ASO for apps

ASO is SEO for the App Store and Google Play: metadata that decides whether you appear for a search, plus a product page that earns the install when someone lands.

Organic Shorts (TikTok / Reels / YouTube Shorts) are not ASO. They create demand and download velocity. ASO is what happens on the store — ranking, screenshots, App Previews, ratings, and Custom Product Pages.

Title and subtitle carry the most weight. Put your primary category keyword in the app name (brand second if needed). Use the subtitle for secondary terms — do not repeat words Apple already indexes from the title.

The App Store Connect keyword field (~100 characters) is invisible to users but indexed. Comma-separate, skip spaces, avoid plurals of words you already used, and never paste competitor names.

• Research popularity vs difficulty before locking a brand-only name.
• Prefer one high-intent primary keyword over owning a zero-volume easy term.
• Localize title/subtitle/keywords per storefront — English-only leaves money on the table.

You have a few seconds on the product page. The first three screenshots must read as a story without audio: hero feature → how it works → why it sticks.

Show real UI, not lifestyle fluff. Product Page Optimization (A/B) often surprises — polished creatives can lose to clearer ones. Always test.

App Preview videos sit on the listing and autoplay muted. Treat them like a silent demo of the same story your screenshots tell — not a re-upload of a TikTok edit.

• Lead with the most distinctive screen, not onboarding chrome.
• Keep caption text large; people skim on phones.
• Reuse winning Shorts beats as screenshot storyboard cues — same mechanic, store job.

Ratings lift both rank and conversion. Prompt at a happy moment (first win), not during onboarding or after a crash. Respect dismissals.

Reply to reviews. Support email signatures that gently ask for a rating after you helped someone compound over years.

Custom Product Pages (CPPs) let you match creatives and messaging to a campaign, audience, or channel — including different App Preview videos — without changing your default listing.

Use CPPs when Shorts or ads send traffic with a specific promise (one feature, one persona). Keep the default page for organic App Store search.

Video supports the store close: App Previews on the default page and on CPPs, screenshot frames borrowed from reels that already proved a hook, and social proof that someone arrived curious.

Off-store installs (SEO sites, press, Soft CTA Shorts → bio/store) create download velocity that helps rankings over time. That is adjacent growth feeding ASO — not “posting memes is ASO.”

Soft CTA on Shorts (“link in bio”, tease the outcome). Hard Download language belongs on demos, CPPs, and the listing itself. Deep dive formats on the organic video guide.

• Ship App Preview before chasing more TikTok volume with a weak listing.
• Align bio / end-card links with the store URL or a CPP deep link.
• Keep listing metadata stable; iterate creatives weekly when you have PPO data.