Why do you need a new app store optimization checklist in 2023? When you take an app to market now, you have to deal with many small (but collectively important) details before launch. This criteria changes from year to year, and so, keeping current is absolutely crucial.

The items in any pre-launch “to-do” list can be almost endless: fixing bugs, reducing load times, and prioritizing features—to name a few. So, wouldn’t it be a shame to sift through these complex decisions and budget issues only to find that your app launch has made all the impact of a fly crashing into the side of an Rhinoceros?

That’s why we’re going to talk about how you can maximise your ASO strategy for a successful app launch—and squeeze out all the visibility you can possibly get.

How much can I gain from optimizing my app launch?

If you take optimization seriously and do it properly, you can normally expect up to around 25% more visibility—and frankly, that’s huge. We’ve had cases where we’ve squeezed that up to 80%. This is only possible with both solid technical knowledge and commitment to going deep on optimization.

As app installs at launch are critical, the difference you can achieve in performance via optimization can noticeably change your projections for the better in both the short and long term. Why? 

You get accumulative growth over time that compounds with app store algorithms. You can also achieve more positive reviews inside the relevant store and PR and marketing benefits that grow as your app is picked up and featured in media—all originating from better download numbers and early exposure.

Optimization—not just for new apps

Our ASO team at ConsultMyApp has pulled together more than nine years of app-specific industry data and decades of experience, launching hundreds of apps to bring you this updated list for 2023.

This isn’t only relevant for new apps, but this checklist is just as valuable for updates to your existing app—something often overlooked. Every section here is an opportunity for you to dig deeper, so take notes and send us any questions you might have once you get to the end of the list.

ASO competitor overview

If you want to succeed in your ASO strategy, you first need to understand your competitors and get some benchmarks. Research your top 10 to 20 competitors in organic search results. Look at their essential metrics and identify the keywords they are using.

The amount of work required is significant, but it is such a high-value part of your project that you simply can’t afford not to build your campaign around it. Around 4,000 new apps appear daily in Google Play and the Apple App Store. This means you need to stay current. What happens if a competitor suddenly appears two weeks before you launch? If the offerings in the app stores change, you need to know about them immediately and respond quickly.

If you aim to optimize fully, you should use ASO software to automate your competitor tracking in the two app stores. This way, you get significantly more detailed insights into the competitive landscape, benchmarks, and long-term trends.

ASO competitor tip

Focus on benchmarks specific to your app’s subcategory rather than the overall category. Look for installs, CVR (conversion rate), scroll rate, and keyword rank as the most essential metrics. These subcategory benchmarks will enable you to understand your positions better and make data-driven decisions on your app optimization strategy.

It’s worth a look even if you plan to outsource this process, as it will give you basic insights into the terms and numbers you’ll need to understand from your chosen solution. Tell us at the end of the article if you want a higher-level tool; we can recommend one that suits your budget and specific needs.

Keyword research on app stores

Keywords are the backbone of app store search. You need them at the core of your ASO strategy. Which search terms will users enter when searching for your mobile app? Conduct competitor keyword research to see what terms are used in your niche. You might get a few surprises if you haven’t done this before.

One thing we’ve seen companies fail at over the years is assuming that users use the same terminology as industry professionals. This is frequently not the case. You must match how your customers speak and the terms they use to find your app.

Develop a strategy for keywords. An obvious move is to target keywords with higher search volumes but lower competition. In search, getting easy wins is preferable, especially if you are new to the game. We often meet clients who don’t fully take this on board. It is pointless to burn your budget on a strategic play in which you don’t have experience—unless you have significant experience in this specific type of optimization and a solid strategy that covers ASO and an ad budget to support it. 

Your starting point is identifying three to five primary keywords. Our policy is actually to push much harder on keywords and cover every single one that is relevant. Keyword tools streamline your research and give you an arsenal of valuable keywords your competitors are optimizing for. Add these keywords to your metadata. You need to customize your research for the Apple App Store and Google Play Store separately due to their different algorithms for ranking keywords.

Keyword field tip: Apple App Store

The keyword field in the Apple App Store isn’t visible to end users, but it does help Apple to match your app with relevant search results. Use single rather than long-tail keywords because iOS automatically combines terms. In the Google Play Store, you can slightly increase keyword density to improve the ranking for a specific keyword, but check the latest criteria before implementing.

App name

First impressions are critical, so put some resources into developing a well-thought-out name, as it’s usually the first element of your app the users see. Your app title can’t be too generic since it needs to stand out among your competitors.

Since the app title carries the most weight in the App Store search rankings, add your primary keywords to your app title if possible, preferably at the very beginning. If you target more than one storefront (in different markets), you need to localize your app title accordingly.

App name optimization tip

Optimize for a shorter name, as longer titles are truncated in both search and charts, which is frequently better for your numbers.

Subtitle and long description

The subtitle summarizes the purpose of your app for Apple App Store users and should also contain the relevant keywords, as they will be indexed by the App Store’s search algorithms. Here, you should add some unique keywords that aren’t in the app’s title (but make sure you stay within the limit of 30 characters), as repeating the keywords won’t help you here, and this doesn’t affect your search results rank. 

In the long description section, you can give more details about your app and add some additional keywords. Remember that, unlike Google Play, the Apple App Store doesn’t consider long descriptions when ranking apps in the search results.

App description tip

Don’t forget to adjust the app description with each new version you release. You can talk about new feature updates, in-app events, and new designs. Also, consider adding a call to action to improve your app’s conversion rate.

Promo text (Apple App Store)

Promo text is an extra section in the Apple App Store. These extra 170 characters allow you to highlight time-sensitive content like promotions, seasonal offers, or upcoming features without resubmitting your app for review. Promotional text isn’t a ranking factor, but it helps create urgency, encourage users to take immediate action, and boost downloads.

App Store promo text tip

Use the promotional text section to A/B test different messages and product hypotheses quickly without publishing a new version of the app. This can identify the highest-converting message. You can then incorporate that optimal promotional content into the app store keywords for enduring search optimization.

App icon

Your app icon needs to be good enough to break through the noise of thousands of apps in both the App Store and Google Play. If your app icon design is vibrant, clear, and simple but with some character, you can dramatically increase your chances of standing out and boosting your app downloads. 

For example, the popular meditation app Calm reported a 20% increase in subscriptions week over week after its app icon redesign. The original design featured a lotus flower. This was replaced with a new and simpler icon with simple wavy lines that was more abstract and serene (in keeping with the branding for a meditation app) and also more direct. The color palette changed from orange to cool tones of blue, white, and gray. The app design team aimed to differentiate Calm from other meditation apps and keep it aligned with its branding, which brought a notable increase in app downloads.

App icon tip

While creating an icon for your mobile app, note that there is a difference between App Store and Google Play image rendering. The dimensions required by the App Store are at least 1024×1024 pixels. Your icon will be further resized to the standard icon (180×180), navigation bar (66×66), and tab bar (75×75) sizes. Google Play requires your app icon to be 512×512 pixels and provides recommendations on icon anatomy, lighting, shading, etc.

Screenshots, videos, and feature graphics

The screenshot section is the largest visual on your app store page and significantly impacts users’ decisions on installing your app. By fully optimizing your app screenshots, you can get a significant boost in downloads by providing users with a good first impression of the inside of your app, design, and UX. 

The Apple App Store and Google Play both let you upload a video preview so that users can see your app in action. However, only Google Play has a feature graphic section, which looks like a large banner on your app listing page and comes up even before your screenshots. The feature graphic attracts attention immediately, so consider this section an opportunity for free ad space, which can benefit you with more downloads if you get it right.

App screenshots optimization tip

While continuously optimizing your screenshots, you can also use these assets to A/B test app features and design ideas before launching them, get an early market reaction, and save on costly design and feature development.

In-app events

In-app events are displayed on your Apple App Store page, so you can promote timely events occurring in your app for 31 days. This is a great additional opportunity to catch the user’s eye. This feature can not only attract a new audience but also inform your current users about upcoming events, increase retention, and reduce your abandonment rate.

Use the in-app event section to highlight current and upcoming events like competitions, streams, giveaways, and any other incentives appropriate for getting more engagement and feedback from your users, such as competitions, promotions, updates, and new features.

In-app events tip

An in-app event can be promoted up to 14 days before its start date. You can localize your IAE for different markets.

In-app purchases

In-app purchases give you another chance to improve your ranking on the App Store. You can offer up to 20 available IAPs. Each one has a unique display name, promotional image, and description and can appear in search results as well as the featured section. That means that you can add and get ranked for extra keywords (in addition to those in your app title, subtitle, and keyword field) and reach a wider audience.

In-app purchases tip

Apply the best practices and recommendations from our checklist for your IAP icon, name, and description for better ranking.

After you revise your app’s visuals and description, a user can check the reviews and ratings, which reflect user satisfaction and influence your app’s ranking. To improve your rank in search results, keep an eye on reviews and reply to positive and negative feedback—the quicker and more comprehensively you deal with reviews, the more the algorithm rewards you.

Use this section to learn more about your customer persona, detect bugs, and find areas for improvement. In addition, you can engage with users and build loyalty by thanking them for positive reviews or addressing their concerns. Engaging with users is key to iterating your way to a better app, so take advantage as much as possible here.

Ratings and reviews tip

You can use third-party tools to automate your replies, save time, and ensure consistency in your responses. However, ensure you maintain a human touch in your replies and don’t sound robotic. Test out your rating prompt strategy, as the timing and context of the prompt can affect the user’s willingness to leave a review. For example, you can track a user’s activity and only ask for a rating after they engage with your app in some particular way (finished a game, gained a specific score, etc.).

So, what’s the most valuable message?

Our team’s single most important message at ConsultMyApp is that an app store optimization strategy is all about testing and improving based on your findings. Peter Drucker, one of the godfathers of modern business, said famously, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” 

Of course, he was right…

But now, you can access more data in real-time than before. This means you need to engage with everything on this list to get ahead of your competition and to create an app that thrives. The next most important thing is staying current with new challenges in the ever-faster-changing world of digital marketing for apps. 

If you are unsure which specific metrics you should target or need a bit more detail on some of the points we’ve mentioned, let us know. The ConsultMyApp team obsesses about ASO daily, so we’re always happy to help you understand how to get your app to perform better. Just drop us a message on our form here or check out our page on ASO. 

If you have a moment, check out the following related articles:

• App launch success requires our 7 pro tips

• App Store Optimization vs SEO