The most comprehensive App Store Optimization checklist for iOS App Store & Google Play — use it before every launch, update, and optimization cycle.
Whether you're launching a new app or optimizing an existing one, this checklist ensures you never miss a critical ASO element.
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- Pre-Launch Checklist
- Keyword Research & Strategy
- App Title & Subtitle
- App Description
- iOS Keyword Field
- Visual Assets — App Icon
- Visual Assets — Screenshots
- Visual Assets — Preview Video
- Ratings & Reviews
- Localization
- Conversion Rate Optimization
- Apple Search Ads
- Post-Launch Monitoring
- Google Play Specific
- iOS Specific
- Ongoing Optimization Cycle
- Market research completed — Analyzed top 10 competitors in your category
- Target audience defined — User personas with search behavior patterns
- Category selection — Chose the best primary + secondary category
- Bundle ID finalized — Cannot be changed after first submission
- App name finalized — 30 characters max (iOS), 30 characters max (Google Play)
- Privacy policy URL — Required for both stores
- Support URL — Required for App Store
- Marketing website — Ready with app landing page
- App pricing strategy — Free, freemium, paid, or subscription model decided
- App Store Connect / Google Play Console — Account set up and configured
- Age rating — Completed age rating questionnaire
- Content rights — All third-party content licensed
📖 Deep dive: The Complete Guide to App Store Optimization in 2026
- Seed keyword list — Created initial list of 50-100 keywords
- Search volume analysis — Checked popularity/search volume of each keyword
- Difficulty scoring — Assessed competition level for each keyword
- Competitor keyword analysis — Identified competitors' ranking keywords
- Long-tail keywords — Found low-competition, high-relevance opportunities
- Keyword grouping — Organized keywords by theme/intent
- Primary keywords — Selected 3-5 must-rank keywords
- Secondary keywords — Selected 10-15 supporting keywords
- Keyword mapping — Assigned keywords to title, subtitle, description, and keyword field
- Local keywords — Researched keywords per target market
- Trending keywords — Included relevant trending/seasonal terms
- Negative keywords — Identified irrelevant terms to avoid
📖 Deep dive: App Store Keyword Research: The Definitive Guide
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- Brand name included — Clear and recognizable brand name
- Primary keyword placed — Most important keyword in the title
- Character limit respected — Under 30 characters (gets truncated)
- Readable and memorable — Natural language, not keyword-stuffed
- Differentiated — Stands out from competitors
- No special characters — Avoid unnecessary symbols
- Localized titles — Translated for each target market
- Secondary keywords — Include keywords not in the title
- Value proposition — Clearly communicate key benefit
- Action-oriented — Use active language
- No keyword repetition — Don't repeat title keywords (iOS)
📖 Deep dive: App Subtitle Optimization: iOS's Underused ASO Field
- First 3 lines hook — Compelling first 167-252 chars (visible before "more")
- Feature list — Bullet points for key features
- Keywords integrated — Natural keyword placement throughout
- Social proof — Awards, press mentions, user count
- Call-to-action — Clear download/subscribe CTA
- Formatting — Short paragraphs, emojis, line breaks for readability
- Updated for latest version — Reflects current features
- Keyword-rich — Primary keywords in first paragraph (200+ chars)
- Keywords density — Natural keyword repetition (3-5 times for primary)
- Feature highlights — Bullet points with ✓ or • symbols
- Formatted for scanning — Headers, spacing, clear structure
- Social proof included — Reviews, awards, accolades
📖 Deep dive: App Store Description Best Practices: Copy That Converts
- 100 characters used — Maximize the entire character limit
- Comma-separated — Use commas without spaces
- No duplicates — Don't repeat words from title or subtitle
- No spaces after commas — Save characters
- Singular forms — Apple indexes both singular and plural
- No brand names — Your own brand is auto-indexed
- No prepositions — Apple auto-combines words
- Competitor names avoided — Can violate guidelines
- Split compound keywords — Separate word pairs when possible
📖 Deep dive: iOS Keyword Field: Rules, Character Limits & Optimization
- Unique and recognizable — Stands out at small sizes
- Simple design — Single clear focal element
- No text in icon — Text is unreadable at small sizes
- Color contrast — High contrast for visibility on all backgrounds
- Category-appropriate — Matches user expectations for the category
- Tested against competitors — Screen comparison in search results
- All required sizes — 1024×1024 source, auto-generated smaller sizes
- No transparency — Must be opaque (both platforms)
- A/B tested — If possible, test 2-3 icon variants
📖 Deep dive: App Icon Design Guide: Higher Conversions
- First 2-3 screenshots optimized — Most users only see the first few
- Text captions — Short, benefit-driven text overlays
- Feature showcase — Each screenshot highlights a key feature
- Consistent style — Unified design language across all screenshots
- Device frames — Use appropriate device frames
- Correct dimensions — 6.7" and 6.5" iPhone, iPad, etc.
- Maximum count used — Up to 10 screenshots per device
- Landscape option — Consider landscape for games/media apps
- Proofread — No typos in text overlays
- Localized — Screenshots adapted per market (text + imagery)
- A/B tested — Test different orders, designs, and messaging
📖 Deep dive: App Store Screenshot Design: Best Practices
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- Created app preview — 15-30 second video showcasing the app
- Hook in first 3 seconds — Capture attention immediately
- Show real app — Use actual app footage (required for iOS)
- Text overlays — Explain features with short text
- Captions/subtitles — Sound may be off by default
- Correct dimensions — Match device screenshot sizes
- Poster frame — Choose compelling preview thumbnail
- Localized audio/text — Adapt for each market
📖 Deep dive: App Store Preview Videos: Design & Optimization
- In-app rating prompt — Implemented SKStoreReviewController (iOS) or In-App Review API (Android)
- Prompt timing optimized — Trigger after positive actions, not on first launch
- Prompt frequency limited — Respect platform limits (3×/year iOS)
- Review response strategy — Plan for replying to reviews
- Negative review handling — Template responses for common complaints
- Sentiment monitoring — Track review sentiment trends
- Bug fix prioritization — Address issues mentioned in negative reviews
- Review highlights — Feature positive reviews in marketing
📖 Deep dive: App Store Review Management: Ratings & Rankings
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- Target markets identified — Selected high-potential markets
- Title localized — Translated + localized with market-specific keywords
- Subtitle localized — Market-specific subtitle optimization
- Description localized — Full description translation + cultural adaptation
- Keywords localized — Market-specific keyword research per locale
- Screenshots localized — Text overlays translated, culturally adapted imagery
- Preview video localized — Subtitles/voiceovers in local language
- Cultural adaptation — Colors, imagery, and messaging adapted per market
- Locale-specific pricing — Pricing adjusted per market
- "What's New" localized — Release notes translated for each locale
📖 Deep dive: App Localization: Global Markets & ASO Guide
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- First impression audit — Viewed listing as a new user
- Competitor comparison — Side-by-side review with top 3 competitors
- Social proof visible — Rating count, awards, press logos
- Value proposition clear — User can understand app value in 3 seconds
- No spelling/grammar errors — Proofread all text
- Developer name professional — Brand name in developer field
- Privacy nutrition labels — Accurate and not alarming
- App size optimized — Not too large for cellular downloads
- IAP displayed strategically — In-app purchase names as marketing
📖 Deep dive: App Store Listing Optimization: Convert More Visitors
- Apple Search Ads account — Set up and funded
- Brand campaign — Running a campaign for your brand name
- Competitor campaigns — Targeting competitor brand terms
- Discovery campaigns — Running search match campaigns
- Exact match keywords — Bidding on confirmed high-performers
- Negative keywords — Excluding irrelevant terms
- Bid optimization — CPA targets set per keyword group
- Search Tab ads — Enabled for broad visibility
- Custom product pages — Connected CPPs to ad groups
- Automation rules — Auto-pause low performers, bid adjustments
📖 Deep dive: Apple Search Ads: Complete Setup & Optimization Guide
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- Keyword rankings tracked — Daily/weekly position monitoring
- Impression data monitored — Track browse & search impressions
- Conversion rate watched — Page views → installs rate
- Review alerts set — Notifications for new reviews
- Competitor tracking — Monitor competitor listing changes
- Ranking alerts — Notifications for significant rank changes
- A/B tests running — Continuously testing listing elements
- Weekly ASO report — Regular performance review
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- Feature graphic — 1024×500 banner image
- Short description — 80-character keyword-optimized summary
- Full description keywords — Keywords repeated 3-5 times naturally
- Store listing experiments — A/B tests running in Google Play Console
- Custom store listings — Created for different user segments
- Data safety section — Completed accurately
- Content rating — Completed IARC questionnaire
- Targeting — Devices, countries, and distribution configured
📖 Deep dive: Google Play ASO: Complete Optimization Guide
- Keyword field — Fully optimized 100-character keyword field
- Promotional text — 170-char dynamic field updated regularly
- In-app events — Created and scheduled for discoverability
- Custom product pages — Up to 35 variations created
- Product page optimization — A/B test running via App Store Connect
- App clips — Created if applicable for discovery
- App privacy details — Nutrition labels completed accurately
- SKAdNetwork — Configured for ad attribution
📖 Deep dive: iOS ASO: Apple App Store Optimization Masterclass
- Monitor keyword ranking changes
- Review new user reviews and respond
- Check competitor listing changes
- Analyze conversion rate trends
- Update keyword strategy based on performance data
- Refresh screenshots or A/B test variants
- Update description copy
- Analyze market trends and seasonal opportunities
- Full ASO audit
- Competitive landscape analysis
- Localization expansion assessment
- Strategy review and goal setting
📖 Deep dive: ASO KPIs: How to Measure Your Optimization Results
| Element | iOS | Google Play |
|---|---|---|
| App Name/Title | 30 chars | 30 chars |
| Subtitle / Short Description | 30 chars | 80 chars |
| Keyword Field | 100 chars | N/A |
| Description | 4,000 chars | 4,000 chars |
| Promotional Text | 170 chars | N/A |
| What's New | 4,000 chars | 500 chars |
| Screenshots | Up to 10 | Up to 8 |
| Preview Videos | Up to 3 | 1 |
- Awesome ASO Resources — Curated list of ASO resources, tools, and guides.
- Appalize Blog — In-depth ASO tutorials and strategies.
- ASO Strategy 2026 Framework — Build your complete ASO strategy.
Found a missing checklist item? Contributions are welcome!
- Fork this repo
- Add your checklist item in the appropriate section
- Submit a Pull Request
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