ASO playbookApp store optimization that earns more installs.
The 5 levers
Both stores reward the same fundamentals.
Title & subtitle
Your single biggest ranking signal. Include the most-searched keyword for your category. iOS gives 30 chars for both name and subtitle.
Keywords
iOS has a hidden 100-char field. Android indexes your description directly. Use Sensor Tower, AppTweak, or AppFollow to research.
Screenshots & video
The biggest conversion lever. The first 3 are above the fold in search. Lead with a benefit headline, not a UI dump.
Description
First 2 lines sell the click. The full 4,000 chars on Google Play directly affect ranking — write naturally, don't keyword-stuff.
Ratings & reviews
Both stores blend rating and review velocity into ranking. Trigger the prompt at a moment of success, never on app launch.
Install velocity & retention
Apple and Google both reward apps that get installed and kept open. A burst of installs from a press hit will lift your rank for days.
Free tool
App store screenshots, designed in your browser.
Drop in a raw screen capture, pick a device frame, headline, and background — and export at the exact resolution Apple and Google require. Nothing leaves your browser.
App Store Screenshot Editor
Drop a screen, pick a device frame, headline, and background — export at App Store size
Drop a screenshot
PNG or JPG of your app screen
Renders fully in your browser at the exact App Store dimensions. Use the iPhone 6.5″ preset to satisfy Apple's legacy required size, then upload the same image across the other slots.
Line by line
App store listing optimization, field by field.
App name
MyFinance
MyFinance: Budget & Track
The name is your strongest keyword. Lead with the brand, then a 2–3 word descriptor that matches search intent. Apple does index every word here.
Subtitle
Track your money
Easy budgets, charts & bills
The subtitle is indexed for keywords AND shown under the name in search. Use 3 high-value keywords without repeating any from the name.
Short description
A simple finance app to manage your money.
Budget app with smart categories, charts, bill reminders & recurring expenses.
On Android the short description IS your strongest indexed field. Pack it with the actual phrases people search for. Don't be cute.
Long description (first 170 chars)
Welcome to MyFinance, the only finance app you'll ever need…
MyFinance is the easiest way to track every dollar. Snap a receipt, see where it went, and get a calm forecast of next month's bills.
The first 170 chars on iOS (80 on Android) are visible above the More fold. Write them like an Instagram bio: clear, specific, benefit-led.
Keyword field
Best,Free,Money,App,Budgeting,Finance
budget,expense,bill,reminder,track,personal,finance,money,manager,wallet
Use commas with no spaces, no plurals (Apple stems automatically), and never repeat words from your title or subtitle — that wastes the budget.
Screenshots
The 7 rules of app store screenshots.
Lead with a benefit headline
The first screenshot should answer 'what does this do for me?' in 5 words or less, with the actual screen behind it.
Use the same headline grid
A consistent layout across 5–6 screenshots feels like a story. Mixing styles looks amateur.
Show real (or realistic) data
Apple specifically rejects mockup-looking screenshots. Use real users' (anonymized) names and content.
Localize the headlines
Translating just the screenshot text — not the whole app — can lift conversion 20–40% in non-English markets.
Don't show 100% UI
A pure screenshot with no headline rarely converts. The zoomed-in 'feature focus' style works better.
Don't use pricing claims
Apple rejects 'Free' or '$0' overlaid on screenshots and graphics. Pricing must come from the App Store metadata.
Don't forget the App Preview video
A 15–30 second silent autoplay video sits in the first slot above all screenshots. Most apps skip it. Don't be most apps.
Don't ignore Android
Google requires a 1024 × 500 feature graphic and at least 2 screenshots per form factor (phone, 7" tablet, 10" tablet). It's a separate design pass.
Side by side
iOS vs Android ASO at a glance.
| Field | App Store (iOS) | Google Play |
|---|---|---|
| App name | 30 chars · indexed | 30 chars · heavily indexed |
| Subtitle | 30 chars · indexed · shown in search | No subtitle field |
| Short description | No equivalent | 80 chars · most-indexed field |
| Keywords | 100 chars · hidden field | Indexed from full description |
| Description | 4,000 chars · NOT indexed | 4,000 chars · indexed |
| Screenshots required | 6.9″ + 6.5″ iPhone | Phone + 7″ + 10″ tablet |
| Localization | Per locale, no fallback | Per locale with EN fallback |
| A/B testing | Product Page Optimization | Store Listing Experiments |
| Video | 3 App Previews per locale | 1 promo video (YouTube link) |
Straight from the source
Apple and Google both publish the rules behind their ranking algorithms.
Apple App Store
- Searching the App Store
Apple's own guidance on which fields are indexed, how relevance is computed, and how to choose keywords.
- App Store Product Page
How the product page renders, including Product Page Optimization (A/B testing screenshots, icon, and previews).
- Screenshot specifications
Required pixel dimensions for every iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV size.
- App Store Marketing Guidelines
Official rules for using the App Store badge, app icon, and product imagery in your marketing.
Apple's Search Ads dashboard exposes search popularity scores — even a free account is a useful keyword research tool.
Google Play
- Add preview assets to showcase your app
Required and recommended screenshots, feature graphic, video, and short / full description specs.
- Best practices: prepare your store listing
Google's checklist for a Play Store listing that converts — copy, screenshots, video, localization.
- Google Play Developer Policy Center
Spam, store listing, and metadata policies — what gets your listing demoted or pulled from search.
Google's Play Console gives every developer free Store Listing Experiments. Use them — Apple's PPO is the equivalent on iOS.
Off-metadata
Half of ASO is the signals you can’t edit.
Click-through rate (impression → product page)
Driven entirely by your icon, name, subtitle, and rating. If your icon doesn't pop in search results, nothing else matters.
Conversion rate (page → install)
Driven by screenshots, video, description, and ratings. A/B testing this is the single highest-ROI activity in ASO.
Day 1, 7, 30 retention
Both stores blend retention into ranking. An app that's installed and forgotten ranks worse than an app installed half as often but used daily.
Localization coverage
Each locale you fill in is a separate index. EN-US, EN-GB, ES-ES, ES-MX, DE, FR, JA, PT-BR, ZH-CN are usually the highest-ROI eight.
Build the app. Optimize the listing.
Newly turns a one-line description into a real React Native app you ship to the App Store and Google Play. Pair it with this guide and you have everything you need to launch and rank.