App Store Optimization isn't a mystery, it's a system. The ASO Score runs around 30 checks on your listing, grades it 0 to 100, and groups those checks into five categories.
The Five Categories
Metadata Optimization
Your title, subtitle, keywords field, and descriptions form the indexing layer. App stores read these first.
- Title alignment: Does your primary keyword appear in the title?
- Subtitle leverage: The subtitle (30 chars on iOS) is often ignored, but it's free real estate for secondary keywords.
- Keywords field: 100 characters on iOS. Use every one of them.
Action: Run your listing through the ASO Score Checker. Many apps leave part of the subtitle or keywords field unused.
Keyword Strategy
Filling the fields isn't enough. The terms have to be ones you can actually win.
- Target specific phrases you deserve to rank for, not only the broad category term
- Don't repeat words across the title and keywords field on iOS
- Keep the same core terms consistent across title, subtitle, and description
Conversion Quality
Ranking gets you seen. Your icon, screenshots, and preview video decide whether you get the tap.
- Upload 1024×1024 (iOS) and 512×512 (Play); check it still reads at small sizes
- Screenshot text readability and message hierarchy
- Lead with outcomes, not feature names
Readability & Brand Voice
Your description is read by people, not just indexed.
- Open with the benefit, not a feature list
- Write in one consistent voice, without keyword stuffing
- If you localize, avoid copy that is obviously machine-translated
Trust Signals
Ratings, reviews, and signs of an actively maintained app all shape whether people install.
- Your average rating and recent review volume
- Whether you respond to reviews
- How recently the app was updated
What Moves the Needle Fastest
The fixes worth doing first, in rough order:
- Keyword in title: the strongest ranking lever you control
- Stronger first screenshots: they carry most of the install decision
- Replying to reviews: it shows the app is alive and cared for
- Localizing for your top markets: it lets you appear in searches you currently can't
Reading Your Score
Treat the score as a to-do list, not a grade to frame. Start with your weakest category, because that's usually where the easiest points are.
Next Steps
- Audit your current listing
- Pick the highest-ROI fix
- Implement it and give it a week or two before judging
- Repeat