You built the app. You shipped it. And then… nothing.
No spike. No featured placement. Just a slow trickle of downloads that makes you wonder if anyone is even searching for what you made.
The problem usually isn't the app. It's the listing. Most indie developers spend months on code and a few hours on their App Store page — which is the only thing new users ever see before deciding whether to download.
This app store optimization checklist covers everything you need to get right before your next update. Work through it once and you'll fix more discoverability issues than most developers ever know they have.
1. Title (30 characters)
Your title is the highest-weighted metadata field in Apple's algorithm. Every word counts.
- Does your title include your single most important keyword?
- Is it readable — not a keyword dump?
- Does it describe what the app actually does, not just its name?
A title like "FocusFlow — Pomodoro Timer" signals to both users and the algorithm what the app is. A title like "FocusFlow" wastes 20 characters of ranking opportunity.
2. Subtitle (30 characters)
The subtitle is the second most important text field and one most developers underuse.
- Are you using all 30 characters?
- Does it include a keyword that your title doesn't?
- Does it add context — not just repeat the title?
If your title targets your primary keyword, use the subtitle to target your second-best keyword. These two fields alone determine a significant portion of your search visibility.
3. Keyword Field (100 characters)
This field is invisible to users but read by Apple's indexing system. No spaces after commas. No repeating words already in your title or subtitle — Apple already indexes those.
- Are you using the full 100 characters?
- Have you removed all spaces after commas?
- Are there zero repeated keywords from your title and subtitle?
- Are you targeting keywords with real search volume, not generic terms?
Generic keywords like "productivity" or "health" are searched by millions and dominated by apps with 100,000+ ratings. Find the specific terms your ideal user actually types.
4. Description (4,000 characters)
Apple's algorithm does not heavily index the description for search ranking. But users read it before downloading. Your job here is conversion, not SEO.
- Does the first sentence hook the reader immediately?
- Is the core value proposition in the first three lines (visible before "more")?
- Are you using short paragraphs and bullet points for scanability?
- Does it end with a reason to download now?
The description won't get you found. But a bad one will lose the user you already found through search.
5. Screenshots and Preview Video
Screenshots are the single biggest conversion lever on your listing page. Most users look at screenshots before reading anything.
- Does screenshot 1 communicate the core benefit — not a feature?
- Is there readable text on each screenshot (not just UI)?
- Are screenshots localized for your top markets? (More on this below.)
- If you have a preview video, does it show the app working in the first 3 seconds?
A screenshot with "Track your habits in seconds" outperforms a raw UI screenshot every time. Show the outcome, not the interface.
6. Ratings and Reviews
Apple's algorithm factors in both rating quantity and recency. A 4.9-star app with 12 ratings ranks below a 4.6-star app with 400 ratings.
- Are you prompting for reviews at the right moment — after a user completes a positive action?
- Are you using
SKStoreReviewController(Apple's native prompt) rather than custom flows? - Are you responding to negative reviews publicly and professionally?
- Have you requested a rating reset after a major update if your old score was low?
You cannot buy good ratings. But you can engineer the conditions that produce them.
7. Localization — The Step 95% of Indie Developers Skip
Here's the hard truth: if your app is only listed in English, you are invisible to the majority of the App Store.
Roughly 65% of App Store downloads come from non-English-speaking countries. Japan, Germany, France, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea — these are massive markets with high purchase power and far less competition than the US English store.
Localization means more than translating your description. It means:
- Researching which markets have real ranking opportunity for your specific app
- Localizing your title, subtitle, and keyword field into each market's language — not just translating but targeting the keywords those users actually search
- Localizing screenshot text so French users see French copy, not English headlines
- Identifying keyword gaps — terms your competitors rank for in Germany or Japan that you don't appear for at all
A single localization into French, German, and Spanish can double your organic download volume — without changing a line of code.
This is the step most indie developers know they should do but never get around to because the research alone takes 40+ hours per language.
Your ASO Checklist — Quick Reference
Metadata
- Title uses primary keyword (all 30 chars)
- Subtitle uses secondary keyword (all 30 chars)
- Keyword field uses all 100 characters, no repeated words, no spaces
- Description opens with a hook, converts before "more"
Visuals
- Screenshot 1 shows benefit, not feature
- All screenshots have readable localized text
- Preview video opens with the app in action
Social proof
- Review prompt fires after positive user action
- Recent negative reviews have a response
Localization
- App is listed in at least 5 non-English markets
- Title, subtitle, and keywords are localized — not just translated
- Screenshot headlines are localized per market
What to Do Next
Work through the checklist above and fix what you can today. Title, subtitle, and keyword field changes go live with your next update and can move rankings within 2–4 weeks.
For localization — the step with the highest upside and the steepest research cost — that's exactly what LocalizeRank is built for.
I research your best markets, identify keyword gaps per country, and deliver a ready-to-paste Google Sheet with your localized title, subtitle, keyword field, description, and screenshot text. No 40-hour research project. No guessing which countries are worth targeting.
See LocalizeRank plans starting at $49 →