Your app is live in the store — but can a shopper actually find it?
Statista projected that app downloads worldwide would pass 258.2 billion a year by 2022, which tells you how much competition sits between your store and a new customer. App store optimization, or ASO, is the work of getting your app higher in the search and browse results inside the app store, and a higher position means more downloads. In this guide, you'll learn the five things that move your app up the rankings and how to set each one up.
ASO improves where your app appears when someone searches or browses the app store. Five things drive it: a clear app name and description, well-chosen keywords, strong screenshots, customer reviews, and the app store's own promotion tools. You add your keywords from the app builder in your Salla dashboard.
📌 Article overview
- Choosing your app name and description
- Setting your app keywords
- Showing your best app screenshots
- Getting reviews from customers
- Promoting your app with app store tools
- Frequently asked questions
🚀 Choosing your app name and description
Your app's name and description affect both search results and your download rate. Pick a name that is clear, distinctive, and obviously related to your app. The description should explain what your app is for and what its main advantages are — keep it short, and make it a reason to download.
📝 Note: avoid overused words such as "store" and "shop". They are so common that they will not help you surface in app store search.
For more detail, see tips for choosing your app name and description.
🔍 Setting your app keywords
Keywords are the single most important element in making your app easy to find when a customer searches the app store. Draft a list of candidate words covering the terms your business uses, the tasks your app performs, and its main features.
To add them, open the side menu of your Salla dashboard and click (App builder).
Add your keywords:
Then click (Save). Here is an example from a Salla store's app using keywords that fit it well:
Once added, your keywords appear like this:
📝 Important notes
1. This section cannot exceed 100 characters, so choose your keywords carefully.
2. It is worth researching which keywords are strongest and most searched using keyword analysis tools such as:
- Google Trends: shows how much search interest a keyword has and how it is trending.
- App Radar: a site with several keyword tools for apps, including strong keyword suggestions, tracking, search volume, and how your keywords are distributed and ranked.
- Keyword Shitter: generates a very large list of keyword suggestions and keeps going until you press stop.
For more detail, see the steps for publishing your app.
🎯 Showing your best app screenshots
This space creates the first impression of your app and shows what using it is actually like, so choose the images carefully.
For more detail, see improving your app's visibility in app stores with screenshots.
✅ Getting reviews from customers
Use social media to encourage your customers to leave comments, opinions, and ratings about your app. New shoppers trust what existing customers say, which lifts both your app's visibility and its download rate.
For more detail, see showing your app's ratings and reviews on Google Play.
📣 Promoting your app with app store tools
Google Play promotes apps through app campaigns, which you set up by signing in to Google Ads. The App Store offers ads on Apple's search network through App Search Ads.
📝 Important notes
- You can track how your app performs on Google Play with Google Play Console.
- For your app on Apple, track performance through the Apple app dashboard .
❓ Frequently asked questions
What does ASO stand for?
App store optimization: the work of getting your app to appear higher in app store search and browse results so more people download it.
Where do I add my app keywords?
From the side menu of your Salla dashboard, click (App builder), add your keywords, and click (Save).
How many keywords can I add?
The keywords section is limited to 100 characters in total, so pick the strongest terms rather than listing everything.
Which words should I avoid in my app name?
Generic, overused ones like "store" and "shop". They are too common to help you rank.
Can I advertise my app inside the app stores?
Yes. Google Play runs app campaigns through Google Ads, and the App Store offers App Search Ads on Apple's search network.
ASO is not a one-time setup. Revisit your keywords, screenshots, and reviews as your app changes, and keep an eye on the console dashboards to see what the changes did.