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An App Store Optimisation Checklist for Indie Developers

Published 29 October 2026 · 7 min read

App store optimisation (ASO) is the unglamorous work of making your listing easy to find and easy to say yes to. This checklist is ordered by effort against payoff, so you can work down it in an afternoon.

Limits to keep in mind

These are the published limits at the time of writing. Check the store's own documentation before a big edit, because stores change them.

• App Store: name 30 characters, subtitle 30, keyword field 100 (hidden).
• Google Play: title 30, short description 80, full description 4,000.

1. Findability: the words

• Put your most important phrase in the app name, written so it still reads like a name ("Brand: Main Phrase").
• App Store: add a second phrase to the subtitle, and fill the 100-character keyword field with single words, comma-separated, no spaces and no repeats of words already in the name or subtitle. Details: the keyword field and title and subtitle.
• Google Play: use your main phrase in the title and short description, and mention supporting phrases naturally a few times in the full description.
• Do not use other companies' names or trademarks anywhere.

2. Research: pick phrases on purpose

• Write seed phrases the way a stranger would search.
• Check demand and difficulty for each, and keep the ones that are relevant and winnable. See the keyword research method.
• Choose the countries you want to be found in and use each country's own phrases.

3. Conversion: the first impression

• Icon: simple, readable at small size, distinct from your category's usual look.
• Screenshots: the first two or three do most of the work, because most people do not scroll. Show what the app does for them, with a short caption on each, not just empty screens.
• Description: the first lines should say who it is for and the main benefit. Put the proof (what it does) before the pitch.
• Preview video: optional; worth it only if the first seconds show the app doing its job.

4. Ratings and reviews

• Ask for a rating at a happy moment (after finishing a task), not at launch.
• Reply to reviews, especially the critical ones. Replies are public and show the next buyer how you treat people.
• Read the reviews for the words people use to describe your app, and add those words to your listing.

5. Localise

Each language is its own listing with its own keyword space. Translating the name, subtitle, keywords and the first screenshots for your biggest few markets is often the highest-return change after the basics. Do not translate word for word; research what people there actually type.

6. Measure, then change one thing

Record where you rank before you edit, edit one place, and look again after a week or two. Without the before-and-after you are guessing. Keep notes of what you changed and when.

Also watch what happens after the click: if more people view your page but installs do not rise, the problem is the screenshots or description, not the keywords.

7. Keep it alive

• Review the list every month or two. Competitors change, seasons shift and your app adds features that deserve new words.
• Use the what's-new text to say something real; it is read by people deciding whether to keep the app.

Where MetricNudge fits

MetricNudge's Keywords tool covers steps 1, 2 and 6: it finds and checks phrases, scores your listing against them, and tracks your rank every day so you can see what each edit did. It does not design your screenshots or write your reviews for you. The free plan is enough to try it on one app.

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