01Start here
What ASO is, how a rank is read, and what to write down before changing anything.
What is ASO?The fields each store indexes and how rank is actually measured.How we measureSource, depth, cadence — and what a failed measurement looks like.App Store ranking algorithm: the factors Apple and Google nameWhat Apple and Google NAME in their own docs — neither publishes the weights.ASO audit checklistWhat to measure before a change, what to fill in, what to check after.
02Measuring rank and demand
Where each number comes from — the store's own search result, its own autocomplete, and the depth each one is read to.
App Store keyword rank trackingTop 200 depth, personalization, and three distinct kinds of "no rank".App Store keyword research, step by stepSeed terms → autocomplete → top-10 wall → title, subtitle and the 100-character field. Free, per storefront.App Store and Google Play keyword search volumeNeither store publishes search volume. What each one does show, and what a "volume" number in a tool really is.Google Play rank trackingMeasuring rank in a store with no official search endpoint.Keyword difficulty, with the formula printedTwo inputs, two weights, and the arithmetic in the open.Apple Search Ads popularity score: what happened to it?The industry's demand metric collapsed in 2025. What replaces it.App Store storefront country codes175 storefronts with IDs and language codes, each one measured.App Store countries and languages 2026175 storefronts, 42 language codes: how many countries each language reaches, measured.App Store pricing by country 2026131 subscription apps × 35 storefronts: how far local prices move from Apple's automatic price.App Store rankings by countryOne app, different ranks in every country: storefronts, per-country top charts and how to check rank abroad.Google Play's exact install countThe bucket says 10,000+. The page also carries 19,317.
03The store surface
The fields a visitor sees and the store indexes: character budgets, language slots, screenshots and reviews.
The App Store keyword field: 100 charactersThe invisible field, and the four habits that waste it.App Store and Google Play character limitsName, subtitle, keywords, promotional text, description, release notes — every limit, both stores, from their own docs.ASO localizationApple supports 48 locales, Google Play auto-translates — neither replaces keyword research.Screenshot specsFrom each store's own docs: count, size, format — which file gets rejected.Review and rating strategyApple caps it at 3 times per 365 days, Google won't publish its number — both ban gating.How many reviews do top-ranking apps have?153 keywords measured: rank barely tracks review count.
04The AI layer
What assistants answer when someone asks which app to use, and how your own measurements reach them.
AI visibility for apps: does an assistant name yours?How to measure whether assistants recommend you — and what it proves.Our own AI visibility, publishedNamed in 0 of 5 discovery prompts. Published anyway.Does ChatGPT read your site before it answers?14 days of server logs, counted by user agent. 7 answer-time agents at zero.ASO MCP server for Claude: App Store and Google Play dataAn ASO MCP server with 8 read-only tools for the App Store and Google Play.App Store MCP server: two kinds, and which one you needApp Store Connect MCP or public-store ASO MCP: what each reads and answers.ASO audit with Claude: a free skill and MCP serverA downloadable SKILL.md that has Claude run an ASO audit, measured or checklist.The Storelift API9 read-only endpoints over the measurements in your account.
05Choosing tools and channels
Where rank tracking ends, where paid search begins, and what to ask a vendor before paying.
How to choose an ASO toolFive questions, each asking for evidence rather than a claim.AppFollow vs AppTweakOne is built around review management, one around an ASO platform — from each vendor's own pricing page.ASO vs Apple Search Ads (ASA)One compounds and costs nothing per click; the other stops the day you stop paying.
06ASO metrics you can actually measure
| Metric | Where it comes from | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword rank | The store's own search result | iOS top 200, Google Play ~top 30 |
| Demand | Store autocomplete, per storefront | Tells you a term is searched, not how often |
| Search popularity | Apple Ads console, 5–100 | 91 countries; most long-tail terms at the floor since Oct 2025 |
| Keyword difficulty | Rating count and rating age of the apps at the top | A comparison, not a promise of rank |
| AI visibility | An assistant's answer to an open question | One engine and one country per reading |
See this for your own app
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