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App Store SEO

Improves a mobile app's visibility and conversion rate in app store search results to drive organic installs, distinct from web SEO.

If you have ever copied web SEO tactics into an app listing and wondered why installs stayed flat, you already know the two stores behave differently.

Key points

  • Research keywords by relevance, search volume, and your app's ability to rank, not just volume alone.
  • Write titles and descriptions for humans first; keyword stuffing hurts both ranking and conversion.
  • Treat visual assets as part of the conversion funnel, not decoration.
  • Localise metadata and creatives for each target country and language.
  • Test and update your listing iteratively because store algorithms and policies change.

A title rewrite that doubled installs

A fitness app ranked on page two for 'home workout' with a title that read 'FitTrack – Workout Logger'. The team researched the term, found it had 12,000 monthly searches, and changed the title to 'FitTrack: Home Workout Tracker'. They also added 'HIIT, yoga, strength' to the keyword field. Over six weeks, impressions rose 140% and installs doubled, while the average rating stayed at 4.2 stars. The only change was metadata. This is app store optimisation, not mobile seo or conversion rate optimisation, but it borrows from both.

Three ways it goes wrong

  • Keyword stuffing Repeating the same term in the title, subtitle, and keyword field can trigger spam filters and reduce readability, hurting conversion.
  • Ignoring store differences Android and iOS have different field lengths, indexing rules, and ranking signals; copying tactics between them wastes effort.
  • Neglecting visual assets Screenshots and icons strongly influence whether a user installs after searching, yet many teams treat them as an afterthought.

Three things to check before acting

  • Character limits Google Play allows up to 30 characters for the title and 80 for the short description; Apple allows 30 and 100 respectively. Exceeding them truncates your listing.
  • Keyword field rules Apple provides a dedicated keyword field of up to 100 characters; Google does not. On Android, keywords must go in the description or title.
  • Conversion signals Ratings, reviews, and visual assets directly affect conversion rate optimisation; ignoring them undermines your keyword work and reduces installs from search.

Common questions

What are the best app store optimisation tools?

Tools like App Annie, Sensor Tower, and MobileAction help research keywords, track rankings, and analyse competitor listings.

How is ASO different from web SEO?

ASO focuses on app store ranking signals like title, screenshots, and ratings, not backlinks or page speed.

Sources

  1. Google Play Console Help Official guidelines for Google Play listings and metadata
  2. Apple App Store Connect Help Official documentation for iOS app submission and metadata
  3. Moz Learn - App Store Optimization Introductory guide covering ASO basics and best practices
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