iOS App Store optimization: a practical ASO checklist for indie developers

Most ASO advice buries the handful of things that actually matter under a pile of things that don't. This is the short version — what to actually check before you consider a listing finished.

Title and subtitle

Your app name field is prime search real estate — a relevant keyword here carries real weight, not just branding. The subtitle is the second-highest-weighted text field on your listing; use it to cover a second keyword angle your title doesn't, not to restate the title in different words.

The keyword field

The 100-character keyword field is indexed but never shown to users, which is exactly why it's wasted so often. Don't repeat words already in your title or subtitle — those are already indexed. Use commas with no spaces to pack in more terms, and prioritize specific phrases over broad single words a thousand other apps are also targeting.

Screenshots

The first two screenshots are doing almost all the conversion work — most people scroll past the rest without a second look. Lead with the single clearest picture of what the app actually does, not a logo splash screen or an onboarding step. Captioned screenshots consistently outperform plain ones.

Preview video

Autoplays muted in search results, so the first 3 seconds need to communicate value with zero audio — motion and on-screen text, not narration. A video isn't mandatory, but a genuinely useful one lifts conversion more than almost anything else on this list.

Description

Only the first three lines show before someone taps "more" — write those three lines as if they're the entire pitch, because for most readers they are. The rest of the description barely affects ranking; treat it as documentation for the people who are already convinced.

Ratings and review velocity

Apple weighs recent review activity, not just your all-time average — a handful of new reviews this week outweighs a large but stale review count from a year ago. Prompt for reviews at a genuine high point in the user's experience (right after they complete something, not on first open), using Apple's native in-app rating prompt rather than routing everyone to the App Store listing itself.

Category selection

A smaller, more accurate category beats a bigger, vaguer one — ranking #3 in a focused category drives more real discovery than ranking #80 in a broad one. Revisit this if your app's scope shifts after launch; category isn't locked in permanently.

None of this replaces actually getting downloads — pairing a clean listing with a real launch-week promo is what turns a well-optimized listing into one that actually ranks.