How to climb App Store rankings with ASO

Apple doesn’t publish the full ranking algorithm, but ASO is still pretty straightforward: (1) make sure you’re relevant for the searches you want, then (2) build the engagement signals that make Apple rank you higher.

1. Find keywords to target

Start with keywords that are tightly tied to what your app actually solves. If someone searches the term and sees your app, they should expect the right solution.

• Use ASO Suite to find popular terms and related variants.
• Pick a small set you can realistically target with high relevance (for example: 1 primary keyword + 1 secondary + a handful of supporting terms).
• Ideally aim for keywords with high popularity scores and low difficulty scores.
• ASO Suite’s Opportunity Score combines those metrics to show which terms are worth the effort.
• It's not always obvious what to target so you may need to browse around to see patterns.

2. Put your primary keyword in the title

The title is your highest-intent field. Put your primary keyword here (as naturally as possible).

Add keywords where they belong: title, subtitle, and keyword field.

3. Put your secondary keyword in the subtitle

Use the subtitle for your next most important keyword. Avoid duplicates: repeating the same word across title/subtitle/keywords makes Apple use the lowest weighted field only, meaning you will rank lower for e.g. the term used in the title if you also use it in the subtitle.

4. Use the keywords field for the rest

Add additional supporting keywords in the keyword field (App Store Connect). Keep it tight and avoid duplicates across your metadata.

Note: your description is mainly for conversion (helping users decide to download), not for keyword indexing.

5. Add keywords to screenshots (OCR)

Apple appears to read screenshot text with OCR. Add relevant keywords in your screenshot copy (when it makes sense for the user). Unlike metadata fields, duplicates here don’t seem to be “wasted” in the same way, and repeating a key phrase can help reinforce what your app is about.

6. Improve the signals that actually move rankings

Once you’re indexed, rankings tend to follow what users do:

• Downloads (especially consistently, not just a one-off spike)
• Retention and real usage (people coming back and engaging)
• Ratings volume and recency (a big lever)

Ratings are particularly powerful because they’re a clear interaction signal. Even negative ratings can indicate engagement, but they can hurt conversion, so prompt for ratings when users are most likely to be happy (after a “win” moment).

7. Track rankings over time (indexing can be fast, climbing is slow)

Indexing (showing up for a keyword at all) can happen quickly. Climbing rankings usually takes weeks/months of consistent improvement. Use ASO Suite to track keyword positions over time so you can tell whether your changes actually moved the needle.