App Store Optimization (ASO) - 2020 Ultimate Guide for Apple App Store (iOS 13)

The Ultimate ASO Guide for:
App Store
ASO Guide
iOS
updated ✅

ASO, or App Store Optimization, is an essential strategy for
mobile businesses - the process of optimizing mobile apps and
games to maximize the visibility on the app stores and improve
the conversion rate to download.
What is ASO?
The Ultimate ASO Guide for APP STORE

ASO Strategy
The App Store Optimization strategy consists in 3 main
processes:
1. Market & Keyword Research
2. Product page optimization & A/B testing
3. Tracking and monitoring

1. Market & Keyword
Research

1. Keyword Research
This is most often the 1st step of the ASO process, carried out
even before launching an app / game.
Just like for SEO, keywords optimization is crucial in ASO and in
discoverability in Search & Explore.

a. Brainstorm the initial list of all the keywords related to
your app - what your app does, its main features, its in-app
purchases, its characters & gameplay if its a game. What
does your app solves? What’s its added value?
b. Amplify the list with suggestions - you can check them in
the App Store toolbar, or use a speciﬁc tool for keyword
research such as TheTool.
1. Keyword Research:
How to select the right keywords?

Keyword suggestions in TheTool

Keyword Density Spy in TheTool

How to identify the best keywords?
The best practice is to target mid / long-tailed keywords at
the beginning, i.e. combinations of keywords that have a high
enough trafﬁc & low competition.
You can usually ﬁnd this information within the research tool
you use, as it’s the case with TheTool.

2. Product page
optimization & A/B
testing

2. Product page optimization & A/B testing
The next important step is to work directly on the App Store
product page elements. There are two types of ranking factors
in ASO:
● On-metadata factors: app name, subtitle, description, icon, screenshots,
videos, promotional text, in-app purchase name, listing localization
● Off-metadata factors: downloads, user ratings & reviews

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2. Optimizing App Store product page:
App Name
● One of the strongest ranking factors + an impact on
conversion rate
● Up to 30 characters
● Make it short & memorable + include core keywords
💡 Keywords included in the App Name perform twice as good as the ones
in the keywords ﬁeld.

Subtitle
● Summarize product + highlight best features
● Impacts keywords rankings: add keywords
● Appears on app snippets (everywhere) and has an impact
on CTR and on Conversion Rate

App Name & Subtitle
App name
Subtitle

This ﬁeld is limited to 100 characters, so follow the best
practices to make the most out of them:
● Don’t include plural word forms if you already added the singular
● Separate words with commas and don’t use spaces - Apple will “mix
and match” your keywords & create combinations to rank your app
● Don’t include keywords already added in the App Name (it already
has the biggest weight for Search & Explore ranking)
Keywords ﬁeld

Keywords ﬁeld - How to edit it on App Store Connect

Description
● Can only be updated when submitting a new version
● Up to 4.000 characters, but the 1st sentence is the most
important one (users don’t need to click on read more to
see it)
● Does not impact keywords ranking but Conversion Rate

Description - Our tips 😎
● Highlight key features, focus on uniqueness
● Be clear and concise, share the core values of your app / game
● Use the brand’s tone to communicate with your target audience
● Mention your awards (or keep it for the Promotional Text for more highlight)
● No keyword stufﬁng
● Avoid mentioning prices - might not be accurate for all countries
● Localize your description!

Promotional Text
● On top of the description, can be updated anytime
● Does not impact keywords ranking but Conversion Rate
● Include special offers, promotions, latest news or
upcoming features

Developer Name
● Below the Description ﬁeld → hardly has any effect on
Conversion Rate
● A positive historic record can have a great impact on
rankings + help appear on Featured
● Affects Search
● Can’t be changed

Icon
● First element that users see when
searching or browsing the store
● Has a strong effect on click-through
rate & conversion rate

Icon - Our tips 😎
● Make it simple & recognizable - it should give a clear idea of what the app is about
● Don’t overload it - work with simple forms & harmonized colors
● Think of scalability - your icon should be visible in any size
● Follow the overall style of the app
● Match your icon not to create confusion
● Avoid text
● A / B test different icons to identify the best performing one
● Test your icon with different background - with the new iOS 13 dark mode,
your icon should be visible in clear AND dark mode
💡 Read more: App Icon: 17 Ultimate Tips to Improve It + Tools to Create It

App Previews (Video)
● Up to 3 preview videos (max. 30 sec. each), displayed
before screenshots
● Encourage users to visit the product page
● Autoplay on mute - a strong on-metadata factor
● Show app experience in an attractive, clear way
with visual explanations of the features

App Previews (Video)

App Previews (Video) - Our tips 😎
● Show real experience - use footage captured on device, avoid overproducing
● Focus on the ﬁrst videos, the one that will autoplay
● Make the ﬁrst seconds really compelling - catch users’ attention and convince them to watch
the whole video + go to the product page
● Get the audience excited - showcase the app / game’s best features
● Use copy & CTA to drive interest + provide explanation for when autoplayed
● Don’t forget about localization - provide narration & copy on
different languages

Screenshots
● Important on-metadata factor for CTR & Conversion Rate
● Up to 10 screenshots (at least 1 per localization)
● Displayed right after video previews: highlight main
features + provide details
● Aim to convince users to download the app

Screenshots
Localizing screenshots is very important when making
an app / game available in different countries!

Screenshots - Our tips 😎
● Display the best features on the ﬁrst 2 screenshots
● Preferably work with portrait orientation so the users can see 2 screenshots in Search results
instead of just 1
● Follow the design of your app to be consistent
● Make the most of the 10 screenshots possibles
● Work on a challenging copy to encourage users to install your app
● Showcase special offers & promos
● Mention any award you might have
● A / B test your screenshots to know what works best!

Ratings & Reviews
● The all-time ratings are displayed on
the product page + users reviews and
the developer’s answers are quite
visible
● Apps ratings appear on Search - it’s
important to take care of users’
experience & ensure their positive
feedback

A / B testing
● Use A / B testing to ﬁnd out what provides your app with
the best Conversion Rate
● With A / B testing, trafﬁc is sent to 2 different versions of
the product page to determine which works best
● Crucial to ASO + only way to know the most effective
content in attracting users
● Tools: Testnest, SpliteMetrics, Storemaven
💡 Common mistakes in A / B testing - Make sure you avoid them!

3. Tracking
& Monitoring

3. Monitoring the results
It is vital to check on your KPIs on a regular basis:
● Keywords rankings
● Top charts rankings
● Featurings
● Reviews & ratings
● Conversion Rate to visit / download
● Volume of organic downloads
● Revenue
● COMPETITORS
Keep in mind that to be successful, it is crucial to
have a great product, i.e. a quality app.

Final thoughts
The App Store has gone & is still going through many changes.
It’s important you keep everything in mind & stay up to date.
Always work on your strategy to improve rankings, convince
users to download your app & drive more organic installs.
Happy optimizing!

Thank you!

App Store Optimization (ASO) - 2020 Ultimate Guide for Apple App Store (iOS 13)

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