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Data suggests that there are over 1.59 million Android apps in Google Play Store and the App Store has over 2 million apps in 2025. These are enormous numbers if you’re someone trying to get your app noticed.

With such high competition, how do you stand out? In fact, how do you get your app to rank high on app stores and reach potential users? This is where App Store Optimization (ASO) comes in place.

In this guide, we’ll understand what App Store Optimization is, and 9 effective techniques to optimize your app.

What is App Store Optimization?

Similar to the way Search Engine Optimization (SEO) works for web page rankings, App Store Optimization (ASO) techniques are used to rank apps highly in app store search results. It can also be called as App Store SEO.

While nobody knows the true algorithms for ranking in Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store, we know certain patterns that affect App Store rankings. Thus, you can play on the way algorithm might work.

9 Best Practices to Improve Your App Store Optimization

Overall, the experts speak of 9 best practices for App Store Optimization. Let’s get into the details of them all:

1. Write a Descriptive Title

A great name for your app can not only improve your rankings, but also tell prospective users what your app is about. You can include a keyword in your app’s title to rank at least 10% higher than if you didn’t.

Here’s how Evernote includes their main keyword “Note Organizer” in their app title:

The App Store and Google Play Store have different approaches for keywords and app titles. Hence, the way you write your app title depends on your mobile app’s platform.

For Apple’s App Store, we suggest coming up with a unique, keyword rich, and creative title. You can also create a subtitle to establish market authority.

Google Play Store doesn’t allow long titles. So, you have to add your keywords in the app description. We’ll talk about this more in the next sections.

2. Add Keywords

Keywords play an important role in App Store Optimization. From app titles to description, they help with your app’s ranking.

The way you can add keywords in app titles differs from the Apple App Store to Google Play Store. For instance, you get a specific field on the App Store, allowing you to add your keywords within 100 characters.

Google Play Store, on the other hand, doesn’t have a specific keyword field. So, you can add your keywords to the app description instead.

We suggest adding your most important keywords to the description about five times. However, make sure not to overdo it otherwise your app may get penalized for keyword stuffing. Just make sure that your app description is for the user, not the algorithm.

3. Describe your App

You can find an “app description” space on both the App Store and Google Play Store. This is the part where most of your users would convert and that’s why, app descriptions are the most important element of your App Store Optimization strategy.

Think of the following segments while writing your app description:

What does your app offer?
What problems can it solve for the user?
How does it change the user’s life?

App descriptions should be keyword-rich and explanatory. Make sure that it is appealing and relevant to what your potential customers are looking for. Thus, it boosts your app rankings as well as engages the users.

4. Use High-Quality Screenshots

It takes about 7 seconds for a prospective user to decide whether they will download your app or not based on visuals. That’s why you must add high-quality screenshots to your app store page.

Choose the key and most engaging parts of your app. You can create your screenshots on platforms such as Figma. Download them in the highest resolution for the best visuals.

5. Add a Preview Video

App previews give the user a snapshot of the in-app experience. This way, users can get a better insight on what your app has to offer.

Showcase sections and features of your app with text overlays. If you show an in-app experience, make sure that your mobile app UX looks smooth. Get the highest quality visuals for your app previews as well.

6. Pick the App’s Category

Place your app in the right category on both the Apple App Store and on Google Play Store to help with the rankings. In addition, it helps users who browse by category find your app.

If you aren’t sure of one category for your app, there are 2 ways to approach this:

First, and the most important one: Choose the category that best describes your app.
You can also look through your options to find the least competitive category. It can give your app a better chance at ranking in the top.

At the same time, you must avoid adding your app to a blatantly wrong category. On Google Play Store, users can report violations for review while your app can be outright rejected on Apple’s App Store.

7. Design an Engaging Icon

The higher the number of downloads your app has, the more popular it is perceived to be. Hence, it is ranked higher in app store search results.

Your audience remembers your app from its icon. Make sure that your app icon is clear, eye-catching, and unique. This is one of the most important factors of App Store Optimization — so design yours carefully!

8. Encourage Positive Reviews

One of the most important factors that affect your app store rankings are your app’s rating and reviews. The more quality reviews you can get, the better it is for your app.

You can encourage users you know to leave a good review for your app. In addition, you can use push or in-app notifications to remind users to leave a review. This way, if a user likes your app, they will leave a review naturally.

9. Use App Store Analytics

Once you’ve made the efforts, you need analytics on how well your App Store Optimization techniques are working. These metrics can tell you where your app stands with your competition and then you can change your strategy accordingly.

Some of the app store analytics tools that you can use are:

These analytics tools can give you all sorts of measurement data about your app. Hence, you can get an insight on where to improve.

Final Words

You need to pay close attention to your App Store Optimization strategy to get new downloads, users, and revenue. While Google Play Store and App Store don’t follow an exact same blueprint, you can put together certain factors that align.

But here’s another factor: How well your app rank also depends on how good your app is. You must ensure that your app has a good UX and is well maintained. This will lead to positive user reviews and ultimately, improve your app’s ranking.

You can build a functional, user-centric mobile app with our AI app builder, Natively, within minutes. The best part of all: You don’t need to code to build your app or change any features. Try designing your first app today — all without any code!