App Store Optimization Checklist (Before You Ship)
A practical ASO checklist covering research, metadata, creative, ratings, localisation, and measurement, with the reason each item matters.
An **app store optimization checklist** is useful only if it changes what you ship. This one is ordered by dependency: research before copy, copy before creative, creative before measurement. Skip a step and the later ones lose their meaning.
Use it as a pre-flight check for a new listing or a quarterly audit for a live one. Every item is something a small team can actually complete.
Key takeaways
- Research comes first; a checklist of copy tasks without keyword evidence is just formatting.
- Validate every field against the current store limits before submission.
- Creative is part of ASO, not a separate design task.
- Ratings and reviews influence both conversion and store ranking.
- Measure rank on demand and conversion over a defined window.
Research and positioning
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| One app, one store, one country chosen | Mixed scopes produce scores that cannot be compared |
| Three to five competitors identified | Competitor phrases are the cheapest source of category demand |
| Repeated 2–4 word phrases extracted | Repetition separates category language from one app's branding |
| Autocomplete expansion run in the target store | Confirms real query phrasing rather than a generic keyword list |
| Every phrase scored and sorted | A long list is not a decision; a ranked shortlist is |
| Intent checked against the product's real job | A high score for the wrong audience is a wasted install |
Metadata and fields
Store limits change, so verify them in the console before submitting. The common budgets below are a starting point, not a substitute for the live documentation.
| Field | Typical budget | ASO role |
|---|---|---|
| App Store title | 30 characters | Highest-weight phrase plus brand |
| App Store subtitle | 30 characters | Second phrase, readable as a benefit |
| App Store keyword field | 100 characters | Comma-separated terms, no spaces needed |
| Play title | 30 characters | Highest-weight phrase plus brand |
| Play short description | 80 characters | Search snippet and first conversion argument |
| Play full description | 4,000 characters | Indexed context and detailed proof |
| App Store description | 4,000 characters | Conversion copy; not the main keyword field |
- Primary phrase appears in the title or subtitle without awkward phrasing.
- No keyword is repeated across fields solely to game the index.
- No competitor brand names, unverifiable claims, or banned terms.
- Every field is within its character limit with room for localisation.
- The first sentence of the description explains the outcome, not the feature list.
Creative and first impression
- Icon is legible at small sizes and distinct from the category's dominant colours.
- First screenshot states the core benefit in a caption readable at thumbnail size.
- The first three screenshots form one argument, not three unrelated features.
- Screenshots use the current device sizes and do not crop critical UI.
- Preview video, if used, shows the product in the first two seconds.
- Creative matches the promise of the metadata; mismatch raises uninstalls.
Trust and conversion
- Rating is visible and the review prompt is triggered after a success moment.
- Negative reviews from the last ninety days have been read and categorised.
- Support contact works and response expectations are clear.
- Onboarding does not ask for an account before showing value.
- Paywall, if any, is disclosed before install and priced clearly.
Localisation
If the app is available in more than one language, check that the listing is actually translated rather than machine-pasted. Titles and subtitles often need transcreation, not literal translation. Right-to-left locales need layout checks, and every locale needs its own character budget.
NewASO's Localization screen handles ten locales, including Arabic and Urdu, and exports the set as JSON. It is still your job to confirm the phrasing sounds natural to a native speaker.
Measurement
| Check | How to verify |
|---|---|
| Rank checked for the phrases you targeted | Run an on-demand check in the target country and store |
| Rank history stored for comparison | Keep the date and market beside each result |
| Conversion window defined | Pick a period long enough to collect impressions before judging |
| One change isolated per cycle | Otherwise you cannot attribute the result |
| Reviews monitored for new complaint themes | A ranking gain with a rating drop is not a win |
A note on score chasing
Do not treat a perfect checklist as a ranking guarantee. Store algorithms are opaque, competition moves, and a phrase that was winnable last quarter may not be winnable now. The checklist improves the quality of your attempt and the quality of what you learn from it.
NewASO keeps the artefacts in one project: competitor phrases, the scored shortlist, the listing fields, locales, and rank checks. That makes the next audit faster. Start with the workflow, then use this checklist before every submission.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I run an ASO checklist?
Run the full checklist before a launch or a major listing update, then a lighter quarterly audit. Re-check store limits and localisation whenever you add a market.
What is the most commonly skipped checklist item?
Measurement. Teams often ship new copy without recording which phrases they targeted or when they will check rank, which makes the next decision a guess.
Do I need paid tools to complete this checklist?
No. Competitor pages, store autocomplete, and on-demand rank checks are enough for a first pass. Paid tools can add convenience, but they do not replace the judgement about relevance and intent.