App Store Optimisation: The Parts That Still Move Downloads
The first two screenshots decide most installs
Users scroll a fraction of a listing before deciding. That makes the first screenshot and its caption the highest-leverage asset you have — it should show the core benefit in a form recognisable in one second, not a login screen or a feature tour. Test variants systematically using the stores' own experiment tools rather than changing them on instinct. Conversion improvements of 15–30% from screenshot work alone are common, and they multiply everything you spend on traffic.
Keyword mechanics differ between the two stores
On the App Store, the title, subtitle and the keyword field carry the weight, and the field should contain no repeats, no plurals of words already used, and no spaces after commas. On Google Play, the algorithm reads the full description, so natural repetition of important terms throughout matters more, along with the short description. Treating both stores identically wastes the specific mechanics each one offers.
Ratings are a conversion multiplier
The gap between a 3.8 and a 4.6 rating changes install rates substantially, and it also affects how prominently the store surfaces you. Prompt for reviews at a moment of success — after a completed order, a finished task, a good result — not on launch or after an error. Use the platform's native prompt so it counts. And route unhappy users to support before the store, which is legitimate when done as a genuine help offer rather than a gate.
Localisation is the highest-return expansion work
Localising your store listing — title, description, screenshots with translated captions — into the languages of markets you already get downloads from typically lifts conversion in those markets more than any other single change. Arabic listings for Gulf markets, with right-to-left screenshot layouts, are frequently neglected by international apps and represent an easy advantage. Localise the listing before localising the app if budget is tight; the listing is where the loss happens.
Retention feeds discovery
Both stores factor engagement and retention into rankings, which means a listing optimisation programme has a ceiling set by product quality. If day-seven retention is poor, buying more installs pushes users through a leaky bucket and gradually hurts your ranking. Fix the first-session experience — time to value, onboarding length, permission requests deferred until they make sense — before scaling acquisition spend.
Run it as a continuous experiment
Change one element at a time, run it long enough for significance, record the result, and keep a log so the next person does not repeat your failed tests. Seasonality and campaign traffic distort results, so compare against a control rather than against last month. ASO is not a project you complete; it is a slow compounding programme, and the teams that treat it that way pull steadily ahead of those who redo their listing once a year.
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