App Store Auditor App Store Audit Guide

The two goals of app store optimisation

ASO has two distinct goals that require different optimisation strategies. The first is ranking — appearing high in search results when people search for apps like yours. The second is conversion — convincing people who see your listing to download your app. Both matter equally, but they are optimised differently.

Ranking is determined primarily by your title, subtitle, keywords field and reviews. Conversion is determined primarily by your icon, screenshots, preview video and review sentiment.

Quick wins from the App Store Audit

Add a subtitle (iOS)

The iOS subtitle gives you 30 additional characters that carry ranking weight almost as strong as the title. Most apps leave this empty — a major missed opportunity. Use it for your secondary keyword that did not fit in the title.

Add text overlays to screenshots

Screenshots without text callouts underperform against screenshots that highlight specific features. Add 3-5 word feature callouts to each screenshot. A/B test with Apple's Product Page Optimisation or Google's Store Listing Experiments.

Get a preview video

Apps with preview videos convert significantly better than those without. A 15-30 second video showing the app in use — not a flashy animation — is the highest-impact conversion improvement available to most apps.

Respond to reviews

Apps where developers respond to reviews — especially negative ones — show higher conversion rates. Responses signal that the app is actively maintained and that issues get resolved.

Written by
John
Founder, AIWebPageSEO