frank-luongt/skills/codex/app-store-optimization

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name: app-store-optimization description: Optimize mobile app listings for iOS App Store and Google Play — keyword research, screenshot design, rating management, and conversion optimization. Use when launching a mobile app, improving app store rankings, or optimizing download conversion rates.

App Store Optimization (ASO)

Comprehensive ASO framework for iOS App Store and Google Play — keyword research, listing optimization, visual asset strategy, rating management, and A/B testing store pages. The mobile equivalent of SEO.

Use this skill when

• Launching a new mobile app on iOS or Google Play
• Optimizing an existing app listing to improve rankings
• Conducting keyword research for app store visibility
• Designing or testing screenshots and app preview videos
• Managing app ratings and reviews strategically
• Comparing performance across Apple and Google platforms
• Preparing ASO audit reports

Do not use this skill when

• Optimizing a website for Google search (use seo-audit)
• Running paid user acquisition campaigns (use campaign-analytics)
• Designing the app's UX/UI itself (use UX/frontend skills)
• Building the app's technical architecture (use engineering skills)

Instructions

1. Research keywords using the ASO Keyword Research Framework.
2. Optimize listing elements — title, subtitle, description, category.
3. Design visual assets — screenshots, preview video, icon.
4. Set up rating management — review response templates and prompt strategy.
5. Run store listing experiments — A/B test on Google Play, Product Page Optimization on iOS.
6. Produce the ASO Audit Report with keyword priority matrix.

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Platform Differences: Apple vs. Google

Understanding these differences is critical — ASO strategy must be platform-specific:

| Factor | Apple App Store | Google Play | |--------|----------------|-------------| | Title | 30 characters | 30 characters | | Subtitle | 30 characters | N/A (use short description) | | Short Description | N/A | 80 characters | | Long Description | Not indexed for search | Indexed for search — keywords matter here | | Keyword Field | 100 characters (hidden, comma-separated) | N/A — keywords from title + description | | Category | Primary + secondary | Primary + secondary + tags | | Screenshots | Up to 10 per device | Up to 8 per device | | Preview Video | Up to 3 (30 sec, auto-play muted) | 1 (auto-play on listing) | | A/B Testing | Product Page Optimization (3 treatments) | Store Listing Experiments (5 variants) | | Rating Reset | Can reset on major version | Cannot reset — cumulative | | Review Response | Developer can respond | Developer can respond |

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ASO Keyword Research Framework

Step 1: Keyword Discovery

| Source | Method | What You Get | |--------|--------|-------------| | Competitor analysis | Analyze top 10 competitors' titles, subtitles, descriptions | High-value keywords proven in your category | | Auto-suggest mining | Type partial keywords in store search | Real user search patterns | | Related searches | Check "You might also like" and related apps | Adjacent keyword opportunities | | Review mining | Analyze your and competitors' reviews for language | Words real users use (not marketing speak) | | Web keyword tools | Google Keyword Planner, Sensor Tower, App Annie | Volume estimates (directional, not exact) |

Step 2: Keyword Scoring

| Keyword | Search Volume (1-10) | Relevance (1-10) | Difficulty (1-10) | Score | Priority | |---------|---------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------|----------| | | | | | Vol x Rel / Diff | |

Priority Rules:

• Score >7: Primary keywords — must be in title or subtitle
• Score 4-7: Secondary keywords — keyword field (iOS) or description (Android)
• Score <4: Monitor — don't optimize for these yet

Step 3: Keyword Placement Strategy

| Placement | Impact on Ranking | Character Limit | Strategy | |-----------|------------------|-----------------|----------| | App Title | Highest | 30 chars | Brand name + #1 primary keyword | | Subtitle (iOS) | High | 30 chars | 2-3 secondary keywords, natural phrasing | | Keyword Field (iOS) | High | 100 chars | Comma-separated, no spaces after commas, no duplicates from title/subtitle | | Short Description (Android) | Medium | 80 chars | Primary CTA + 1-2 keywords | | Long Description (Android) | Medium | 4000 chars | Natural keyword density, mention keywords 3-5 times | | In-App Purchase Names | Low | — | Additional keyword surface area |

Keyword Field Optimization (iOS)

Rules for 100-character keyword field:
- No spaces after commas (saves characters)
- No duplicates of words already in title or subtitle
- Use singular form only (Apple handles plurals)
- No prepositions (the, a, an, of) — Apple ignores them
- Include common misspellings if characters allow
- Test with Sensor Tower or AppTweak for indexing confirmation

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Store Listing Optimization

Title Formula

[Brand Name] — [Primary Keyword/Value Prop]

Examples:
✅ "Notion — Notes, Docs, Tasks"
✅ "Calm — Sleep & Meditation"
✅ "Duolingo — Language Lessons"

❌ "MyApp: The Best App For Everything You Need" (too generic)
❌ "MA" (too short, no keywords)

Description Structure (Google Play — indexed for search)

Paragraph 1: Hook + primary value proposition (include primary keywords)
Paragraph 2: Key features with benefits (include secondary keywords)
Paragraph 3: Social proof (awards, press, user count)
Paragraph 4: Call to action + differentiator

Category Selection

| Decision Factor | Guidance | |----------------|----------| | Primary category | Choose the most specific category that fits | | Secondary category | Choose for additional visibility (cross-category browsing) | | Competitive density | If your primary category is overcrowded, secondary can help rank higher in a less competitive space | | User expectation | Category affects which users find you — align with user intent |

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Visual Asset Optimization

Screenshot Strategy

| Position | Purpose | Content Strategy | |----------|---------|-----------------| | Screenshot 1-2 | First impression (shown in search results) | Hero benefit — the #1 reason to download | | Screenshot 3-4 | Feature showcase | Key features with clear benefit text | | Screenshot 5-6 | Social proof / differentiation | Awards, ratings, press quotes, unique features | | Screenshot 7-10 | Deep features | Advanced functionality for engaged browsers |

Screenshot Design Principles

| Principle | Details | |-----------|---------| | Text overlay | Large, readable text (min 60pt equivalent) — users scan, not read | | Benefit-first | Lead with outcome ("Save 2 hours daily") not feature ("Task management") | | Sequential story | Screenshots should tell a story left-to-right | | Device frame | Optional — some categories perform better without frames | | Localization | Translate text overlays for each market (not just the app itself) | | Dark backgrounds | Often outperform light in A/B tests (higher contrast on store pages) |

App Preview Video

| Platform | Duration | Auto-Play | Best Practice | |----------|----------|-----------|---------------| | iOS | 15-30 seconds | Yes (muted) | First 3 seconds = hook; show core workflow; add text overlays for muted viewing | | Android | 30 seconds - 2 minutes | Yes (with sound) | Start with benefit, demonstrate 3 key features, end with CTA |

Icon Design

| Principle | Rationale | |-----------|-----------| | Simple, recognizable at 29x29px | Icon appears at many sizes — must be legible small | | Limited color palette (2-3 colors) | Visual clarity in store browse | | No text in icon | Unreadable at small sizes; redundant with app name | | Test against competitors | Your icon appears alongside competitors in search results |

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Rating & Review Management

Review Response Templates

Positive Review (4-5 stars):

Thank you for the kind words, [Name]! We're glad [specific feature/benefit]
is working well for you. If you have any ideas for improvement, we'd love
to hear them at [feedback channel].

Negative Review — Bug Report (1-3 stars):

We're sorry about this issue, [Name]. Our team is looking into [specific
problem]. Could you reach out to [support email] with your device details
so we can resolve this quickly? We want to make this right.

Negative Review — Feature Request (1-3 stars):

Thanks for the feedback, [Name]. We hear you on [feature request] — it's
on our radar. In the meantime, you might find [workaround] helpful.
We'll update you when this ships!

Rating Prompt Strategy

| Factor | Best Practice | |--------|--------------| | Timing | Prompt after a success moment (completed task, achieved goal, used for N days) | | Frequency | iOS: SKStoreReviewController (3 prompts per year max, Apple enforced) | | Pre-screen | Show in-app satisfaction question first; only route happy users to store rating | | Never | Prompt on first launch, after an error, during onboarding, or mid-workflow |

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A/B Testing Store Listings

Google Play Store Listing Experiments

| Element | Max Variants | Duration | Min Traffic | |---------|-------------|----------|------------| | Icon | 3 | 7+ days | 1000+ visitors per variant | | Screenshots | 3 | 7+ days | 1000+ visitors per variant | | Short description | 3 | 7+ days | 1000+ visitors per variant | | Long description | 3 | 7+ days | 1000+ visitors per variant |

Apple Product Page Optimization

| Element | Max Treatments | Duration | Notes | |---------|---------------|----------|-------| | Icon | 3 treatments | 90-day max | Cannot test app name or subtitle | | Screenshots | 3 treatments | 90-day max | Can test order and content | | App preview | 3 treatments | 90-day max | Video thumbnail and content |

What to Test First (Priority Order)

1. Screenshots — highest impact on conversion; test benefit messaging and visual style
2. Icon — affects CTR in search results; test color and symbol variations
3. Short description / subtitle — affects both search ranking and conversion
4. Long description — lower impact but easy to test on Google Play

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Output Template: ASO Audit Report

# ASO Audit Report — [App Name]

**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Platforms:** [iOS / Android / Both]
**Current Rating:** [X.X] (iOS) / [X.X] (Android)
**Current Ranking:** #[X] in [Category]

## Keyword Analysis
| Keyword | Current Rank | Volume | Difficulty | Opportunity |
|---------|-------------|--------|------------|-------------|
| | | | | High/Med/Low |

## Listing Audit
| Element | Current | Score (1-5) | Recommendation |
|---------|---------|-------------|----------------|
| Title | | | |
| Subtitle / Short Desc | | | |
| Keywords (iOS) | | | |
| Description | | | |
| Screenshots | | | |
| Video | | | |
| Icon | | | |

## Rating Health
- **Current rating:** [X.X] ([N] reviews)
- **Recent trend:** [improving/declining/stable]
- **Top complaint themes:** [list]
- **Response rate:** [X]% of negative reviews responded

## Competitive Comparison
| Metric | Our App | Competitor A | Competitor B |
|--------|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Rating | | | |
| Reviews | | | |
| Category Rank | | | |
| Keywords Overlap | | | |

## Priority Actions
1. [Action] — Expected impact — Effort
2. [Action] — Expected impact — Effort
3. [Action] — Expected impact — Effort

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Common Mistakes

• Keyword stuffing in titles — "Best Free Photo Editor Camera Filter Beauty App" hurts credibility and can violate store policies
• Ignoring localization — app store pages should be localized for each market, not just the app strings
• Not A/B testing screenshots — assumptions about "good" screenshots are often wrong; test everything
• Responding defensively to negative reviews — public arguments hurt your brand; be empathetic and solution-oriented
• Optimizing for downloads without considering retention — ASO that drives low-quality installs increases churn and hurts ranking algorithms
• Same strategy for both platforms — Apple and Google have fundamentally different ranking factors; optimize separately
• Ignoring seasonal opportunities — "back to school", "new year", "holiday" keywords spike at predictable times

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Additional Resources

• Related skills: seo-audit (web SEO counterpart), campaign-analytics (acquisition channel analysis)
• Sensor Tower, AppTweak, App Annie — ASO tools and market intelligence
• Apple App Store Connect — Product Page Optimization documentation
• Google Play Console — Store Listing Experiments documentation

<!-- Source: .faos/custom/skills/business/app-store-optimization/SKILL.md -->