App Store Listings
App store optimisation
Review app store search terms, descriptions, screenshots and listing reports without confusing interest with completed installs.
App store optimisation helps the right people find an app and judge whether it meets their needs. Begin with a task the app supports today, use accurate search language and show that task in the listing. Read store reports without treating visibility or clicks as proof of an install.
Start with an accurate promise
Write one sentence describing who the app helps and what they can achieve. Confirm the current product delivers that outcome on the devices and in the locations where the listing appears. Use the sentence to review the app name, descriptions and screenshots together.
The stores use different fields. Apple describes the app name, subtitle, keywords and primary category as search relevance factors. For Google Play, review the store listing’s name and written text alongside its icon and screenshots.
Describe the app’s actual functionality, and use representative screens and tasks to explain what people can do. Check that the visuals match the released app, and write for each field’s purpose rather than copying the same text across both stores.
Ask whether someone unfamiliar with the brand could understand the task and whether the first images show it. Check whether account, location or paid-feature conditions qualify the promise. These are checks on accuracy, not predictions of ranking.
Check the limits of each Apple field
Apple allows up to 30 characters for an app name and 30 for a subtitle. Its guidance favours a distinctive name that is easy to spell, plus a subtitle that summarises the app or highlights a feature or typical use rather than making a generic claim.
Google Play allows an app name of up to 30 characters, a short description of up to 80 characters and a full description of up to 4,000 characters. Use the short description to state the app’s essence or primary feature. Write the full description in natural, customer-facing language, placing relevant terms where they fit rather than crowding the text.
The icon is an early point of contact and should communicate the app’s purpose. Apple recommends a simple, recognisable design that stays legible at different sizes, without unnecessary visual detail.
An App Store product page can feature up to 10 screenshots and up to three app previews. A preview can run for up to 30 seconds and uses footage captured on the device. Its first few seconds should communicate visually because previews autoplay with muted audio.
Apple App Store vs Google Play: Key listing field limits (Australia)
- App name limit30 characters (both platforms)
- Screenshots allowedUp to 10 (Apple), visual elements in listing (Google Play)
- App previews (video) durationUp to 30 seconds (Apple), not applicable (Google Play)
- Keyword fieldYes (Apple), no (Google Play – terms used naturally in text)
Connect search language to the product
Collect phrases people might use for the task, then check what each phrase means in context. A broad term may describe several needs; a narrow one may describe the app more precisely. Neither kind of phrase provides a download forecast on its own.
Group candidate phrases by user need and keep only those the app serves. On the App Store, review the name, subtitle and keyword field together. On Google Play, use readable prose to describe actual functionality and include relevant terms where they fit.
Google Play does not publicly disclose how its system works, and it has no separate keyword field. Its title, short description and full description are key text assets; relevant terms can be included naturally in the description.
Apple says search relevance includes text matches for the app’s title, subtitle, keywords and primary category, alongside user behaviour such as downloads, ratings and reviews. These are factors in search results, not a guarantee that a particular wording will rank or convert.
Step-by-step: Connecting search language to your app’s actual function
- Collect phrases people might use for the taskUse tools like Google Trends or Reddit communities (e.g., r/iosdev) to identify real-world search terms
- Check meaning in contextDistinguish between broad terms (e.g., 'budgeting') and narrow ones (e.g., 'GST calculator for Australian freelancers')
- Group by user needOnly keep phrases that match the app’s actual functionality
- Apply to listingsOn Apple: use in name, subtitle, keywords. On Google Play: include naturally in description
Understand where search results appear
Apple search includes more than a list of apps. The Search tab may show suggestions, categories and top charts; search hints can appear as someone enters text. Results may include app-related content such as categories, editorial material and Apple Ads.
Apple says people can use natural, everyday language in search. An app’s rating and up to three screenshots or previews may appear in search results, depending on platform and image orientation. App tags may also appear; Apple says these are generated from App Store Connect metadata using large language models.
For a custom product page, Apple lets developers assign keywords so the page can appear for those terms. Apple recommends matching each selected keyword to that page’s intent and assigning each keyword combination to only one custom product page.
Show the task early
Put the clearest evidence of the main task near the start of the screenshot sequence. Show a real app state, an action and, where possible, its result.
Use later images for another important use case or a necessary step. If a depicted feature requires an account, subscription or particular location, avoid implying that everyone can use it immediately.
Review Google Play’s icon and screenshots as listing elements too. Check that they represent the released app and support an accurate promise.
Apple recommends using images captured from the app’s interface to communicate the experience. Product pages can also be localised for available App Store languages, giving teams a way to present listing content in languages relevant to different audiences.
Read each report on its own terms
Apple’s App Store Connect reports impressions, product page views, downloads and acquisition sources. For Google Play, consult the relevant Play Console report and its metric definitions.
Record the report, measure and its stated denominator, period and market; compare like with like. Do not treat listing views or clicks as installs.
A change in views or clicks can prompt investigation, but it does not establish which listing edit caused it.
Interpret acquisition measures precisely
Apple defines unique impressions as unique devices that viewed an app on the App Store during a day, week or month, and unique product page views as unique devices that viewed the product page. Total downloads count downloads, including first-time downloads and redownloads; iCloud restores and automatic downloads to linked devices are excluded.
Apple’s conversion rate measures how often unique impressions become total downloads. The acquisition funnel can be segmented by source, such as App Store search, browse or referrals, and results can be filtered by territory and device. Keep those dimensions consistent when assessing changes across markets or contexts.
For Google Play, read each measure using the definition in its Play Console report. Keep the report’s stated denominator, period and market consistent when comparing results.
Key App Store Connect acquisition metrics (Australia)
- Unique impressionsUnique devices that viewed an app on the App Store during a day, week or month
- Unique product page viewsUnique devices that viewed the product page
- Total downloadsIncludes first-time downloads and redownloads; excludes iCloud restores and automatic downloads
- Conversion rateHow often unique impressions become total downloads
Make a first pass
- State the main user task and verify that the current app delivers it.
- Review each store field for relevance, accuracy and platform guidance.
- Put clear product evidence early in the screenshot sequence.
- Compare listing response within the same store and market, keeping clicks separate from completed acquisitions.
- Record the reason for each revision so later results can be interpreted in context.
Check Australian availability and eligibility in the product itself. An English-language listing alone does not establish either.
In this guide
- Writing an app description around actual use casesTurn verified app tasks into a clear store description, with the main use case first and important limits beside the promise.
- Choosing screenshots that explain the productSelect and order app store screenshots that show the real task, useful result and relevant access conditions.
- Researching app store queries without assuming download volumeFind relevant app store query language, read your own store reports correctly and avoid treating suggestions or clicks as download volume.
