App store optimization (ASO) is an entire field of app marketing focused on increasing app visibility through store rankings, hitting the correct keywords and improving the conversion rate of users that view the app’s store page.
Like SEO for search, ASO looks at every aspect of the search and viewing experience. This includes optimizing titles, subtitles, icons, descriptions, visuals and localizing the content for specific countries or regions.
As with SEO, the optimization efforts are never static or complete. New rules from Apple and Google can cause havoc on the rankings for apps, with more importance given to elements and others deprioritized by the two app stores.
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Start nowTo add to that, a lot of app store relevance is seasonal, with app marketers keen to jump on the latest trend. In 2023 and 2024, many apps touted their ‘AI’ features, even those with tenuous links to artificial intelligence. Many image editing apps became AI-powered seemingly overnight.
While the two main app stores – Apple App Store and Google Play Store – often have all of the same apps, the way they rank and feature apps is slightly different. That said, the most consistent way to stay high in the rankings and be featured is by having a good review rating, usually over 4.4 out of 5.
We have collected data and statistics on ASO rates. Our key source, Apptweak, published an in-depth report into ASO, which is available to download. Read on below to find out more.
Key ASO Statistics
- Screenshots and descriptions are the metadata more updated, while titles and icons often remain the same
- Top tier apps tend to update screenshots and descriptions more often than less popular apps
- Photography apps update metadata most often on Google Play, Graphics & design apps update the most on iOS
- Casino games on both iOS and Google Play update screenshots the most out of all game categories
- Apps are most likely to localize data for Germany and Japan, while Ukraine and Sweden are the least likely to receive localized titles and descriptions
App Screenshot Updates
iOS apps receive more screenshot updates in one year, although both platforms have quite a large percentage of apps that don’t update screenshots. The top 20 apps by downloads update their screenshots more often than lower ranked apps, and app developers tend to update screenshots more on Android than iOS.
App screenshot updates in one year by platform 2023 (%)
Game screenshot updates in one year by platform 2023 (%)
App screenshot updates in one year by app ranking 2023
Game screenshot updates in one year by app ranking 2023
App Icon Updates
Games are far more likely than apps to change their icons. Often, games will change their icons as a way of promoting an in-game event.
App icon updates in one year by platform 2023 (%)
Game icon updates in one year by platform 2023 (%)
App icon updates in one year by app ranking 2023
Game icon updates in one year by app ranking 2023
App Title Updates
The vast majority of apps and games aren’t updating their title, and of the small percentage that do, most of them only update once a year.
App title updates in one year by platform 2023 (%)
Game title updates in one year by platform 2023 (%)
App title updates in one year by app ranking 2023
App title updates in one year by app ranking 2023
App Description Updates
Apps tend to make more changes to descriptions than games and the top cohort of apps pushes more updates than lower ranked apps.
App description updates in one year by platform 2023 (%)
Game description updates in one year by platform 2023 (%)
App description updates in one year by app ranking 2023
App description updates in one year by app ranking 2023
Google Play Screenshot Updates by Category
Photography apps had the most screenshot updates over the 12 month period, while business apps had the least. The average across all app categories was 5.64 changes per year.
Google Play screenshot updates per year by category 2023
Google Play game screenshot updates by category 2023
iOS Screenshot Updates by Category
iOS apps made fewer screenshot updates on average than Google Play. Some, such as food & drink and business, updated less than two times in the year.
iOS screenshot updates per year by category 2023
iOS game screenshot updates by category 2023
Google Play Localized Metadata by Country
Google Play apps prioritize the short description, with over 80% of developers covering almost every locality.
Google Play localized metadata by country 2023 (%)
iOS Localized Metadata by Country
iOS apps prioritize the long description, but the percentage of apps covering all localities if far lower than on Google Play.
