If you search for SEO for apps, you may assume the process is the same as optimizing a website. Both involve understanding what people search for, matching content to intent, and improving the percentage of visitors who take action.
The systems are not the same.
App Store SEO is the informal name many developers use for App Store Optimization (ASO). It helps your app appear when people search inside Apple's App Store. Website SEO helps web pages appear in Google and other search engines.
The right strategy depends on where your users discover your product. An iOS app can need both: App Store SEO to generate installs and website SEO to build trust, attract problem-aware visitors, and support acquisition outside the store.
App Store SEO vs website SEO at a glance
| Area | App Store SEO (ASO) | Website SEO |
|---|---|---|
| Main search engine | Apple App Store search | Google, Bing, and other web search engines |
| Main destination | App product page | A web page, article, landing page, or resource |
| Most important copy | App name, subtitle, and keyword field | Title tag, headings, page copy, and structured content |
| Description role | Primarily helps conversion on the App Store | Can support both relevance and conversion |
| Links | Not a dedicated App Store ranking field | Backlinks and internal links can support discovery and authority |
| Visual conversion assets | Icon, screenshots, and app preview | Images, video, layout, trust signals, and calls to action |
| International strategy | Localized metadata and assets by App Store market | Localized pages, language targeting, and technical international SEO |
| Core conversion | Listing view to download | Search visit to signup, purchase, lead, or app install |
| Update cycle | Usually tied to metadata changes and product releases | Content and technical changes can be published continuously |
The simplest distinction is this: website SEO ranks pages, while App Store SEO ranks app listings.
What App Store SEO actually optimizes
Apple gives developers a small number of highly constrained fields. The app name can be up to 30 characters, and the subtitle can also be up to 30 characters. Apple also provides a localized keyword field for search terms that users do not see on the product page. See Apple's App information reference for the current field requirements.
That makes App Store SEO a metadata allocation problem. You need to decide which words deserve the most valuable fields without wasting space through repetition.
1. App name
The app name is one of the strongest places to communicate what the product does and which category it belongs to. A branded name can be memorable, but a completely abstract name gives Apple and users less context.
For example, a name such as Calmly: Sleep Sounds communicates more search context than a brand name with no descriptive language. The final wording should come from keyword research and remain readable for real users.
2. Subtitle
The subtitle gives you another short, visible opportunity to explain the app's primary benefit. It should add information rather than repeat the app name.
Avoid using the subtitle as a vague slogan. A phrase such as Focus Timer & Daily Tasks tells users more than Be Your Best Self, while also clarifying the app's use case.
3. Keyword field
The keyword field is specific to Apple's ecosystem. It is not the same as the old web practice of adding a meta keywords tag to a page. The field should contain carefully researched terms, separated according to Apple's rules, without repeating words already covered in the app name or subtitle.
Read How the App Store keyword field works before preparing a new keyword set.
4. Listing conversion
Ranking is only half the job. Once a user sees your listing, your icon, screenshots, preview video, ratings, reviews, and first lines of copy influence whether they install.
This is why ASO is not just keyword placement. A listing that ranks for a relevant search but converts poorly can lose momentum over time. Review App Store screenshot dimensions and App Store reviews and ratings when improving the conversion side of your listing.
What website SEO optimizes
Website SEO has a much larger surface area. A search engine can evaluate the page itself, the site's structure, links from other websites, technical performance, and the relationship between a page and the rest of the domain.
Important website SEO elements include:
- A page title and description that match the search intent
- Clear headings and useful, original content
- Internal links that help users and search engines discover related pages
- Fast, accessible, mobile-friendly page experience
- Crawlable URLs and a technically sound site structure
- Relevant external links and backlinks from credible websites
- Strong evidence that the page satisfies the visitor's question
- Structured data where it accurately describes the page
Website SEO therefore has more possible levers, but it also takes longer to build. A new article may need time to be crawled, indexed, understood, and trusted before its rankings stabilize.
The biggest difference: keyword placement
The same keyword should not be copied into both channels without adaptation.
Suppose you build a meditation app. A web searcher might type:
best meditation app for beginners
On your website, that could become a comparison guide, a feature page, or a landing page. The page can explain the problem in depth, answer related questions, link to supporting resources, and guide the visitor toward an install.
Inside the App Store, the searcher may use shorter phrases such as:
meditation
mindfulness
sleep sounds
breathing
Those terms must be mapped into the fields Apple indexes, while the screenshots and listing copy explain why the app deserves a download.
The customer need is related, but the search environment is different. Research keywords separately for each channel, then connect them around the same product promise.
App Store SEO does not use web SEO tactics in the same way
Several familiar website SEO tactics do not transfer directly to the App Store:
Backlinks
Backlinks are an important website SEO concept because they can help search engines evaluate authority and discover pages. They are not a field you can add to an App Store listing, and building website backlinks does not automatically make an app rank for App Store keywords.
External coverage can still help indirectly by sending qualified users to your product page and increasing awareness. That is a marketing benefit, not a substitute for App Store metadata optimization.
Long-form content
A 2,000-word article can be useful for Google because it answers a detailed question. It does not give you more App Store keyword-field space. For Apple, the challenge is selecting the right words for a small number of fields and using the visible listing to convert the resulting traffic.
Technical website performance
Website speed, mobile usability, canonical URLs, XML sitemaps, and crawlability matter for a website. They do not replace App Store listing work. An app can have an excellent marketing website and still be invisible for important App Store searches if its title, subtitle, keyword field, and localization are weak.
Website SEO can support App Store growth
The two channels should not be treated as competitors. A website can support ASO in several practical ways:
- Capture high-intent questions. Articles can answer questions users ask before installing, such as pricing, privacy, alternatives, and feature comparisons.
- Build trust. A clear website gives users more information than an App Store listing can provide.
- Support launches. Product announcements, changelogs, and founder stories can attract attention when a new app or feature is released.
- Create an install path. A web page can send visitors to the correct App Store listing with a clear call to action.
- Reach users outside the store. Some customers begin with a Google search rather than an App Store search.
- Support localization. Market-specific pages can explain the product in the user's language and link to the corresponding localized store experience.
For this reason, indie developers often benefit from a two-layer acquisition system: use App Store SEO for in-store discovery and website SEO for education, comparison, and demand capture.
A practical workflow for app developers
Step 1: Define the discovery channel
Ask where the user is most likely to begin. If the product is a simple utility, App Store search may be the first touchpoint. If the product requires trust or explanation, a website may play a larger role.
Step 2: Build two keyword lists
Create one list for App Store searches and another for website searches. Record search intent, relevance, competition, and the action you want the visitor to take.
Do not choose a keyword only because it has high volume. A smaller, highly relevant term can produce more installs or signups than a broad term that attracts the wrong audience.
Step 3: Optimize the listing fields
For iOS, map your strongest terms into the app name, subtitle, keyword field, and localized metadata. Avoid duplicate words and keep every field readable.
Step 4: Build supporting website pages
Create pages for the questions that do not fit naturally in an App Store listing. Good candidates include comparisons, use cases, pricing explanations, privacy information, and detailed feature guides.
Step 5: Measure each funnel separately
Track App Store impressions, product-page views, downloads, conversion, ratings, and keyword positions. For the website, track impressions, clicks, rankings, engaged visits, and installs or signups generated from organic traffic.
Do not judge both channels with one metric. A website may be successful at generating qualified visits while the App Store listing needs conversion work. An app may rank well while its website has no useful content for people researching the category.
Which one should you prioritize?
Choose App Store SEO first when:
- Your app depends mainly on organic App Store discovery
- You have weak or incomplete title, subtitle, or keyword metadata
- Your screenshots and listing do not clearly communicate the main benefit
- You are expanding into new App Store countries
Choose website SEO first when:
- Users compare products before installing
- You need leads, subscriptions, or sales outside the App Store
- You have useful expertise but no searchable content
- Your app category has strong question-based search demand
For most serious app businesses, the answer eventually becomes both. Start with the channel closest to the user's decision, then build the second channel around the gaps the first one cannot cover.
Final takeaway
App Store SEO and website SEO have the same goal—connect the right user with the right product—but they operate in different search environments.
App Store SEO focuses on constrained metadata, listing conversion, ratings, downloads, and localized store visibility. Website SEO focuses on pages, content, technical accessibility, internal linking, and external authority.
If you are optimizing an iOS app, begin with researched App Store metadata, then use website SEO to answer deeper questions and attract users who are not searching inside the store. For international growth, LocalizeRank helps indie developers create researched, upload-ready metadata for multiple App Store markets.