App Store Optimization (ASO): A 2026 Checklist

What is app store optimization (ASO)?

App store optimization (ASO) is the work of getting your app found in App Store and Google Play search and browse, then turning more of the people who see it into installs. It has two halves: discovery (the words in your name, subtitle, keyword field, and descriptions) and conversion (icon, screenshots, video, ratings, and the page variants you test). In 2026 both stores give you free tools for each half, including custom pages for different audiences, built-in A/B tests, and event cards, and most apps use only a few of them.

Every limit below was checked on Apple Developer, App Store Connect Help, and Play Console Help pages on October 20, 2026. Stores change these rules, so check the linked page before you rely on a number.

The ASO checklist: App Store vs Google Play

Use this table as your audit, once per app and language.

Sources: Apple’s Creating your product page guide and the App Store Connect platform version information reference; Google’s Metadata policy and preview assets help pages. Checked on October 20, 2026.

App Store: field-by-field notes

Name, subtitle, and keyword field

Apple’s product page guide says the keyword field takes terms separated by commas with no spaces (spaces are fine inside a phrase, as in “Property,House,Real Estate”). Skip plurals of words you already list, category names, the word “app”, duplicates, and special characters such as # or @. Apple also warns that improper keyword use is a common reason for rejection, so leave out competitor brand names.

A practical way to use the space: a short brand plus your most important phrase in the name (“Brightly: Budget Planner”), a second phrase in the subtitle (“Track spending and save”), then single words in the keyword field that combine into other searches (“expense,money,bills,saving,family,receipt”). Most practitioners also avoid repeating name and subtitle words there, in line with Apple’s advice on duplicates.

Promotional text, description, and creatives

Apple states that promotional text does not affect search ranking, so use it for news you can change any time: a sale, a new season, a feature launch. The description changes only with a new version, and its first sentence matters most because people read it without tapping “more”. Previews autoplay muted, so the first seconds must work without sound. With no preview, your first one to three screenshots appear in search results, which makes them part of your search listing.

Custom product pages and in-app events

Apple’s custom product pages can each show different screenshots, promotional text, and previews. You can assign keywords to a custom page so it appears in search results for those keywords instead of your default page, and add a deep link (iOS 18 and later) that opens the matching screen in your app. Pages need App Review, but not a new app version. What is a deep link? explains that last step.

In-app events are cards for timely things inside your app, such as a challenge or a new season. They appear in search results for people who already have your app, and people can search for events directly. Event names are limited to 30 characters, short descriptions to 50, and long descriptions to 120.

Google Play: field-by-field notes

Title, short description, and full description

Google Play has no keyword field. Its Get discovered on Google Play search page tells you to use SEO best practices in your description without keyword spam, keep the title unique, avoid common terms, and avoid subtle misspellings. The Metadata policy also bans unattributed user testimonials in the description.

Write for people, with your main phrases used naturally in the first lines: “Track spending, set a monthly budget, and scan receipts” reads well and covers three searches.

Graphics

Keep the feature graphic’s focal point near the center. Screenshot taglines should cover no more than 20% of the image and avoid calls to action such as “Download now”. In the video, show the app in action within the first 10 seconds.

Custom store listings and promotional content

Google’s custom store listings let you show a different listing to users in specific countries, people who can pre-register, lapsed users (no open in 28 days), churned users, Google Ads traffic, or anyone arriving on a unique URL. A country can be assigned to only one custom listing at a time. Promotional content (formerly LiveOps) covers offers, time-limited events, and major updates, and can appear on the Apps or Games tab, in search results, and on your listing.

Android vitals and visibility

Google’s Android vitals page sets bad behavior thresholds of a 1.09% user-perceived crash rate and a 0.47% user-perceived ANR rate overall, and 8% for either on a single phone model. Above a threshold, Play may reduce your visibility and show a warning on your listing. Check vitals before you rewrite a word.

Keyword research for both stores

Good keywords are phrases people really type, that describe your app, and that you can realistically rank for:

1. Start from the job. List what users want done (“split bills with roommates”), not your feature names.
2. Use store autocomplete in each target country and note the suggestions.
3. Read reviews of your app and competitors. Users’ own words often beat yours.
4. Check what already works. Play Console’s store listing reports have a search term dimension showing the queries people typed before opening your listing.
5. Pick a mix: one or two broad phrases, plus longer, specific ones where a new app can rank sooner.
6. Localize, do not just translate. Research each language separately.

Conversion: icon, screenshots, and tests

Ranking gets you seen; conversion turns the view into an install. Treat the first three screenshots as a short pitch: one benefit per frame, a short caption, real app screens, and the result the user wants (a finished budget, a won match) first.

Then test instead of guessing. Apple’s product page optimization runs up to three treatments of icons, screenshots, and previews against your original for up to 90 days (iOS and iPadOS 15 or later). Apple suggests waiting until a treatment is reported as better or worse than the baseline with at least 90% confidence before you act. Google’s store listing experiments test up to two variants against your current listing; you can run one default graphics experiment or up to five localized experiments (which can also test descriptions) at once, on your default or custom listings.

Ratings and reviews

Apple says ratings and reviews influence how your app ranks in search, and Google says Play ranks apps on a combination of ratings, reviews, downloads, and other factors.

• Apple: use the StoreKit review request. Apple’s Requesting App Store reviews article says the system shows the prompt at most three times within a 365-day period. SKStoreReviewController is deprecated as of iOS 18 in favor of AppStore.requestReview(in:), or RequestReviewAction in SwiftUI.
• Google Play: use the In-App Review API. Google enforces a time-bound quota, so do not trigger it from a button (send a “Rate us” button to the Play Store page instead), and do not ask “Do you like the app?” before the card.
• Timing: ask after a success, such as a finished level or a saved budget, never during onboarding or after an error.
• Reset with care: App Store Connect lets you reset your summary rating when you release a new version. It cannot be undone, written reviews stay, and a page with few ratings can put people off.

Never pay or reward anyone for a rating or review, and never filter unhappy users away from the prompt. Both stores prohibit it and can remove the app. Can you pay for app reviews? quotes the exact rules.

Measuring ASO

Measure ASO as a funnel (seen, visited, installed), split by source and country.

• App Store Connect: App Analytics reports unique impressions, unique product page views, downloads, and conversion rate, by source type: App Store search (which includes search ads), App Store browse, web referrer, and app referrer, per Apple’s acquisition sources help page.
• Play Console: the store performance reports show store listing visitors, unique user install clicks, click-through rate, and store listing acquisitions, by traffic source (Google Play search, Google Play explore, ads and referrals), search term, country, and UTM campaign, with peer benchmarks where there is enough data.

Change one thing at a time and compare equal periods before and after, for the same source. A lift only in “ads and referrals” points to paid traffic, not your organic listing. Tag links consistently; UTM parameters explained shows how. And look past the install: app retention benchmarks explains how to check that the new users stay.

How paid user acquisition and ASO work together

Paid campaigns and ASO meet on the same page.

• Every paid install converts through your listing. A better page lowers the cost of every campaign that sends people there.
• Match the page to the ad. Apple Ads can use custom product pages as ad variations, and Google lets you target a custom listing at Google Ads traffic.
• Downloads feed ranking signals. Google names downloads among its ranking factors. Users who stay also help the quality signals both stores use.
• Do not buy installs to push rankings. Google Play forbids inflating install counts by illegitimate means, and Apple forbids manipulating charts and search. Incentivized installs and Google Play policy draws the line.
• Keep web traffic consistent. Your website should promise what the listing shows; see the landing page checklist.

Compare channels by cost per retained user, not only CPI. CPI vs CPA for apps explains when to pay for an in-app event instead, rewarded user acquisition covers rewarded channels, and how to get app installs compares the rest. For games, a soft launch in cheaper countries is the time to test your store page, and promoting a mobile game on a small budget turns this into a first-month plan.

Frequently asked questions