positive Review (4-5 stars):

Thank you for the kind words, [Name]! We're glad [specific feature/benefit]
is working well for you. If you have any ideas for improvement, we'd love
to hear them at [feedback channel].

Negative Review — Bug Report (1-3 stars):

We're sorry about this issue, [Name]. Our team is looking into [specific
problem]. Could you reach out to [support email] with your device details
so we can resolve this quickly? We want to make this right.

Negative Review — Feature Request (1-3 stars):

Thanks for the feedback, [Name]. We hear you on [feature request] — it's
on our radar. In the meantime, you might find [workaround] helpful.
We'll update you when this ships!

Rating Prompt Strategy

Factor	Best Practice
Timing	Prompt after a success moment (completed task, achieved goal, used for N days)
Frequency	iOS: SKStoreReviewController (3 prompts per year max, Apple enforced)
Pre-screen	Show in-app satisfaction question first; only route happy users to store rating
Never	Prompt on first launch, after an error, during onboarding, or mid-workflow

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A/B Testing Store Listings

Google Play Store Listing Experiments

Element	Max Variants	Duration	Min Traffic
Icon	3	7+ days	1000+ visitors per variant
Screenshots	3	7+ days	1000+ visitors per variant
Short description	3	7+ days	1000+ visitors per variant
Long description	3	7+ days	1000+ visitors per variant

Apple Product Page Optimization

Element	Max Treatments	Duration	Notes
Icon	3 treatments	90-day max	Cannot test app name or subtitle
Screenshots	3 treatments	90-day max	Can test order and content
App preview	3 treatments	90-day max	Video thumbnail and content

What to Test First (Priority Order)

1. Screenshots — highest impact on conversion; test benefit messaging and visual style
2. Icon — affects CTR in search results; test color and symbol variations
3. Short description / subtitle — affects both search ranking and conversion
4. Long description — lower impact but easy to test on Google Play

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Output Template: ASO Audit Report

# ASO Audit Report — [App Name]

**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Platforms:** [iOS / Android / Both]
**Current Rating:** [X.X] (iOS) / [X.X] (Android)
**Current Ranking:** #[X] in [Category]

## Keyword Analysis
| Keyword | Current Rank | Volume | Difficulty | Opportunity |
|---------|-------------|--------|------------|-------------|
| | | | | High/Med/Low |

## Listing Audit
| Element | Current | Score (1-5) | Recommendation |
|---------|---------|-------------|----------------|
| Title | | | |
| Subtitle / Short Desc | | | |
| Keywords (iOS) | | | |
| Description | | | |
| Screenshots | | | |
| Video | | | |
| Icon | | | |

## Rating Health
- **Current rating:** [X.X] ([N] reviews)
- **Recent trend:** [improving/declining/stable]
- **Top complaint themes:** [list]
- **Response rate:** [X]% of negative reviews responded

## Competitive Comparison
| Metric | Our App | Competitor A | Competitor B |
|--------|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Rating | | | |
| Reviews | | | |
| Category Rank | | | |
| Keywords Overlap | | | |

## Priority Actions
1. [Action] — Expected impact — Effort
2. [Action] — Expected impact — Effort
3. [Action] — Expected impact — Effort

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Common Mistakes

• Keyword stuffing in titles — "Best Free Photo Editor Camera Filter Beauty App" hurts credibility and can violate store policies
• Ignoring localization — app store pages should be localized for each market, not just the app strings
• Not A/B testing screenshots — assumptions about "good" screenshots are often wrong; test everything
• Responding defensively to negative reviews — public arguments hurt your brand; be empathetic and solution-oriented
• Optimizing for downloads without considering retention — ASO that drives low-quality installs increases churn and hurts ranking algorithms
• Same strategy for both platforms — Apple and Google have fundamentally different ranking factors; optimize separately
• Ignoring seasonal opportunities — "back to school", "new year", "holiday" keywords spike at predictable times

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Additional Resources

• Related skills: seo-audit (web SEO counterpart), campaign-analytics (acquisition channel analysis)
• Sensor Tower, AppTweak, App Annie — ASO tools and market intelligence
• Apple App Store Connect — Product Page Optimization documentation
• Google Play Console — Store Listing Experiments documentation