ASO Guides
Field-tested notes on App Store Optimization: the gotchas the stores don't spell out, and the ones most tools get wrong. Start with the keyword field and Search Popularity, then layer on Custom Product Pages and AI visibility.
The Apple keyword field is 100 bytes, not 100 characters
Apple's App Store keyword field is capped at 100 bytes of UTF-8, not 100 characters. Here's how to count it correctly and stop wasting space.
Read guide →Custom Product Pages: one keyword combo, one page
Apple Custom Product Pages rank organically by their assigned keywords, and assigning the same keyword to two pages creates a conflict. Here's the rule and how to detect it.
Read guide →Apple Search Popularity is a relative index, not a search volume
Apple does not publish keyword search volume. Search Popularity is a relative 1-5 index, storefront-scoped. Here's how to read it without fabricating numbers.
Read guide →AI visibility (GEO): getting your app recommended by ChatGPT, Claude & Perplexity
When users ask an AI assistant for an app like yours, does it recommend you? Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the new frontier of app discovery.
Read guide →App name and subtitle: your 60 most valuable characters
Your 30-character app name and 30-character subtitle are the two highest-weight indexed fields on iOS. Here's how to spend all 60 characters and what never to waste them on.
Read guide →iOS keyword research: which terms are worth your 100 bytes
The iOS keyword field is 100 bytes and every term competes for space. Here's how to find candidates, judge relevance against the relative Search Popularity index, and prune the waste.
Read guide →App Store screenshots and previews: your conversion levers
Screenshots and the app preview video don't move search rank; they move the download decision. Here's how the first frames, captions, and localized sets convert.
Read guide →Product-page conversion-rate optimization for the App Store
Impressions become product-page views become downloads. Here's the App Store conversion funnel, what's above the fold, and what to A/B test with Custom Product Pages.
Read guide →Ratings and reviews: how they affect ASO and what to do
Your App Store rating shapes both ranking and conversion. Here's how count, average, and recency work as signals, and how to prompt, respond, and recover.
Read guide →What the App Store search algorithm actually weighs
The iOS App Store ranks on text relevance, downloads, ratings, engagement, and recency, not backlinks or keyword density. Here's what counts and what doesn't.
Read guide →Localization for ASO: each locale is a fresh set of indexed metadata
Every App Store localization gives you a new indexed app name, subtitle, and keyword field. Localizing metadata is not translating your app. Here's how to use the multiplier.
Read guide →In-App Events: a discovery surface most apps ignore
In-App Events can surface in App Store search, Today, and on your product page: a discovery channel beyond static metadata. Here's how they work and the metadata that matters.
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