App Store Optimization

name: app-store-optimization description: Optimize mobile app listings for iOS App Store and Google Play — keyword research, screenshot design, rating management, and conversion optimization. Use when launching a mobile app, improving app store rankings, or optimizing download conversion rates. tags: [aso, mobile, app-store, growth]

App Store Optimization (ASO)

Comprehensive ASO framework for iOS App Store and Google Play — keyword research, listing optimization, visual asset strategy, rating management, and A/B testing store pages. The mobile equivalent of SEO.

Use this skill when

• Launching a new mobile app on iOS or Google Play
• Optimizing an existing app listing to improve rankings
• Conducting keyword research for app store visibility
• Designing or testing screenshots and app preview videos
• Managing app ratings and reviews strategically
• Comparing performance across Apple and Google platforms
• Preparing ASO audit reports

Do not use this skill when

• Optimizing a website for Google search (use seo-audit)
• Running paid user acquisition campaigns (use campaign-analytics)
• Designing the app's UX/UI itself (use UX/frontend skills)
• Building the app's technical architecture (use engineering skills)

Instructions

1. Research keywords using the ASO Keyword Research Framework.
2. Optimize listing elements — title, subtitle, description, category.
3. Design visual assets — screenshots, preview video, icon.
4. Set up rating management — review response templates and prompt strategy.
5. Run store listing experiments — A/B test on Google Play, Product Page Optimization on iOS.
6. Produce the ASO Audit Report with keyword priority matrix.

Platform Differences: Apple vs. Google

Understanding these differences is critical — ASO strategy must be platform-specific:

ASO Keyword Research Framework

Step 1: Keyword Discovery

Step 2: Keyword Scoring

Priority Rules:

• Score >7: Primary keywords — must be in title or subtitle
• Score 4-7: Secondary keywords — keyword field (iOS) or description (Android)
• Score <4: Monitor — don't optimize for these yet

Step 3: Keyword Placement Strategy

Keyword Field Optimization (iOS)

Rules for 100-character keyword field:
- No spaces after commas (saves characters)
- No duplicates of words already in title or subtitle
- Use singular form only (Apple handles plurals)
- No prepositions (the, a, an, of) — Apple ignores them
- Include common misspellings if characters allow
- Test with Sensor Tower or AppTweak for indexing confirmation

Store Listing Optimization

Title Formula

[Brand Name] — [Primary Keyword/Value Prop]

Examples:
✅ "Notion — Notes, Docs, Tasks"
✅ "Calm — Sleep & Meditation"
✅ "Duolingo — Language Lessons"

❌ "MyApp: The Best App For Everything You Need" (too generic)
❌ "MA" (too short, no keywords)

Description Structure (Google Play — indexed for search)

Paragraph 1: Hook + primary value proposition (include primary keywords)
Paragraph 2: Key features with benefits (include secondary keywords)
Paragraph 3: Social proof (awards, press, user count)
Paragraph 4: Call to action + differentiator

Category Selection

Visual Asset Optimization

Screenshot Strategy

Screenshot Design Principles

App Preview Video

Icon Design

Rating & Review Management

Review Response Templates

Positive Review (4-5 stars):

Thank you for the kind words, [Name]! We're glad [specific feature/benefit]
is working well for you. If you have any ideas for improvement, we'd love
to hear them at [feedback channel].

Negative Review — Bug Report (1-3 stars):

We're sorry about this issue, [Name]. Our team is looking into [specific
problem]. Could you reach out to [support email] with your device details
so we can resolve this quickly? We want to make this right.

Negative Review — Feature Request (1-3 stars):

Thanks for the feedback, [Name]. We hear you on [feature request] — it's
on our radar. In the meantime, you might find [workaround] helpful.
We'll update you when this ships!

Rating Prompt Strategy

A/B Testing Store Listings

Google Play Store Listing Experiments

Apple Product Page Optimization

What to Test First (Priority Order)

1. Screenshots — highest impact on conversion; test benefit messaging and visual style
2. Icon — affects CTR in search results; test color and symbol variations
3. Short description / subtitle — affects both search ranking and conversion
4. Long description — lower impact but easy to test on Google Play

Output Template: ASO Audit Report

# ASO Audit Report — [App Name]

**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Platforms:** [iOS / Android / Both]
**Current Rating:** [X.X] (iOS) / [X.X] (Android)
**Current Ranking:** #[X] in [Category]

## Keyword Analysis
| Keyword | Current Rank | Volume | Difficulty | Opportunity |
|---------|-------------|--------|------------|-------------|
| | | | | High/Med/Low |

## Listing Audit
| Element | Current | Score (1-5) | Recommendation |
|---------|---------|-------------|----------------|
| Title | | | |
| Subtitle / Short Desc | | | |
| Keywords (iOS) | | | |
| Description | | | |
| Screenshots | | | |
| Video | | | |
| Icon | | | |

## Rating Health
- **Current rating:** [X.X] ([N] reviews)
- **Recent trend:** [improving/declining/stable]
- **Top complaint themes:** [list]
- **Response rate:** [X]% of negative reviews responded

## Competitive Comparison
| Metric | Our App | Competitor A | Competitor B |
|--------|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Rating | | | |
| Reviews | | | |
| Category Rank | | | |
| Keywords Overlap | | | |

## Priority Actions
1. [Action] — Expected impact — Effort
2. [Action] — Expected impact — Effort
3. [Action] — Expected impact — Effort

Common Mistakes

• Keyword stuffing in titles — "Best Free Photo Editor Camera Filter Beauty App" hurts credibility and can violate store policies
• Ignoring localization — app store pages should be localized for each market, not just the app strings
• Not A/B testing screenshots — assumptions about "good" screenshots are often wrong; test everything
• Responding defensively to negative reviews — public arguments hurt your brand; be empathetic and solution-oriented
• Optimizing for downloads without considering retention — ASO that drives low-quality installs increases churn and hurts ranking algorithms
• Same strategy for both platforms — Apple and Google have fundamentally different ranking factors; optimize separately
• Ignoring seasonal opportunities — "back to school", "new year", "holiday" keywords spike at predictable times

Additional Resources

• Related skills: seo-audit (web SEO counterpart), campaign-analytics (acquisition channel analysis)
• Sensor Tower, AppTweak, App Annie — ASO tools and market intelligence
• Apple App Store Connect — Product Page Optimization documentation
• Google Play Console — Store Listing Experiments documentation