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ASO mistakes I made shipping my first apps

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After shipping a couple of indie apps to the App Store, I realised most of what I did at launch on the ASO side was wrong. Here are the mistakes I made and what I'd do differently next time.

What is ASO?

ASO (App Store Optimization) is how your app gets discovered in App Store search. Apple gives you a handful of levers — title, subtitle, the keyword field, screenshots, and ratings — and how you use them decides whether anyone actually finds your app. If you're an indie dev with no marketing budget, ASO is basically all you have.

1. Keywords & search ranking

Research keywords before you write a single word of your store listing.

Use a mix of:

  • LLMs to brainstorm what users might search for, related terms, competitor wording, and high-intent keywords.
  • The App Store search bar — type your category and look at the autocomplete suggestions. Those are real queries.
  • Competitor titles and subtitles — look at the apps already ranking. They've done some of the work for you.

A prompt I use:

Give me 20 App Store keywords for a habit tracker app focused on streaks and discipline.

Don't take the LLM output at face value — verify each keyword by searching it in the App Store yourself.

2. App name

The app name carries the most keyword weight on the entire listing. Don't waste it on just your brand.

Format:

Primary Keyword – Brand Name

Examples:

  • Habit Tracker – Consistency
  • Streak Counter – Since

Bigger or established apps can lead with the brand because people already know what Duolingo is. As an indie developer you can't afford that yet — nobody knows your app's name. Lead with the keyword.

Avoid:

  • Vague names with zero searchable terms.
  • Wasting title characters on filler words.

3. Subtitle

The subtitle is for secondary keywords. It should:

  • Add more searchable terms that didn't fit in the title.
  • Explain the value of the app quickly.
  • Not repeat keywords from the title — Apple already indexes those.

4. Keyword field (iOS)

This is the field most indie devs misuse. The rules:

  • Use commas, not spaces. A space inside the keyword field is wasted.
  • Don't repeat words. If "habit" is in your title or subtitle, don't put it in the keyword field. Apple already indexes it. (And yes — your title and subtitle should ideally share keywords with your keyword strategy, just not duplicate inside the keyword field itself.)
  • Don't use singular + plural. Pick tracker OR trackers, not both.
  • Use all 100 characters. Apple gives you 100 — use them efficiently.
  • Don't include competitor names. Can get your app rejected and usually provides little value anyway.

5. Screenshots

Most apps waste their screenshots on generic onboarding flows, empty marketing phrases, or random lifestyle photos. Don't.

Your first screenshot is the one most users actually look at. Make it count: show your best feature, not a welcome screen.

Show the core of the app — your main view, your widgets, the thing you actually built this app to do. Add simple text explaining what's on screen. You're not writing an essay; you don't need to sound fancy. If you built the app for yourself, show the part you'd use.

6. Reviews & ratings

Ratings massively affect conversion. Higher ratings mean more trust, a better install rate, and indirectly help your ranking.

A few things that worked for me:

  • Ask for reviews at happy moments. After a user completes a streak, hits a milestone, finishes a task. Not on first launch.
  • Don't be annoying. Too many prompts hurts UX, reduces conversion, and earns you negative reviews. Keep prompts minimal.
  • Reply to reviews — especially negative ones, bug reports, and feature requests. It improves trust, sometimes users update their rating, and it signals the app is actively maintained.
  • Use reviews as product insights. They're basically free user research. Look for repeated complaints, requested features, confusing UX, bugs users keep mentioning. Patterns matter more than individual reviews.

One of my first reviews was a guy listing a bunch of things he wanted. I built them, he updated his review to 5 stars, and the app is better now because of it. Reviews aren't just noise — they're your first users telling you what to build next.