India's most trusted App Store Optimisation (ASO) Services provider delivering keyword-driven visibility, conversion-optimised creatives and sustainable organic download growth for Indian apps and global app businesses. Because the best app in the world generates zero downloads if it does not appear when users search for it.
ASO Services Performance Snapshot
Apps Optimised Across Google Play and App Store
App Categories and Industries Served
Client Satisfaction Rate
Countries and Markets Covered
At Maddog Global, our App Store Optimisation (ASO) Services in India are built around a commercial reality that surprises many app developers and product teams: over 65% of all app downloads begin with an app store search. Not social media ads, not influencer promotions, not web referrals. A user opens Google Play or the Apple App Store, types a search query, and installs one of the first few results they see. If your app does not rank for the terms your ideal users are searching, they are finding and installing your competitor's app instead.
We have optimised 150+ apps across Google Play and the Apple App Store, covering every category from fintech and edtech to gaming, health and fitness, and e-commerce. Every ASO engagement we deliver addresses both dimensions of app store performance: search visibility (how many users see your listing in relevant search results) and conversion rate (how many users who see your listing actually tap Install). Improving either one grows downloads. Improving both simultaneously compounds growth in a way that paid user acquisition alone cannot replicate at a sustainable cost.
💡 The ASO reality: Over 65% of app downloads start with a store search. The top three organic results in a category search capture over 70% of all installs from that search. A well-optimised store listing can improve conversion rate by 25 to 35% without increasing the number of users who see it. And organic user acquisition through ASO has a cost-per-install that is typically 5 to 10 times lower than paid app install campaigns. ASO is the highest-leverage growth investment available to any app business.
Apps optimised across Google Play and Apple App Store in India and global markets
Client satisfaction rate across all App Store Optimisation (ASO) engagements
App categories and industries served across our ASO portfolio
Countries and markets where we provide ASO services for app businesses
Apps that rank highly but have low-converting creatives waste their visibility. Apps with beautiful screenshots but no keyword strategy receive no organic impressions to convert. All four pillars must be optimised and maintained together for compounding download growth.
Your app is only visible in search results for the keywords its metadata targets. Keyword research identifies the terms your target users search most frequently, at the right volume and difficulty balance for your app's authority level. Strategic placement of these keywords in your title, subtitle, keyword field and description tells the app store algorithm what your app is relevant for, directly determining which searches your app appears in and how high it ranks in each.
When a user sees your app in search results, your icon, screenshots and preview video determine whether they tap your listing and whether they tap Install. A user who sees your listing but does not install represents lost acquisition with zero cost efficiency. Screenshot optimisation, A/B testing and creative strategy turn impressions into installs by communicating your app's value proposition visually in the 3 to 5 seconds a user spends evaluating your listing against competitors.
Your average star rating and review volume are ranking signals in both Google Play and the Apple App Store, and are the primary trust signal for users deciding whether to install your app. An app with 4.7 stars and 2,000 reviews converts at a dramatically higher rate than the same app with 3.8 stars and 50 reviews, independent of all other listing elements. A systematic ratings and reviews strategy improves both the volume and quality of reviews your app receives through ethical, platform-compliant in-app prompting and response management.
App store algorithms update. Competitor apps optimise their own listings. User search behaviour evolves. Category dynamics shift. An ASO strategy that was optimal six months ago may be significantly less effective today if it has not been monitored and updated. Ongoing keyword ranking tracking, competitive monitoring, conversion rate analysis and regular listing updates ensure your app maintains and improves its position rather than drifting backwards as the competitive landscape evolves around it.
From a first-time ASO audit for an app that has never been optimised to an ongoing monthly ASO management programme for a mature app competing in a highly contested category, our App Store Optimisation (ASO) Services cover every element that determines your app's organic visibility and install conversion rate on both Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Comprehensive audit of your current app store listing identifying every optimisation opportunity across both Google Play and the Apple App Store. Metadata audit reviewing title, subtitle, short description, long description and keyword field for keyword coverage, relevance and missed opportunities. Creative audit assessing icon quality, screenshot effectiveness, feature graphic design and preview video use against category best practices. Ratings and reviews audit analysing current volume, average rating, rating velocity, developer response rate and sentiment patterns. Competitor benchmarking comparing your listing against the top 5 ranked apps in your primary category. Keyword ranking audit identifying which terms you currently rank for, at what positions, and the gap between your current coverage and the full keyword opportunity available in your category. Audit report delivered with prioritised recommendations by expected impact on visibility and conversion rate.
Explore →In-depth keyword research identifying the search terms your target users use in Google Play and the Apple App Store, with platform-specific research methodology reflecting the different indexing approaches of each store. Primary keyword identification covering the highest-volume terms directly relevant to your app's core functionality. Secondary keyword expansion covering related terms, use-case keywords, audience-type keywords and longtail combinations that capture more specific user intent. Competitor keyword gap analysis identifying high-opportunity terms your competitors rank for that you do not currently target. Keyword difficulty and volume assessment enabling strategic prioritisation of terms most likely to generate measurable ranking improvement for your app's current authority level. Keyword strategy document mapping recommended keywords to specific metadata fields with implementation guidance for each platform's character limits and indexing rules.
Explore →Platform-specific metadata writing and optimisation for both Google Play and the Apple App Store. App title optimisation incorporating the primary keyword within the character limit while remaining compelling and brand-consistent. App subtitle optimisation for the Apple App Store placing a secondary keyword in the subtitle field that complements the title. Keyword field strategy for Apple App Store maximising the 100-character keyword field through comma-separated keyword combinations, avoiding spaces and duplicating words already in the title or subtitle. Short description optimisation for Google Play capturing secondary keywords and a compelling hook within the 80-character limit. Long description writing for Google Play strategically incorporating target keywords throughout a 4,000-character description that serves both the algorithm and the human reader. Description updates and iteration based on keyword ranking performance data over time.
Explore →Conversion-focused screenshot and creative asset design maximising the install rate of users who see your app listing. Screenshot strategy defining the most compelling value proposition sequence for your screenshot set, reflecting what users in your category respond to most strongly based on competitive analysis and user psychology. Screenshot design with clear benefit-driven caption overlays communicating your app's key value propositions in the 3 to 5 seconds a user spends evaluating your listing. Feature graphic design for Google Play creating a compelling visual identity for the top of your store listing. App icon review and optimisation recommendations for differentiation in category search results. Preview video strategy guidance for apps where video preview increases conversion in the category. A/B testing setup using Google Play Store Listing Experiments or Apple Product Page Optimisation to measure the conversion impact of creative variants before committing to full deployment.
Explore →Systematic strategy for improving your app's average rating, review volume and review quality through ethical, platform-compliant methods. In-app ratings prompt strategy designing the optimal trigger points, timing and user segments for showing the native iOS and Android rating prompts, targeting moments when users have experienced positive outcomes to maximise the ratio of positive ratings to prompted sessions. Developer response programme for existing reviews: crafting professional, helpful responses to negative reviews that acknowledge issues, demonstrate responsiveness and often convert the reviewer to a more positive experience. Response templates for common review categories enabling consistent, on-brand response at scale. Review monitoring setup with alerts for new reviews requiring urgent response. Ratings trend reporting tracking average rating, rating velocity and review sentiment month over month.
Explore →Detailed competitive intelligence analysis of the top-ranked apps in your category and primary keywords. Competitor keyword coverage analysis identifying which keywords the top-ranking apps in your category are targeting and whether any high-volume terms are underexploited by competitors, representing a differentiation opportunity. Creative strategy analysis reviewing screenshot styles, messaging approaches, feature prioritisation and visual conventions used by category leaders and challengers. Rating and review strategy observation identifying how high-performing competitors prompt for and respond to reviews. Competitive ranking movement tracking monitoring position changes of key competitors for your target keywords, providing early warning of competitive threats and new optimisation opportunities. Competitive analysis updated monthly as part of ongoing ASO management to ensure strategy remains adaptive to category dynamics.
Explore →Market-specific ASO optimisation for apps targeting audiences in languages and territories beyond their primary market. Keyword research conducted independently in each target language and market, because user search behaviour, terminology preferences and competitive landscapes differ significantly between markets. Localised metadata translation and adaptation for each market, distinct from simple translation to reflect the natural search language used by that market's app store users. Localised screenshot and creative adaptation reflecting visual preferences and messaging conventions appropriate to each market. Market-specific ratings strategy adapted to the review behaviour and expectations of each territory's user base. Google Play multilingual listing setup and Apple App Store storefront configuration for all target markets. Particularly relevant for Indian apps expanding to English-speaking markets and for international apps entering the Indian market, where localisation to Hindi and regional languages can dramatically expand keyword coverage and conversion for non-English user segments.
Explore →Ongoing keyword ranking tracking and performance reporting providing full visibility of your app's search visibility, conversion performance and competitive position. Keyword ranking monitoring across all target keywords on both platforms with weekly position tracking and movement alerts for significant rank changes. Organic install volume reporting from platform console data showing the commercial impact of ASO improvements. Conversion rate tracking for store listing page views to installs, segmented by traffic source to isolate organic search conversion performance. Competitor keyword movement monitoring. Monthly ASO performance report covering keyword ranking changes, organic download trends, conversion rate performance, ratings and review metrics, and specific recommendations for the following month's optimisation priorities. Quarterly strategic review reassessing keyword strategy as category dynamics and app maturity evolve.
Explore →Strategic alignment between App Store Optimisation and User Acquisition (UA) paid campaigns to maximise the performance of both channels simultaneously. Custom product page optimisation for Apple Search Ads, creating dedicated App Store listing variants tailored to the specific keyword themes and audience segments targeted by paid campaigns. Google Ads UAC creative guidance ensuring paid creative assets are consistent with and complementary to organic listing creatives. App Store Connect and Google Play Console data integration with attribution platform for unified organic and paid performance visibility. Retargeting audience strategy using engagement data from organic installs to improve targeting efficiency of paid reacquisition campaigns. ASO landing page variant strategy for paid traffic directing users to custom listing pages optimised for the specific search intent of each paid campaign's keyword targeting, improving paid conversion rates while maintaining a separately optimised organic listing for broad search traffic.
Explore →Our App Store Optimisation (ASO) Services in India are trusted by Indian app businesses and global app companies across the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, UAE, Ireland, Singapore and New Zealand. User search behaviour, competitive landscapes, keyword terminology and creative preferences differ significantly between markets. Our ASO services are localised for each territory rather than applying a single global strategy to all markets simultaneously.
Markets We Provide ASO Services For
ASO for Indian apps with India-specific keyword research in English, Hindi and regional languages, competitive analysis in the Indian app market, and strategies calibrated for the specific download behaviour and search patterns of Indian app store users across Android-dominant and iOS segments
Primary MarketASO for UK market targeting with UK English keyword research, UK-specific competitive analysis, and localisation for British spelling conventions and terminology that differ from Indian English and American English in ways that affect keyword coverage and user trust
ActiveASO for the largest English-language app market with US keyword research, US category competitive analysis, and creative optimisation calibrated for US user expectations and visual conventions that differ from other English-speaking markets in measurable ways
ActiveASO for the Australian market with AU keyword research, Australian spelling and terminology in metadata, and competitive analysis specific to Australian app store category dynamics which differ from UK and US markets in ranking difficulty and competitive intensity
ActiveASO for the Canadian bilingual market with separate English and French keyword research, Canadian English localisation, Quebec French metadata where relevant, and competitive analysis specific to Canadian app category rankings that differ from US market dynamics
ActiveASO for the UAE and Gulf markets with Arabic keyword research, English and Arabic metadata for bilingual listings, creative optimisation for Gulf market user visual preferences, and competitive analysis calibrated for the UAE app store landscape
ActiveASO for the Singapore and Southeast Asia markets with Singapore English keyword research, competitive analysis in Singapore app categories, and strategy calibrated for the high smartphone penetration and multilingual user base of the Singapore app market
ActiveASO for European markets including German, French, Spanish and Italian localisation, competitive analysis in major European app store categories, and GDPR-aware metadata strategy for European app listings that reference data handling practices
ActiveThe most common ASO mistake is applying the same strategy to both platforms. Google Play and the Apple App Store use fundamentally different algorithms, metadata structures and ranking signals. Google Play indexes the full long description and weighs keyword density within it. The Apple App Store indexes only the title, subtitle and keyword field and completely ignores the description for ranking purposes. An ASO agency that writes one description and deploys it to both platforms is optimising neither correctly. Our team maintains separate, platform-specific strategies for each store, reflecting the algorithmic differences that determine ranking outcomes on each platform independently.
Most ASO engagements focus primarily on keyword strategy and metadata, treating creative optimisation as a secondary concern. This approach misses half the opportunity. Keyword ranking improvements increase the number of users who see your listing, but the conversion rate of that listing determines how many of those impressions become installs. We optimise both with equal rigour: keyword strategy to maximise search visibility and creative strategy to maximise the conversion of that visibility into downloads. The commercial impact of a 30% ranking improvement multiplied by a 30% conversion rate improvement is far greater than either in isolation.
ASO is not a one-time optimisation exercise. App store algorithms update. Competitors respond to your improvements. Seasonal search patterns shift. New user segments discover your category. An ASO strategy that does not evolve in response to real performance data quickly becomes stale. Our ongoing ASO management is driven by monthly keyword ranking data, conversion rate trends, competitive movement analysis and platform algorithm change monitoring. Every monthly report includes specific, data-justified recommendations for the following period rather than a generic continuation of the same strategy regardless of what the data shows.
App store manipulation tactics including incentivised installs, fake reviews, keyword stuffing that violates store guidelines, and review manipulation schemes are tempting shortcuts that produce short-term metric improvements and long-term consequences including app removal and developer account bans. We use only platform-compliant ASO methods. Every keyword strategy respects the metadata guidelines of each store. Every ratings strategy uses only the native in-app rating prompt APIs that Google and Apple provide and approve. Every creative testing approach uses official A/B testing tools. Sustainable organic growth built on genuine listing quality is the only kind that compounds over time without existential risk to your app's store presence.
ASO is a compounding investment. Each optimisation cycle improves on the last, and the cumulative effect of 6 to 12 months of consistent, data-driven ASO management produces organic download volumes that paid acquisition cannot match at comparable cost. Our App Store Optimisation (ASO) Services are built to compound.
Apps optimised across Google Play and Apple App Store in India and global markets
Client satisfaction rate across all App Store Optimisation (ASO) engagements
Keyword visibility and creative conversion. Ethical methods. Compounding organic growth.
A structured ASO process refined across 150+ app optimisation engagements, producing measurable keyword ranking improvements and organic download growth through systematic research, optimisation, testing and iteration.
Comprehensive audit of your existing app store presence establishing the baseline against which all improvements will be measured. Current keyword ranking assessment across Google Play and Apple App Store. Metadata review identifying keyword gaps, wasted character allocations and missed optimisation opportunities. Creative audit benchmarking screenshots, icon and feature graphic against top-ranked category competitors. Ratings and review profile analysis. Organic install volume baseline from App Store Connect and Google Play Console. Competitor benchmark covering keyword coverage, creative strategy and ratings profile of the top 5 apps in your primary category.
In-depth keyword research using ASO-specific tools alongside platform search data to identify the highest-opportunity keywords for your app. Primary, secondary and longtail keyword identification with volume and difficulty assessment. Competitor keyword gap analysis. Market-specific research for each target geography and language. Keyword strategy document mapping each recommended keyword to the specific metadata field that should carry it on each platform, with character count allocation showing how the available metadata space will be distributed across the keyword priority stack.
Implementation of all metadata and creative optimisations across both platforms. Title and subtitle writing incorporating primary and secondary keywords. Keyword field optimisation for the Apple App Store. Short and long description writing for Google Play. Screenshot creative design or redesign with benefit-driven captions. Feature graphic creation or update for Google Play. Icon assessment and recommendation. Developer console implementation with review of all changes before publishing. Platform-specific review of the updated listing against store guidelines before submission.
A/B testing setup to validate the commercial impact of creative changes using Google Play Store Listing Experiments and Apple Product Page Optimisation. Experiment design defining control and variant creative sets with sufficient statistical confidence thresholds for decision-making. Post-update keyword ranking monitoring tracking position changes within 2 to 4 weeks of the updated metadata going live. Conversion rate monitoring comparing install rate before and after creative changes. Ratings prompt strategy implementation with monitoring of prompt impression to rating completion rate. Iteration recommendations based on first-round performance data.
Monthly ASO management maintaining and building on initial optimisation gains. Keyword ranking monitoring with alerts for significant position changes. Competitive movement tracking identifying new threats and opportunities. Monthly metadata refresh incorporating new keyword opportunities identified by ranking data. Creative update recommendations based on conversion rate trends. Review management including new negative review responses. Monthly performance report with keyword ranking changes, organic download trends, conversion rate data and specific recommendations for the following month. Quarterly keyword strategy review as app maturity and category dynamics evolve.
When you choose Maddog Global as your App Store Optimisation (ASO) Services partner in India, you get a team that treats organic download growth as a commercial priority equal to any paid acquisition channel, with the platform expertise to execute on both stores simultaneously.
Organic downloads from app store search cost nothing per install once your ranking is achieved. A one-position improvement in search rank for a high-volume keyword can generate hundreds or thousands of additional organic installs per month with no corresponding increase in acquisition budget. The cumulative effect of improving rankings across dozens of keywords simultaneously creates an organic download volume that complements and reduces dependence on paid install campaigns. For app businesses running paid UA at scale, ASO-driven organic growth improves the overall blended CPI and extends the marketing budget further without reducing visibility.
Users who find your app by searching for exactly what it does and then choosing to install it are categorically different from users acquired through broad paid acquisition. Organic search users have expressed explicit intent: they searched for a specific function, evaluated the top results, and chose your app. This self-selection produces users with higher engagement rates, higher retention, lower uninstall rates, and higher lifetime value than the average paid user acquired through impression-based advertising. The commercial impact of improving your app's organic search ranking extends well beyond the install count to the quality and lifetime value of the user cohort it generates.
Paid app install campaigns through Apple Search Ads, Google UAC and Meta App Install Ads all drive users to your store listing page before they install. The quality of your listing directly determines the conversion rate of paid traffic just as it does organic traffic. An improved screenshot set and rating profile that increases organic conversion rate by 30% produces an equivalent improvement in paid conversion rate, effectively reducing your paid CPI by 30% without any change to your ad spend or targeting. ASO investment therefore multiplies the efficiency of your existing paid acquisition budget, making it a multiplier on all acquisition channels simultaneously.
Unlike paid acquisition, which produces downloads only while the campaign budget is running, ASO-driven organic ranking improvements produce ongoing downloads for as long as the ranking is maintained. A keyword ranking improvement achieved in month two continues generating downloads in month six, month twelve and beyond. This compounding characteristic means the return on ASO investment accumulates month over month without linear cost increase. The apps that invest consistently in ASO over 12 to 24 months build organic download foundations that would require enormous ongoing paid spend to replicate, creating a sustainable competitive advantage that is difficult for less ASO-disciplined competitors to close quickly.
App store search is not the only discovery mechanism that ASO influences. Apps with high ratings, strong review volume, healthy engagement metrics and well-optimised metadata are more likely to be featured in editorial placements, top charts, similar apps recommendations and category browse sections by both Google Play and the Apple App Store. These placements can generate significant install volumes with zero direct cost and are not accessible to paid acquisition. An app store listing that is fully optimised for search also improves the algorithmic signals that influence these organic discovery mechanisms, creating multiple parallel visibility channels beyond search rankings alone.
ASO reporting provides insights that inform product decisions beyond the store listing itself. Review sentiment analysis reveals the specific features users love and the pain points that drive uninstalls, directly informing product roadmap prioritisation. Keyword data shows which user intent categories your app is discovered in, revealing user mental models that inform feature naming, in-app copy and marketing positioning. Competitive ranking data shows where competitors are gaining ground, providing early warning of competitive threats. Conversion rate data by screenshot variant shows which value propositions resonate most with users deciding whether to install, informing the marketing messaging used across all channels beyond the app store alone.
ASO strategies, keyword landscapes and competitive dynamics differ significantly by app category. The right optimisation approach for a fintech app competing in the highly contested payments category is fundamentally different from what a casual gaming app or a healthcare management app needs. We bring genuine category knowledge to every ASO engagement.
ASO for fintech apps in a highly contested category where keyword competitiveness is extreme and trust signals from ratings are disproportionately influential. Keyword strategy navigating finance category restrictions, screenshot strategy communicating security and reliability, and ratings management critical in a category where negative reviews carry outsized weight in user trust decisions.
ASO for education apps capturing both student and parent search intent. Keyword strategy targeting subject, skill and age-group combinations. Screenshot strategy demonstrating learning outcomes and engagement rather than just UI. Ratings strategy addressing the unique challenge that parents and students evaluate the same app with different priorities.
ASO for health and fitness apps in a category where seasonal search volume fluctuations are extreme, goal-type keywords drive the majority of discovery, and screenshot strategy demonstrating transformation outcomes outperforms feature-focused creative approaches.
ASO for shopping and marketplace apps where category breadth creates extensive keyword expansion opportunities, product category keywords drive high-intent installs, and conversion rate optimisation is particularly high-value given the direct revenue consequence of each install in commerce apps.
ASO for mobile games in the most competitive category in both stores. Genre keyword strategy, gameplay-demonstrating screenshot sequences, preview video optimisation, and the ratings management critical in a category where daily active users generate review volume at scale that requires active response management.
ASO for travel and navigation apps with strong seasonal search patterns, destination-specific and use-case keyword opportunities, and screenshot strategies communicating convenience and reliability for high-stakes journey contexts where trust is a primary conversion driver.
ASO for productivity and utility apps where problem-keyword targeting drives highly qualified installs, feature-specific keyword combinations can capture niche audiences at low competition levels, and screenshot strategy showing before-and-after workflow improvement drives higher conversion than general interface demonstrations.
ASO for food delivery and restaurant apps where geographic keyword targeting, cuisine-type keywords and delivery speed keywords drive highly intent-rich organic discovery. Screenshot strategy emphasising speed, variety and ease of ordering, and ratings management critical in a high-frequency use category where poor experiences generate review volume quickly.
Whether you need a one-time ASO setup for a new app launch, a comprehensive ASO overhaul for an established app that has never been properly optimised, or an ongoing monthly ASO management programme, we have a plan that matches your app's current stage and growth objectives.
One-time ASO implementation for apps launching for the first time or undergoing a full listing overhaul. Keyword research, metadata optimisation and screenshot strategy delivering an optimised baseline listing on both platforms.
Ongoing monthly ASO management for apps with active user bases and ongoing growth objectives. Continuous keyword optimisation, creative testing, review management and monthly performance reporting with specific monthly recommendations.
Comprehensive ASO plus full localisation for apps targeting multiple markets and languages. Market-specific keyword research, translated and locally adapted metadata, creative localisation and market-by-market performance reporting.
ASO pricing varies by app category competitiveness, number of target markets and engagement scope. Contact us for a tailored quote for your specific app. We respond within 2 business hours.
Genuine results from Indian and global app businesses that chose Maddog Global as their App Store Optimisation (ASO) Services partner and now grow organic downloads month after month without proportional increases in paid acquisition spend.
"We launched our personal finance app in India two years ago with a reasonable paid UA budget but poor organic performance. We were spending heavily on Google UAC just to maintain download volumes and the unit economics were deteriorating as our audience segments became more saturated. Maddog Global audited our ASO, rebuilt our keyword strategy from scratch with India-specific research, redesigned our screenshots to focus on financial goal outcomes rather than UI walkthroughs, and implemented a proper in-app ratings prompt strategy. Within 90 days our organic installs had increased by 68% and our blended CPI had dropped by 40% as organic downloads offset paid spend. Twelve months later, organic now accounts for over 55% of our total monthly installs. The ASO investment has been our highest-return user acquisition channel by a significant margin."
"We publish casual mobile games from our studio in Dublin and had been relying almost entirely on paid install campaigns to drive downloads for our new releases. We knew ASO was important but treated it as something we would get to when we had time. Our most recent title had been live for four months with barely any organic visibility when Maddog Global took on the ASO. They did separate keyword strategies for Google Play and the App Store, explaining clearly why the approaches differ between platforms, redesigned our screenshots to lead with gameplay rather than branding, and helped us set up Store Listing Experiments on Google Play. Within 60 days our organic install rate on the experimental creative was 44% higher than the control. We now treat ASO as a day-one priority for every new title before it launches."
"Our health and fitness app was already performing well in India but we wanted to expand into the UK and UAE markets and had no idea how to approach ASO localisation for those territories. We knew that simply translating our Indian listing would not work, but we did not have the market knowledge to do it properly ourselves. Maddog Global built separate keyword strategies for each market, adapted our screenshots for UK and UAE user expectations, and configured the localised listings on both Google Play and the App Store. In the UK, we went from zero organic ranking to top 10 for three of our target keywords within eight weeks of the localised listing going live. In the UAE they built an Arabic metadata listing that we would never have had the capability to produce internally. International now accounts for 28% of our total installs and growing every month."
The most common questions from app founders, product managers and mobile marketing teams before engaging professional ASO services. Not answered here? Call us and we will respond within 2 hours.
Book a free 30-minute ASO consultation. We will review your current app store listing on both platforms, identify your most significant keyword gaps and creative weaknesses, and recommend the ASO approach that will produce the fastest and most sustainable organic download growth for your specific app and category.
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App Store Optimisation (ASO) is the process of optimising your app's store listing on Google Play and the Apple App Store to improve its visibility in search results and increase the conversion rate of users who see the listing into users who install the app. It is the app equivalent of SEO for websites. Just as a website that does not rank in Google search for relevant queries misses organic traffic, an app that does not rank in app store search for relevant queries misses organic downloads. Over 65% of app downloads start with an app store search, making search visibility the largest single organic discovery channel for most apps. ASO matters for your app because the alternative is paying for every single install through paid UA campaigns indefinitely, with no sustainable organic foundation. An app with strong ASO generates organic installs continuously from its investment in keyword ranking, compounding over time and reducing lifetime cost-per-install dramatically compared to a purely paid acquisition approach.
Paid app install advertising drives downloads by showing ads to users before they have expressed any specific intent to download your app. You pay for each click or install, and downloads stop when budget stops. ASO drives downloads by improving your app's organic ranking in app store search, so users who are actively searching for apps like yours find yours near the top of results. Once a ranking is achieved, it generates downloads without ongoing spend. The two approaches are complementary rather than competing: paid acquisition provides immediate download volume and user data, while ASO builds the sustainable organic foundation that reduces long-term cost-per-install and provides compounding returns. Additionally, a well-optimised store listing improves the conversion rate of paid acquisition traffic, making paid campaigns more efficient at no additional cost. Most app businesses at growth stage benefit from running both simultaneously, with ASO reducing their dependence on paid spend over time as organic rankings build.
Google Play and the Apple App Store use different algorithms and have different metadata structures, requiring distinct optimisation approaches. Keyword indexing: Google Play indexes keywords from the title, short description, long description and app name, meaning keyword density in the long description is a meaningful ranking signal. The Apple App Store indexes only the title, subtitle and keyword field, ignoring the description entirely for ranking purposes. This fundamental difference means the description writing strategy for each platform must be completely different. Character limits: App Store title allows 30 characters, subtitle 30 characters and keyword field 100 characters. Google Play allows a title of 50 characters, short description 80 characters and long description 4,000 characters. A/B testing: Google Play provides native Store Listing Experiments allowing direct A/B testing of icons, screenshots and descriptions. Apple provides Product Page Optimisation for testing screenshots and icons, and Custom Product Pages for creating listing variants for specific traffic sources. Ratings: Apple App Store ratings reset with each app version update, making version-by-version rating management important. Google Play maintains ratings across versions. Understanding these differences is why effective ASO requires platform-specific strategy rather than a generic approach applied to both stores.
Screenshots are the primary visual element users evaluate when deciding whether to install an app. Research consistently shows that the first two to three screenshots have the highest impact on conversion rate because they are visible in the search results listing without requiring the user to open your full listing page. Screenshots that communicate a clear, compelling benefit within 3 to 5 seconds convert at dramatically higher rates than screenshots that simply show the app's user interface without context. Our screenshot optimisation process begins with competitive analysis of how the top-ranked apps in your category use screenshots, identifying the visual conventions and messaging approaches that perform best in your specific category and market. We then design a screenshot sequence structured around the most compelling user benefit as the first screenshot, supporting benefits in the following shots, and social proof in the final screenshot where relevant. Caption overlays communicate the benefit in text for users who scan rather than read. We use Google Play Store Listing Experiments and Apple Product Page Optimisation to A/B test screenshot variants and validate conversion rate improvement with statistical confidence before committing to the winning creative as the primary listing.
Ethical ratings and review improvement uses only the native in-app rating prompt APIs provided by Google and Apple, targeting the prompts at user moments most likely to result in positive reviews. Both Google and Apple provide official in-app review APIs: on iOS the SKStoreReviewAPI limits prompts to a maximum of three times per year and gives users the option to rate without leaving the app, and on Android the Google Play In-App Review API provides a similar in-app rating experience. The strategy around these prompts is where optimisation occurs: showing the prompt at moments when a user has just completed a positive action rather than mid-task or after an error, targeting the prompt at users who have reached engagement milestones suggesting satisfaction rather than showing it to all users indiscriminately, and implementing sentiment screening that routes dissatisfied users to in-app feedback mechanisms rather than public review prompts. For existing reviews, systematic developer response management addressing negative reviews professionally and helpfully both improves public perception and, in many cases, converts a negative reviewer to neutral or positive after their issue is addressed. This ethical approach builds a genuine rating improvement based on real user satisfaction rather than manufactured review volume that risks store policy violations and account bans.
Yes. In many ways, a well-performing app provides more ASO opportunity than a struggling one because it has engagement and ratings data that can inform more precise optimisation, higher authority that enables ranking for more competitive keywords, and a larger user base generating review volume that can be strategically directed. Common ASO gaps we identify in already-performing apps include: significant keyword coverage gaps where the app ranks well for its primary keywords but misses hundreds of longtail and secondary keywords capturing related user intent; metadata that was written at launch and never updated as the app matured and the category evolved; screenshots that are functional but not conversion-optimised, leaving a 20 to 30% conversion rate improvement on the table; and ratings prompt timing that is prompting users too early in the session lifecycle before they have experienced enough value to rate positively. Each of these gaps represents measurable additional organic download volume available without any product changes, through listing optimisation alone. ASO is applicable and beneficial at every stage of an app's lifecycle.
ASO success is measured across several interrelated metrics that together tell a complete picture of organic performance improvement. Keyword rankings: the primary leading indicator, measured as position changes for each target keyword on both platforms. We track weekly ranking positions for all target keywords and measure the percentage of target keywords ranking in the top 10 and top 3 positions over time. Organic impressions: the number of times your listing appears in search results, directly influenced by keyword ranking improvements. Organic install volume: the number of installs attributed to organic search in App Store Connect and Google Play Console. Conversion rate: the percentage of users who view your store listing page and install the app, segmented by traffic source to isolate the organic search conversion rate specifically. Rating average and volume: tracked over time as the ratings strategy produces results. Cost-per-organic-install: a derived metric calculated from organic install volume as a proxy for the cost-efficiency of ASO investment. These metrics are reported monthly with trend analysis showing trajectory over the preceding 3 to 6 months, because ASO metrics compound gradually and need to be evaluated on a rolling basis rather than month-to-month in isolation.
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