Most App Store optimization guides are written for the US market. They tell you how to pick English keywords, how to write an English description, how to position your English-language screenshots.
If you want to rank in Germany, Japan, Brazil, or France, that advice gets you maybe 20% of the way there.
This checklist covers what's actually different about optimizing for non-English markets — the steps that don't show up in the standard ASO guides because most people skip them entirely.
Before You Start: Decide Which Markets to Target
Non-English ASO isn't a one-size-fits-all process. Each language is a separate research project. Before you open App Store Connect, get clear on which markets are worth the investment.
Check your current installs by country. App Store Connect → Analytics → Acquisitions → Source Type: App Store Search → filter by Territory. If you're already getting downloads from Germany without any German metadata, that's a signal Germany has high potential with proper optimization.
Check your category competition per market. A keyword that's brutally competitive in the US may have almost no competition in its French equivalent. Smaller App Store markets often have fewer well-optimized apps, which means easier ranking.
Prioritize by revenue potential. Japan, Germany, France, Australia, Canada, and South Korea consistently rank among the highest-revenue App Store markets outside the US. Brazil and Mexico are high-volume but lower average revenue per user.
Checklist: Metadata for Each Non-English Market
Work through this checklist per locale. It takes time — which is why most developers never do it — but each step has a direct impact on ranking.
✅ 1. Research keywords in the target language — not translated from English
Open your keyword research tool and search in the target language. Don't type your English keywords and translate them — search for the category directly in that language.
Example: for a focus timer app in German, don't search "focus timer" → translate to "Fokus-Timer." Instead, search "pomodoro" "arbeiten konzentration" "produktivität app" directly in the German App Store keyword database. The term users actually search may be completely different from what you'd expect.
If you don't have access to a keyword tool with per-market data, AppTweak and ASOdesk both support non-English keyword research.
✅ 2. Analyze the top 3 competitor apps in that locale
Search your primary category keyword in the target language. Look at the top 3 apps. For each one:
- What's their title? What keyword are they leading with?
- What's their subtitle?
- What keywords appear to be in their keyword field? (You can infer from what searches they show up for.)
The goal is to identify terms that are working in this market — and find gaps your competitors aren't covering.
✅ 3. Write a localized title — not a translated one
Your English title was written for English-speaking users searching in English. A Japanese user searches differently.
Write the title for the target market's most-searched term in that language. Start from the keyword research, not from your English title. If your English title is "FocusFlow — Pomodoro Timer," your Japanese title shouldn't be a translation of that — it should lead with whatever Japanese productivity app users actually search for most.
Fit within 30 characters. Put the primary keyword as early as possible.
✅ 4. Write a localized subtitle targeting a secondary keyword
Same logic as the title. 30 characters, secondary keyword for that market.
If the title targets the highest-volume search term, the subtitle targets the second-highest — or a high-intent modifier term (like "gratis" / free, "ohne Abo" / no subscription, specific use cases).
✅ 5. Fill the keyword field with researched, non-overlapping keywords
This is the step most apps never take. The 100-character keyword field for each locale is completely separate. A blank Japanese keyword field = zero Japanese search presence.
Rules for the keyword field:
- No commas (Apple uses spaces as delimiters)
- No spaces after the last keyword
- Don't repeat words already in your title or subtitle — Apple already indexes those
- No need to include your app name
- Prioritize lower-competition terms that complement your title keyword
For non-Latin scripts (Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Chinese), the keyword field is especially critical because your title and subtitle alone cover very little search surface area.
✅ 6. Translate the description for conversion, not ranking
The description isn't a significant ranking signal — Apple doesn't index it for search. But it does affect conversion rate, which affects downloads, which affects ranking indirectly.
Have the description translated by a native speaker or a quality translation service. Machine-translated copy converts poorly. A French user reading robotic machine-translated French loses trust quickly.
Keep the same structure as your English description but localize idioms and benefit framing. What resonates as a benefit in the US ("save time and get more done") may need to be framed differently in Japan or Germany.
✅ 7. Localize screenshot text
Screenshots with English text convert poorly in non-English markets. The first screenshot especially — it's often the only one users see before deciding to download or skip.
Localize the headline and subheadline text on each screenshot for each market. You don't need to redesign the screenshots entirely — just swap the text overlays. Most screenshot tools (AppLaunchpad, Screenshots.pro, Previewed) support this.
✅ 8. Verify the subtitle field is filled — not just the title
App Store Connect has separate fields for title and subtitle. Many developers fill in the title for a new locale and forget the subtitle. The subtitle defaults to blank — which means you're leaving 30 characters of ranking signal empty.
Check every locale in App Store Connect before submitting. Title ✓, Subtitle ✓, Keywords ✓.
✅ 9. Submit and track
After submitting, Apple typically indexes updated metadata within 1–2 weeks. Set a reminder to check rankings at the 14-day and 30-day marks.
Use a ranking tracker that supports per-market keyword tracking. Astro supports this and has a free tier.
Track the primary keyword you optimized the title for. Secondary keywords from the subtitle and keyword field may take longer to index and show movement.
The Shortcut
The checklist above, done properly for one market, takes 4–8 hours. Research, competitor analysis, writing, iterating within character limits, translating, localizing screenshots.
For 5 markets that's 20–40 hours. For 10 markets, a part-time job.
That's exactly the work LocalizeRank does — keyword research per market, competitor gap analysis, and a ready-to-paste Google Sheet covering title, subtitle, keyword field, description, and screenshot text for every locale you want to target. Starting at $49 for 5 markets.
You paste. Apple indexes. Rankings move.