What’s the best way to increase visibility of your website? Search Engine Optimisation. And how about that for apps? App Store Optimisation (ASO). Yet across hundreds of app developers that I have worked with, ASO has constantly been the single area that teams have ignored.
ASO is the process of improving an app’s visibility in the app stores to increase organic downloads, and it is very important. 65% of app installs come from an app store search, and 70% of visibility can be improved through ASO. An optimised listing can also improve 50% conversion rate and as much as 30% increase in click through rate. And you know what? It only takes you an hour to optimise it by yourself, without any extra cost.
Today, we are going to go through the best practices for ASO so that you can follow through and perform by yourself.
Your app name carries more ranking weight than any other single factor, but most developers waste this opportunity by playing it safe.
The foundation of effective app naming comes down to three critical principles that determine whether you rank for valuable keywords or disappear into the app store abyss.
First, your app name should give users at least an idea of what your app offers or does. Use your brand name only if it’s already known by everyone, think Netflix or Spotify. If your brand isn’t established, use descriptive words that clearly communicate your app’s purpose. “FoodDelivery: Order & Track” beats “FoodApp” every time because users immediately understand the value proposition.
Second, integrate the most relevant keywords possible in your title to improve your ranking. Both platforms treat your app name as the primary signal for what your app does. On Android, this means being keyword-aggressive since Google’s algorithm indexes your title for broader search visibility. iOS also rewards keyword integration, but you have the additional subtitle field to work with, giving you essentially 60 characters of ranking real estate instead of just 30.
Third, use all available characters strategically. You get 30 characters on both platforms for your primary title, don’t waste them. Every character should either build brand recognition or capture keyword traffic.
Most apps I audit get this backwards. They optimise for brand memorability when they should be optimising for discovery, especially in competitive categories where generic names guarantee invisibility.
Both platforms give you additional space beyond your app name to capture keyword traffic, but the execution differs based on character limits and platform naming conventions.
The fundamental strategy remains identical across iOS and Android: leverage keywords that can impact your search traffic by analysing your competitors’ keyword strategies and identifying terms that drive the most searches in the store. The key difference lies in how much space you have to work with and what each platform calls this optimisation opportunity.
Android gives you 80 characters for your “Short Description.” This extra headroom allows you to expand on your app name with additional keywords while crafting a compelling one-sentence value proposition. You can include secondary keywords that didn’t fit in your 30-character title, explain specific benefits that differentiate your app from competitors, and still have room for action-oriented language that encourages downloads. The key is using every available character strategically. 80 characters might seem generous, but it disappears quickly when you’re trying to balance keyword optimisation with persuasive copy.
iOS limits you to 30 characters for your “Subtitle.” This constraint forces you to be extremely selective about which keywords make the cut. Focus on your most important secondary keywords that complement rather than repeat your title terms. Every word needs to earn its place. There’s no room for filler phrases or generic language. The subtitle appears directly under your app name in search results, making it prime real estate for high-impact keyword placement.
The tactical approach requires tailoring your content to each platform’s constraints. On Android, you can afford to be more descriptive and benefit-focused while still maintaining keyword density. On iOS, you need laser focus on the most valuable keywords that fit within the character limit while still making grammatical sense to users browsing the store.
Most apps waste this opportunity by writing generic descriptions that could apply to any app in their category instead of analysing competitor strategies and identifying the specific keywords that drive search traffic in their market.
Descriptions are absolutely crucial for your app to be seen, but the optimisation approach differs dramatically between platforms based on how each algorithm treats this content.
Android long descriptions are heavily weighted in the Play Store algorithm. Words with higher density throughout your description carry more algorithmic weight, making keyword optimisation essential for ranking. You need to repeat your most relevant keywords across the description without falling into keyword stuffing territory. The goal is natural integration that feels helpful to users while signalling topical relevance to Google’s ranking system. Since the Play Store algorithm indexes every word in your description, strategic keyword placement can significantly impact your discoverability.
iOS descriptions aren’t directly considered in the App Store algorithm, but Google still indexes and ranks App Store pages. This means your iOS description still needs SEO optimisation for web search visibility. The critical difference is that your first 255 characters become absolutely crucial. This opening paragraph needs to be catchy and straight to the point because it appears on your app’s page before the expand button, right under your first two screenshots. Users make install decisions based on these opening sentences, so they must immediately communicate your app’s core value proposition.
Universal description principles apply to both platforms. Your description should give users a detailed understanding of what your app does and what they can expect from the experience. More importantly, it needs to be genuinely helpful rather than just promotional copy. Include a link to your FAQ and a support email address at the end of your description. This builds trust and provides practical value for potential users researching your app.
Maximise your character allocation strategically. Both platforms give you 4,000 characters, and you should aim for at least 3,000+ characters to fully utilise this ranking opportunity. Longer descriptions provide more surface area for keyword optimisation and give you space to address user questions and concerns that might prevent downloads.
Most apps waste their description potential by writing generic marketing copy instead of helpful, keyword-optimised content that serves both algorithmic ranking and user decision-making needs.
Your app icon is the first thing users see in search results, and it needs to work harder than most developers realise.
The foundation of effective icon design comes down to being original, descriptive enough to communicate your app’s purpose, but without cramming too many details that become illegible at smaller sizes. Your icon should give users an immediate sense of what your app does without requiring them to read your title or description.
Study icons from other players in your industry to understand visual patterns that users expect. Finance companies tend to gravitate towards blues and greens to convey trust and stability, while food delivery apps frequently use reds and oranges to trigger appetite and urgency. These colour associations aren’t arbitrary. They’re psychological shortcuts that help users quickly categorise and understand your app’s function within crowded search results.
Don’t treat your icon as a static element. Update it based on seasonality or major events to enhance conversion rates and show that your app is actively maintained. Christmas themes, holiday promotions, or major cultural events can create timely relevance that improves click-through rates during specific periods. The key is making these updates feel natural and branded rather than gimmicky.
Most apps set their icon once and never revisit it, missing opportunities to optimise for both category recognition and seasonal relevance that could drive incremental downloads.
Screenshots are a very efficient way to convince and influence users to download your app. They directly increase conversion rates by showing rather than just telling users what your app does.
The first screenshots are displayed in Search Results on both app stores, making them the first impression of your app for most potential users. They need to illustrate what your app does and showcase your best features in the most compelling way possible. Be catchy, original and awesome. This is your chance to drive downloads before users even read your description. Use a short descriptive sentence at the top of each screenshot to describe the feature shown, making it immediately clear why users should care about what they’re seeing.
Maximise your screenshot allocation strategically. You can add up to 8 screenshots on Google Play Store and 10 screenshots on App Store. We recommend using every available slot since more screenshots give you more opportunities to showcase different features and use cases that appeal to different user motivations.
Best practices to increase conversion follow four key principles:
Brand integration - Bring your app identity into the screenshots through consistent colours, fonts, and visual elements that create recognition and trust.
One screenshot equals one feature - Each screenshot should present one clear unique selling proposition, whether that’s customised backgrounds, daily challenges, tablet compatibility, large card design, or multiple difficulty levels. Don’t try to show everything in one image.
Show and Tell methodology - Show the feature in action and add captions that explain the benefit to users. Connect different screenshots to create a sense of continuity that encourages store visitors to scroll through your entire screenshot gallery.
Test and Learn approach - Use Apple’s Product Page Optimisation (PPO) or Google Play Console experiments to A/B test different screenshot arrangements and monitor the impact on conversion rates.
Consider platform-specific orientation preferences. For iOS, we recommend mainly portrait screenshots since they display better in the App Store interface and align with typical iPhone usage patterns. Google Play Store typically accommodates both landscape and portrait orientations effectively, giving you more flexibility to showcase your app’s interface in the orientation that best demonstrates each feature.
Pay special attention to your Feature Graphic on Google Play Store. This first screenshot is particularly important because Google shows collections of apps in large format displays with your feature graphic prominently featured, including in ads and promotional placements throughout the store.
Promotional videos aren’t commonly used by most apps, but they can be quite useful for interacting with users and giving them a clear idea of how your app works when executed properly.
The naming differs between platforms. Google Play Store calls it a “promotional video” while the App Store uses “preview video”, but the strategic purpose remains identical across both platforms. On Android, promotional videos can be leveraged specifically to improve conversion rates by demonstrating functionality that static screenshots can’t capture effectively.
Video placement is crucial to understand. The video appears before your screenshots, using your feature graphic as the first image before autoplay starts. This prime positioning means your video gets the first opportunity to make an impression, but it also means a poor video can actually hurt your conversion rates by setting negative expectations before users even see your screenshots.
Quality determines whether you should use video at all. The decision to include a promotional video should depend entirely on whether your video can deliver your brand message clearly, explain your unique selling proposition compellingly, and hook people to download your app. If your video achieves these three goals with professional production quality, it can significantly boost conversions. If your video is poorly produced, unclear, or generic, you’re better off not using one at all since it appears before your screenshots and could drive users away before they see your strongest visual assets.
The key insight: promotional videos are optional for a reason. Only use them when they genuinely add value beyond what your screenshots demonstrate, and ensure the production quality matches or exceeds the professional standard users expect from apps in your category.
Promotional content provides extra information that surfaces special offers, limited-time events, and major updates to users, creating additional touchpoints for engagement beyond your standard store listing.
The platform implementations differ in naming and structure. Google Play uses “Promotional Content Cards” while iOS offers “In-App Events”, but both serve the same strategic purpose of boosting awareness of your in-app events, offers, and major updates to targeted user groups. This creates opportunities to engage with your audience at moments when they’re most likely to convert, such as during seasonal promotions or feature launches.
Utilise promotional content strategically to highlight time-sensitive offers that create urgency, announce major app updates that demonstrate ongoing development, showcase special events or challenges that drive user engagement, and communicate value propositions to specific user segments who might respond to different messaging than your general audience.
Experiment with custom store listings to maximise conversion potential. Android’s Custom Store Listings and iOS’s Custom Product Pages allow you to tailor your app’s store page to specific audiences, improving user engagement and conversion rates for different user segments or traffic sources. Each custom page gets a unique URL, enabling you to direct different marketing campaigns to optimised store experiences that speak directly to each audience’s specific interests and motivations.
Most apps ignore these promotional opportunities entirely, missing chances to re-engage existing users and convert new users with timely, relevant messaging that goes beyond their static store listing.
Reviews and ratings serve as both a key criteria for app store algorithms and a critical determining factor for users deciding whether to download your app or not. This dual impact makes review management essential rather than optional for any serious ASO strategy.
Target a 4+ average rating, ideally 4.5+ for competitive advantage. App store algorithms favour higher-rated apps in search rankings and featuring opportunities, while users increasingly avoid apps with ratings below 4.0 stars. The psychological threshold matters. A 4.6-rated app appears significantly more trustworthy than a 3.8-rated app, even though the functional difference might be minimal.
Understand the review sentiment disconnect that can kill conversions. Many brands achieve strong overall ratings but suffer from poor recent review sentiment. You might have a 4.66 average rating, but if your recent reviews average only 2.33 with users complaining about support services, that becomes a huge red flag for potential users who read recent feedback before installing. Users weight recent reviews more heavily than historical ratings when making download decisions.
Manage reviews actively and strategically. Reply to all reviews in a timely manner, demonstrate that you genuinely appreciate user feedback whether positive or negative, and provide specific solutions rather than generic responses. When you address complaints thoroughly and professionally, users sometimes change their reviews after their issues are resolved, which can improve both your rating and your reputation for customer service.
The most successful apps treat review management as customer service and product development feedback combined. They use review insights to improve their app while maintaining the social proof that drives organic downloads.
The technical elements of your store listing carry more ranking weight than most developers realise, yet they’re often completely ignored.
App size dramatically impacts both discoverability and conversion, generally, keep your app size under 150MB to make it easier for user to download your app. In Android, users are more sensitive to data costs and device storage, and apps over 150 MB may require a WiFi connection for downloads, potentially affecting discoverability in search rankings and reducing conversion rates. For iOS, we can apps can slightly push to 200MB before seeing impact.
ASO fundamentals aren’t complicated, but it’s definitely worth your time invested as it can drive tremendous changes. It’s the app’s storefront and it tells users about what kind of products you are providing. Follow the best practices above, review your performance from time to time, and perform regular updates not only with app launches but also seasonal adaptations. Learn about your competitors ASO and identify new growth areas for your brand. Research on keywords that converts on your app store, and save your marketing dollars for ads.
What’s your biggest ASO challenge right now? Whether it’s keyword strategy or conversion optimization, I’d love to hear what you’re wrestling with.
Thank you for reading until the end :) I’m Loretta, and I’ve spent the past decade at Google working with thousands of customers all over the world. My work spans digital marketing, business transformation, strategic partnerships, program management, and app development.
I believe AI will empower individuals more than ever, and I’m here to translate my decade of experience into simple, actionable advice to help you achieve your goals. I post bi-weekly about digital marketing tips, industry updates and best practices.
Want more tips like these? I offer 45-minute strategy sessions to help founders scale their businesses, or cover specific challenges such as career development, getting into tech etc. Book a free introductory call with me.
And if you still haven’t, check out my free Ultimate Digital Marketing Metrics Glossary 2025 and Beginner’s Guide to Digital Marketing Strategy.
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