Definition:
App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process of improving an application’s visibility and conversion ability within stores such as the App Store and Google Play. It covers listing optimisation, adaptation to each market and analysis of organic acquisition performance.
ASO shares demand research and result-presentation improvements with SEO, but the two are not equivalent. App stores use their own fields, signals, policies and installation experiences, and each store decides how to rank and recommend applications.
Table of contents
Key aspects of ASO
Factors that an application team can work on include:
- Listing name and text: Explain accurately what the application does and use the fields and terms supported by each store.
- Icon, screenshots and video: Show the actual proposition and features to help a person decide whether to install the application.
- Localisation: Adapt language, messages, visual assets and cultural references to each market instead of relying on literal translation alone.
- Ratings and reviews: Address reported problems and request feedback without incentives or practices that violate store policies.
- Product quality: Stability, performance, uninstalls and the post-installation experience can affect acquisition and retention.
- Updates: Maintain compatibility, fix errors and explain relevant changes in the listing.
- Measurement: Connect impressions, listing visits, installations, activation and retention. A ranking improvement does not by itself demonstrate a business result.
An application’s presence in web search is a related but separate area. Resources such as deep linking can connect pages or campaigns with specific application content without replacing store optimisation.
ASO tools
Tools can complement data from App Store Connect and Google Play Console. Their common functions include:
- Term research: Estimate which searches and applications are associated with a category or market.
- Tracking: Observe rankings, listing changes, reviews and competitors over time.
- Creative and conversion: Analyse or test icons, screenshots, videos and text where the store provides that capability.
- Market intelligence: Estimate downloads, revenue and trends while recognising that third-party figures are models rather than exact data.
Sensor Tower is an example of an application-intelligence platform. App Annie changed its name to data.ai in 2022 and was acquired by Sensor Tower in 2024. Coverage, methodology and pricing change, so these services should be assessed according to the markets and data required by each project.