ASO — app store optimization — is the mobile app equivalent of SEO. It’s the practice of improving your app’s visibility in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store through keyword optimization, and its conversion rate through better listings, screenshots and ratings. In digital marketing terms, it’s the organic growth channel for mobile apps, complementing paid user acquisition.

ASO works on three fronts. First, keyword optimization: researching what users search and placing those terms where each store’s algorithm weighs them. Second, conversion optimization: improving your title, screenshots, preview video and description so more viewers install. Third, reputation: growing ratings and reviews, which influence both rankings and trust. Together these compound into steadily increasing organic downloads.

Start with keyword research to find what your users actually search, then optimise your title, subtitle and keyword field (Apple) or description (Google Play). Next, rebuild your screenshots to communicate value in seconds, and add in-app review prompts to lift your rating. Then test continuously — the stores reward apps that keep improving.

ASO stands for App Store Optimization — the process of optimising a mobile app’s store listing to rank higher in app store search results and convert more page views into downloads. You’ll also hear it called app SEO or SEO for apps.

SEO optimises websites for Google search; ASO optimises mobile apps for app store search. The principles overlap — keywords, relevance, authority signals — but the algorithms, ranking factors and tactics differ completely. App store search is shorter-query, more conversion-driven, and split across two distinct stores with different rules.

Keyword ranking improvements often appear within 2–4 weeks of a listing update, and conversion gains are measurable almost immediately through store experiments. Meaningful, compounding organic growth typically builds over 3–6 months as rankings stabilise and ratings improve.

Yes — and differently. Apple’s algorithm leans on the title, subtitle and hidden keyword field, while Google Play weighs your description text more and offers built-in A/B testing. We build separate, store-specific strategies rather than copying one listing to both.

We combine specialist ASO tools data with competitor analysis and an understanding of your users’ language. We prioritise terms with genuine install intent over raw volume — ranking first for a keyword nobody taps is worthless — and map each keyword to the metadata field where it’ll have most impact.

Absolutely — most of our ASO work is on live apps. Existing apps have data: current rankings, conversion rates and reviews that show exactly what’s underperforming. A proper ASO rebuild on a live app typically delivers some of the fastest wins we see, because the baseline is already there to improve.

They do different jobs. Paid ads buy immediate, scalable installs; ASO builds durable organic visibility that lowers your blended acquisition cost over time. The smartest app marketing does both — and ASO makes paid spend more efficient too, since every ad click lands on a better-converting listing.

The main factors are the number of apps and stores covered, the competitiveness of your category, and how much creative work is involved — new icons, screenshot sets and preview videos cost more than metadata alone. Localisation into multiple languages and markets also adds scope. Ongoing testing and reporting are typically monthly. We scope every engagement after an initial audit, so pricing reflects the work your app genuinely needs.

Give ASO at least three months for a fair judgement. Early keyword movements often appear within a few weeks, and conversion experiments return data quickly, but compounding growth — better rankings driving more installs, which drive better rankings — takes time to build. Most clients treat ASO as an ongoing programme rather than a one-off project, because competitors keep optimising too.

Yes. ASO is not a one-off fix: rankings shift, competitors refresh their creative and store guidelines change. Our ongoing work includes regular keyword tracking, metadata updates, fresh A/B tests, review monitoring and responses, and seasonal creative refreshes. You receive clear monthly reporting on rankings, conversion rate and organic installs, so you can see exactly what your listing maintenance is delivering.

You do. We work inside your own App Store Connect and Google Play Console accounts, so your listings, ratings, reviews and install history always remain your property. Any content we create — metadata, screenshots, creative assets — is produced for your app and belongs to you. There is no lock-in: if you ever move providers, everything stays exactly where it is.