App store optimization services make your app easier to find in App Store and Google Play search, and more convincing once someone lands on its listing. ASO covers two jobs. The first is ranking: choosing the keywords your app should appear for and placing them in the fields each store actually indexes. The second is conversion: the icon, screenshots, preview video, ratings and copy that decide whether a searcher taps "Get" or scrolls past.
We run ASO as part of our digital marketing services, alongside paid user acquisition and analytics. What you get is practical: a keyword map per store and language, rewritten metadata ready to paste into App Store Connect and Google Play Console, a screenshot set designed around the reasons people install, a testing calendar, and a monthly report that shows search impressions, listing views and install conversion side by side. Strategy is led by Mustafa, who has worked in digital marketing for more than 11 years and co-builds a SaaS product, so release cycles and store review are familiar ground.
What Our App Store Optimization Services Include
Every engagement covers the text fields that drive ranking and the visual assets that drive conversion. The table shows each part of the work and what it changes for you.
| Work item | What we do | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| ASO keyword research | Build a keyword list per store and country from search suggestions, competitor metadata, Apple Ads search terms and ASO tool data, then score each term on relevance, popularity and how hard it is to rank for. | You stop guessing which words matter and get a short list you can realistically rank for. |
| App Store metadata | Rewrite the app name (30 characters), subtitle (30 characters) and the hidden keyword field (100 characters) so no word is wasted or repeated. | Every indexed character on iOS does a job, and the name still reads well to people. |
| Google Play listing | Rewrite the title (30 characters), short description (80 characters) and full description (up to 4,000 characters), which Google Play reads for keywords. | Your Play listing ranks for the phrases you choose without reading like a keyword list. |
| Screenshots and preview video | Plan the screenshot story, write the captions and design the set in Figma for each required device size. Storyboard a short preview video if you have one. | The first two or three screenshots, the ones visible in search results, explain the app's main benefit at a glance. |
| Icon review | Compare your icon with the apps around it in search and category charts and suggest variants worth testing. | An icon that stands out in a crowded results page, tested rather than chosen by vote. |
| Ratings and reviews | Review prompt timing, reply templates for common complaints, and a monthly review summary for your product team. | Better ratings over time and a clear list of the bugs and requests users mention most. |
| Localization | Keyword research and metadata in each target language, written for local search habits rather than translated word for word. | Your listing ranks for what people in each market actually type. |
| Store testing | Product Page Optimization tests on the App Store and store listing experiments on Google Play, planned one variable at a time. | Decisions on icons and screenshots based on store data, not opinion. |
| Reporting | Monthly report built from App Store Connect, Google Play Console and keyword tracking. | One view of rankings, listing views, conversion rate and installs by source. |
How Our ASO Process Runs From Audit to Testing
- Access and baseline (week 1). You add us as a user in App Store Connect and Google Play Console with the role needed to view analytics and edit store listings. We record current keyword ranks, impressions, listing views and conversion rate by source so every later change has a starting point.
- Research and competitor review (weeks 1 to 2). We collect keyword ideas, check which competitors rank for them, and study how the top apps in your category structure their names, subtitles and screenshots. The output is a scored keyword list and a short competitor summary.
- Metadata rewrite (week 2). We write the new name, subtitle, keyword field, promotional text, short description and full description, with two options for the most visible fields. You approve the wording before anything goes live.
- Creative redesign (weeks 2 to 4). We plan and design the screenshot set and, where useful, a new icon variant. Designs are delivered as editable Figma files plus exported assets at the sizes each store requires.
- Release and measure (weeks 3 to 6). On iOS, most metadata changes ship with your next app version, so we time them with your release. On Google Play, listing changes can go live without a new build after Google's review. We then watch ranks and conversion for several weeks before judging the change.
- Test and repeat (monthly). Each month we run a store test, refresh keywords that are not moving, update metadata with each release, and report what changed and why.
ASO Deliverables and the Store Metrics We Report
ASO is measured inside the stores, so our reporting uses the stores' own numbers wherever possible. We do not promise rankings or install numbers, because both depend on your category, your competitors and the quality of the app itself. What we do commit to is clear outputs and honest measurement.
- Keyword map. A spreadsheet of target keywords per store and language, with the field each one is placed in and its current rank.
- Metadata document. Every text field, with character counts, ready to paste into the store consoles.
- Creative files. Screenshot and icon designs in Figma plus exported PNG files for each device size.
- Test log. Each store test with its hypothesis, variants, run time and outcome, so lessons are not lost when people change roles.
- Monthly report. Search and browse impressions, product page views, conversion rate from page view to first-time download, installs by source, rating trend and keyword movement.
Success looks like more of your installs coming from store search at a steady or rising conversion rate, a keyword set that ranks closer to the top of results, and screenshots that win tests against the old set. If you also run paid campaigns, it looks like better paid conversion too, because paid installs land on the same listing.
App Store Optimization Services Pricing
ASO starts with a one-off audit that covers one app on both stores, then moves to a monthly plan. The monthly plans are priced by how many platforms we manage, how many languages we localize into, how many keywords we track and how often we design new creative. Large apps with many markets or frequent releases need more hours each month, which is why the top plan adds more languages and monthly creative tests.
ASO Audit
$750 one-time
One-time, paid upfront
- 1 app on the App Store and Google Play
- Keyword research and competitor gap analysis
- Title, subtitle, keyword field and description rewrite
- Screenshot, icon and video review with mockup notes
- Ratings and reviews review
- Delivered in 7 business days
ASO Starter
$700 /month
Billed monthly, 1 app
- iOS or Android, 1 language
- Keyword tracking for up to 50 keywords
- Metadata updates each release
- Screenshot copy and layout recommendations
- Replies to store reviews on weekdays
- Monthly ranking and conversion report
- Minimum term
- 3 months, then month to month
ASO Growth
$1,300 /month
Billed monthly, 1 app
- iOS and Android, up to 3 languages
- Keyword tracking for up to 150 keywords
- New screenshot set designed each quarter
- A/B tests with Product Page Optimization and Store Listing Experiments
- Ratings prompt strategy
- Monthly call
- Minimum term
- 3 months, then month to month
ASO Scale
$2,400 /month
Billed monthly, up to 2 apps
- Everything in ASO Growth
- Up to 8 languages with localized keywords
- Monthly creative tests
- Custom Product Pages and in-app events
- Alignment with Apple Ads keyword data
- Bi-weekly calls
- Minimum term
- 3 months, then month to month
- Add-on
- Extra language: $150 a month. App preview video: $600
All prices in USD. Need something different? Ask for a custom quote.
If you have several apps, a game portfolio or more languages than the plans cover, ask us for a custom ASO quote.
App Store SEO vs Web SEO: What Changes for an App
App store SEO borrows ideas from web search but works under far tighter limits. A web page can rank for hundreds of phrases because it has headings, body copy and links. An iOS app has 160 indexed characters across its name, subtitle and keyword field, and Google Play gives you a title, a short description and a long description. Every word has to earn its place.
| Factor | Web SEO | App store SEO |
|---|---|---|
| Where keywords live | Titles, headings, body copy, internal links | App Store: name, subtitle, keyword field. Google Play: title, short and full description |
| Links | Backlinks are a major signal | No link signal inside the stores |
| Behavior signals | Clicks and engagement are discussed but not confirmed in detail | Downloads, ratings and app quality are known to matter; Google Play also weighs Android vitals such as crash and ANR rates |
| How fast you can change things | Edit and publish at any time | App Store text and screenshots usually change with a new version; Google Play listings can change without a new build |
| Testing | A/B testing tools on your own site | Product Page Optimization on iOS, store listing experiments on Google Play |
The practical lesson is that SEO for the app store rewards planning. A keyword change on iOS can take a release cycle to ship and a few weeks to settle, so we plan metadata changes several releases ahead rather than reacting week to week.
ASO Techniques for the Apple App Store
Use all 160 indexed characters without repeats
The App Store combines words from the name, subtitle and keyword field, so a word only needs to appear once across them. Repeating "budget" in the subtitle and the keyword field wastes space that another term could use. In the keyword field, separate terms with commas and no spaces, and skip words Apple already associates with your app, such as your category name.
Write the name and subtitle for people first
The name and subtitle are visible in search results, so they carry both ranking weight and persuasion. A name like "Brand: Short Benefit" usually works better than a string of keywords, and Apple's App Review Guidelines (section 2.3.7) reject metadata stuffed with irrelevant terms, competitor app names or pricing claims.
Use extra localizations carefully
Each App Store storefront indexes more than one localization. The US storefront, for example, is widely documented by ASO tools as indexing both English (US) and Spanish (Mexico) metadata, which gives you a second keyword field for that market. We use this space for relevant terms only, because the listing still needs to make sense to Spanish speakers who see it.
Treat promotional text and in-app events as conversion tools
Promotional text sits above the description and can be changed at any time without a new version, but it is not indexed for search. We use it for current offers, seasonal content and new features. In-app events can appear in search results and on your product page, which gives you more chances to be seen for event-related searches.
Test with Product Page Optimization and custom product pages
Product Page Optimization lets you test alternative icons, screenshots and preview videos against your original page. Custom product pages let you send traffic from specific campaigns to a version of your listing that matches the ad. We plan tests so each one answers a single question, such as "does showing the result screen first beat showing the setup screen?"
ASO Techniques for Google Play
Google Play reads the full description for keywords, so the long description matters far more than it does on iOS. We write it in plain, readable sentences that mention your main terms a sensible number of times, because Google Play's metadata policy rejects repetitive keyword lists and misleading claims. The short description, at 80 characters, is the line most people actually read, so it states the main benefit clearly.
Google Play also gives you tools Apple does not. Store listing experiments test graphics and text against your current listing. Custom store listings let you show different content to users in specific countries or to users arriving from a particular campaign. Promotional content, shown in the Play Store as offers or events, gives you another surface for seasonal pushes. App quality matters too: Google has said that apps with poor technical quality, measured through Android vitals, can be shown less often, so we flag crash and ANR trends to your developers as part of the monthly report.
App Store Optimization Research: Finding the Keywords People Type
Good app store optimization research starts from the problem your app solves, not from the words your team uses internally. A habit tracker team might call its main feature "streak analytics", while users search for "habit tracker" or "daily routine". We collect candidate keywords from several sources and then cut the list hard.
- Store search suggestions. The autocomplete terms each store shows as you type, checked in every target country.
- Competitor metadata. The names, subtitles and descriptions of apps that rank where you want to rank.
- Apple Ads search terms. If you run Apple Ads (formerly Apple Search Ads), its search term reports show real queries that led to taps and installs, and its search popularity data helps rank keywords against each other.
- ASO tool data. Keyword volume estimates and difficulty scores from tools such as AppTweak, Sensor Tower or Appfigures. These are estimates, so we use them to compare keywords rather than to forecast installs.
- Your own reviews. The words users use to describe your app often make better keywords than marketing copy does.
Each keyword is scored on relevance, popularity and competition. A small app does better targeting a group of specific, relevant phrases it can rank for than one huge head term owned by category leaders.
ASO Agency, Freelancer or In-House Team: Choosing Your App Store Optimization Company
| Option | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| In-house marketer | You release often and have someone who can own the store consoles, keyword tracking and design requests. | ASO tool subscriptions and design time add up, and the work often slips behind launches and paid campaigns. |
| Freelancer | You need a one-off metadata rewrite for a single app in one language. | Creative design, testing and localization usually need more than one person. |
| ASO agency | You need research, copy, screenshot design, testing and reporting handled together across both stores. | Ask who does the work, how changes are approved, and whether reporting uses store data or only tool estimates. |
When you compare any app store optimization company, ask to see a sample keyword map and a sample test log. Those two documents show quickly whether the provider makes decisions from data or simply rewrites copy.
Common ASO Mistakes We Fix on Existing Listings
- Keyword fields filled with repeats. The same word in the name, subtitle and keyword field, or plurals added that the store already matches.
- Screenshots that show the interface, not the benefit. Raw app screens without captions leave searchers to work out why the app matters.
- One listing for every market. English metadata shown in markets where people search in other languages.
- Review prompts at the wrong moment. Asking for a rating at launch or after an error, instead of after a user completes something they value. On iOS the system rating prompt can only appear a limited number of times a year, so timing matters.
- Tests that change everything at once. A new icon, new screenshots and a new video tested together, so nobody knows which change made the difference.
- Judging changes after a few days. Rankings and conversion move around after an update, so we read results over weeks, not days.
How ASO Marketing Works With Paid App Installs
ASO marketing and paid user acquisition feed each other. Paid campaigns send traffic to your store listing, so a better listing converts more of that paid traffic. Search term data from Apple Ads tells us which keywords actually lead to installs, which improves the organic keyword map. Custom product pages and custom store listings let each campaign land on a page that matches its message. If you also want paid campaigns managed, our app install ads team plans Apple Ads, Google App campaigns and Meta app campaigns around the same keyword and creative work, and our analytics team connects store data with in-app events.
Who Our App Store Optimization Services Are For
A good fit
- Live apps on iOS, Android or both that get steady downloads and want more of them from store search.
- Subscription, utility, health, finance, shopping and productivity apps with clear use cases people search for.
- Ecommerce brands with a shopping app that want it found by people searching for the brand and its category.
- Apps expanding into new countries that need localized keywords, not just translated copy.
- Teams running paid installs who want a listing that converts the traffic they already pay for.
Probably not a fit
- Apps that are not yet live. Start with product and design, then bring us in a few weeks before launch.
- Apps with serious stability or rating problems. Fix the app first, because no listing can hide a one-star experience for long.
- Teams looking for guaranteed rankings or install numbers. Nobody controls the store algorithms, and we will not promise outcomes.
App Development and Design Services That Support ASO
ASO works best when the app itself is solid. Our mobile app development team builds and maintains iOS and Android apps, and our mobile app design team can carry screenshot ideas back into the onboarding flow so the listing and the first session tell the same story. If you are not sure whether ASO, paid installs or your website is the best next step, start with a free marketing audit and we will tell you where we would spend first.