Do I need to run paid ads to get discovered, or can listing work alone move organic installs?

Listing work alone can move organic discovery and conversion for many indie apps, especially after a weak first submission, but it cannot create demand that does not exist. If your category is dominated by large incumbents or you have almost no product-page visitors, expect modest lifts and consider ads as a separate acquisition channel — this guide does not cover ads.

Can I optimise both stores with the same title, description and keywords?

No. Apple indexes title, subtitle and the hidden 100-byte keyword field and does not index the description for App Store search, while Google indexes the full description and uses the 80-character short description as the primary conversion line. Reusing one set wastes Apple’s keyword bytes and misses Google’s description indexing, so the guide builds two per-store plans.

Do I need to release a new app version to change screenshots or run a test?

On Apple, updating screenshots after approval generally requires creating a new version, and Product Page Optimization treatments that test alternate icons require those icons to be included in the published binary. On Google Play you can usually update listing graphics without a binary update. Check your live version status in App Store Connect before planning Apple asset changes.

Can I use machine translation to localise quickly?

You can, but a poor translation usually costs more conversions than it wins, and Google may show automated translation and default-language graphics when you localise text without graphics. Localise only the storefronts where App Store Connect and Play Console show meaningful impressions, and budget for native-quality copy and localised screenshots for those languages.

Will repeating keywords many times or offering rewards for five-star reviews boost ranking?

No, and both risk rejection or removal. Both stores prohibit incentivised, paid, filtered or fake feedback and manipulation of ratings, and both enforce metadata quality rules against excessive repetition and misleading claims. The guide uses compliant metadata placement and the platform review APIs — up to 3 SKStoreReviewController prompts per 365 days on iOS and Play’s time-bound quota on Android — never gating or rewards.

App Store Optimization: get found in the stores

Both store listings rewritten to be found and to convert: keywords placed where each store indexes them, a screenshot sequence that carries the pitch without sound, localisations added for the languages worth having, review prompts running inside the rules, and a store A/B test read correctly.

Fby Finito HQEchipa Finito

Created 3 weeks agoUpdated 2 weeks ago

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Who it's for

Indie developers and small teams with an app already published on Apple App Store or Google Play and near-zero organic installs, including makers who launched with placeholder listing copy and never iterated

About this playbook

A practical procedure for indie developers whose app is live but invisible. You will audit what is live today in App Store Connect and Google Play Console, build separate keyword and messaging plans for Apple and Google, rewrite each listing inside the real character, byte and policy limits, localise only where the data justifies it, add review prompts that respect the platform quotas, and run one native store experiment to a defensible decision. The path isHands-on listing work, short waits for review and propagation, then measured iteration — not theory about algorithms. It does not cover paid user acquisition, search-ads strategy, keyword-stuffing tricks or incentivised review schemes.

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5 phases · 20 steps

Only a sample is open: 3 of 20 steps can be read in full. The rest unlock when you buy.

Phase 1: Establish the live baseline in both consoles
3 steps
Phase 2: Build separate search and conversion plans per store
6 steps
Phase 3: Submit the rewritten listings and verify they are live
3 steps
Phase 4: Install compliant review prompts and launch a native test
5 steps
Phase 5: Apply the outcome and lock in quarterly iteration
3 steps

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Details

Estimated duration15 hours 5 min

Steps20

Estimated budget€0–€300 for native-quality translations and optional screenshot or preview

What you need first

App live in at least one store with Admin or equivalent access to App Store Connect and Google Play Console; ability to edit store listing metadata, screenshots and reply to reviews; current app binary details and version status available; product claims you can truthfully support