Product growth
App store optimization services for subscription apps: keyword strategy, store creative testing, localization and AEO, run as one system rather than as a metadata refresh once a quarter. We are judged on search downloads and store conversion, not on keyword positions. For one Mediterranean diet app, cross-localization lifted US search downloads by 167%.
50+
apps optimized
ASO & Paid
combined approach
Framework
for full-cycle ASO optimization
Related case studies
Mediterranean Diet app: +167% US search downloads through ASO cross-localization
AirHelp: 330,000 downloads after launch, a 4.7 store rating and listings localized for 11+ markets
TouchRetouch: one Custom Product Page cut CPI by 47.4% and lifted ROAS by 108%
Problem
Most apps underperform organically because they rely on generic listings and outdated keyword strategies. As a result, paid budgets carry the full weight of growth, conversion stays flat, and visibility erodes every time the algorithm shifts.
We fix this by running keyword strategy, store creative, localization and measurement as one loop, so a ranking gain counts only once it shows up as a download, and a download counts only once the listing converts it.
Request ASO audit by our expertsInvisible in search and browse
Without a structured keyword and metadata strategy, your app misses the impressions and rankings that drive low-cost installs.
Weak store conversion
Generic icons, screenshots, and copy drive users away from your listing, wasting both organic and paid traffic.
No visibility in non-core markets
Without localization, your app underperforms in regions where category demand is highest and competition is lowest.
ASO impact you can't measure
Without proper tracking and reporting, ASO efforts feel like guesswork, and ROI stays invisible to leadership.
What's included
A semantic core built from real search demand rather than from a volume export, with every keyword scored on what it can realistically win and what it is worth once won.
App store keyword researchTitle, subtitle and keyword field treated as a ranking budget to be allocated, not as a place to list features. Each store gets its own version, because the two algorithms read them differently.
App metadata best practicesApp store conversion optimization decided by test, not by preference. Icon, screenshots and video are tested against conversion, and a variant stays only when the lift survives the test window.
Your first screenshot does 80% of the workA store page per intent group and per campaign, plus the native visibility surfaces that Apple and Google open only to the apps that actually use them.
Listings rebuilt for regional search intent rather than translated, because the keyword that carries a market is rarely the translation of the one that carries yours.
The listing written so an assistant can tell what the app is for and who it is for, since recommendations are now a discovery surface in their own right.
AEO vs ASOKeyword work decides how many people see your listing. Conversion decides how many of them install, and it is the half most teams underfund.
The arithmetic is unforgiving. If your listing converts at 25% and a competitor's converts at 40%, you pay a 60% premium on every install, on every channel, for identical spend and identical creative. That tax applies to paid traffic and organic traffic alike, which is why conversion work compounds in a way keyword work does not.
A single listing has to serve every visitor, whatever brought them. Custom Product Pages on the App Store and custom store listings on Google Play remove that compromise: the page can match the keyword, the campaign or the market the user arrived from.
This is where ASO stops being an organic discipline and starts compounding with paid. A CPP aligned to the intent behind a campaign converts the traffic you are already buying at a higher rate, which lowers effective acquisition cost without touching a bid.
TouchRetouch: we built a feature-focused CPP for Apple Ads branded campaigns in the US, showing the AI Smart Scenes functionality rather than the default product page. Against the default: cost per install improved 47.4%, return on ad spend increased 108%, cost per trial improved 32.6%, and install rate moved from 77.0% to 87.1%. The page that generated the most taps was not the page that generated the most revenue, which is the usual lesson. Read the case
A launch is the one moment where there is no historical conversion rate to improve, so the creative decisions have to be right before there is data.
AirHelp: for the launch of a global flight tracking app we repositioned the store presence around the Flight Tracker proposition, deliberately separating it from AirHelp's existing compensation-claim audience to avoid cannibalising it. We localised the listing across the US, UK, Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany, later extending to Poland, Turkey and Arabic-speaking markets, developed multiple screenshot sets and selected the winner by A/B test, then enabled custom store listings on Google Play and custom product pages on Apple. The launch produced 330,000 downloads and a 4.7 average rating across the stores. Read the case
The only asset visible before a user decides whether to look at all. Changes here move tap-through rate more than anything except the first screenshot.
Does most of the conversion work on its own. Most teams spread testing budget evenly across ten screenshots; the return is concentrated in the first three.
Autoplay, sound off, three seconds to land the message. Worth testing against no video at all, which wins more often than expected.
Carry both ranking and conversion weight, which is why they are tested least and should be tested most.
Conversion rates decay. The triggers worth watching: a seasonal peak, a new feature worth showing, a competitor redesign in your category, a conversion rate falling at stable traffic, entry into a new market, and a paid campaign whose intent differs from your organic traffic.
Icon colour is not a hypothesis. The first screenshot's message is.
Short tests on thin traffic produce directional noise, and acting on noise is worse than not testing.
We state the confidence level with the result. The Peech welcome screen test, 50/50 on first-time users in the US over 25 days, produced a 30% increase in LTV at 99.8% confidence, and we report it that way because a result without a confidence level is an anecdote.
A creative that lifts install rate while lowering trial-to-paid has made the business worse. We judge store tests on what happens after the download, which is the difference between an ASO report and an ASO outcome.
Framework
App store optimization consulting that ends in implementation. Six steps, run in order, because a ranking you cannot convert and a conversion you cannot measure are both worth nothing.
Framework
App store optimization consulting that ends in implementation. Six steps, run in order, because a ranking you cannot convert and a conversion you cannot measure are both worth nothing.
01
We analyze your app’s current metadata, creative assets, and keyword strategy across iOS and Android — and set up the tracking and visibility tools required for ongoing optimization.
Outcome
02
We identify high-impact ASO keywords, assess competitor visibility, and build a data-informed semantic core to prioritize both short-term and long-term keyword wins.
Outcome
03
We refine store listings to drive higher conversion across organic and paid traffic, developing an A/B-tested creative concept roadmap aligned with what your high-value users respond to.
Outcome
04
We adapt listings and pages for the most relevant searches and audiences, and manage In-App Events, Promotional Content, and LiveOps to amplify visibility around feature launches, promotions, and seasonality.
Outcome
05
We monitor performance weekly, test new hypotheses, and provide reports that connect ASO impact to installs, conversions, and revenue growth.
Outcome
06
We optimize your listing and positioning so your app is understood, indexed, and recommended by AI assistants like ChatGPT — not just app store search engines. From structuring your messaging to clarifying your core use cases, we help your app get discovered through AI-driven recommendations.
Outcome
The checker scores your listing against your category and names what is costing you installs. The playbook covers the seasonal windows most teams find out about too late.
Focus areas
What our app store optimization experts bring to every engagement, built across 50+ apps and continuous testing on iOS and Android.
Keyword strategy under iOS 18 + Google Play algorithms
Semantic core, keyword opportunity scoring, and ranking strategy adapted to each store’s algorithm.
In-App Events, CPPs & LiveOps
Visibility amplification through Apple/Google native features tied to launches, promotions, and seasonality.
Conversion-driven creative testing
Icons, screenshots, video, and CPPs validated through structured A/B tests, not opinion.
AI Search Optimization (AEO)
Discoverability inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI assistants — a new growth surface most apps ignore.
Localization for high-impact markets
Listings adapted to regional language, search intent, and cultural context — not machine translation.
Integrated ASO + Paid UA measurement
Organic vs. paid attribution that separates true ASO impact from paid halo effects.
Not sure where to start?
Talk to our expertsApplica covers the cost of the stack, and the data, reports and insight from it come to you as part of the service.
Focus areas
What our app store optimization experts bring to every engagement, built across 50+ apps and continuous testing on iOS and Android.
Keyword strategy under iOS 18 + Google Play algorithms
Semantic core, keyword opportunity scoring, and ranking strategy adapted to each store’s algorithm.
In-App Events, CPPs & LiveOps
Visibility amplification through Apple/Google native features tied to launches, promotions, and seasonality.
Conversion-driven creative testing
Icons, screenshots, video, and CPPs validated through structured A/B tests, not opinion.
AI Search Optimization (AEO)
Discoverability inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI assistants — a new growth surface most apps ignore.
Localization for high-impact markets
Listings adapted to regional language, search intent, and cultural context — not machine translation.
Integrated ASO + Paid UA measurement
Organic vs. paid attribution that separates true ASO impact from paid halo effects.
Not sure where to start?
Talk to our expertsApplica covers the cost of the stack, and the data, reports and insight from it come to you as part of the service.
Performance metrics
As an experienced App Store Optimization agency, we ensure every ASO decision is backed by data and tied to business outcomes — not vanity metrics. We measure success across three layers — each one a precondition for the one above it.
Visibility
Key metrics: Keyword rankings, category position, share of voice, and impressions.
Conversion
Key metrics: CVR (page-view-to-install), creative A/B test uplift, localization lift.
Compounding revenue
Key metrics: Organic install growth, organic-to-paid ratio, post-install LTV, paid-UA cost reduction.
Why Applica
Most of what an ASO marketing agency sells is a keyword report. The question worth asking an app ASO agency is what changes after the report.
The search term report from Apple Ads feeds the store listing, and the listing feeds the campaigns back. Split those two across two vendors and both of them lose the data.
Apple Search Ads agencyApp store conversion rate optimization is where the install is actually won or lost, so icon, screenshots and CPPs are tested with the same discipline as the keyword set.
We optimize for trials and subscribers, which means the keyword that brings volume loses to the keyword that brings payers.
Assistants now answer the question the store search box used to, and a listing has to be legible to both at once.
An app store optimization company that reports only on positions is reporting on an input. We report on search downloads, store conversion and what both do to blended CAC.
Industries & Use cases
An app store optimization consultancy earns its fee at the point where organic stops being a side effect of paid and has to be run on purpose. These are the teams that usually reach it.
FinTech teams
High CPI environments where organic installs lower blended CAC and protect against paid-channel volatility.
WellTech teams
Categories where store conversion makes or breaks unit economics, and creative iteration speed determines visibility.
EdTech teams
Multi-market expansion where localized listings unlock category demand that competitors miss.
Scaling companies
You’re investing in Paid UA but missing the organic compounding that multiplies every dollar of ad spend.
Mature growth teams
You already run ASO, but lack structured reporting and iterative testing to quantify ROI.
Teams needing additional expertise
You want ASO specialists who seamlessly integrate into your product and marketing workflows.
Testimonials
The quality of their work is the best I’ve seen. Thanks to Applica, I've seen a 30% increase in product page views and downloads, as well as great improvements in revenue.
Morgan Trudeau CEO at Magnify Technologies Applica turned a complex, global launch into a clean win. Their pre-order, ASO, and paid mix delivered day-one discoverability, rapid traction across our priority markets, and 330,000+ downloads with excellent conversion and CPI – while keeping our Flight Tracker positioning clear and on-brand.
Ewa Tkaczyk Director of Ecommerce at AirHelp FAQ
We quote per app rather than from a price list. What moves the number most is how many stores and markets you need covered, how much store creative testing runs at once, and whether ASO works on its own or alongside paid acquisition and CRO. ASO can be bought on its own, without the rest of the stack. What does not change: it is a monthly retainer, the ASO tool stack is on us, and you get a scoped quote after we audit the listing, not before. The fit is strongest for subscription apps from $100K MRR.
Typically, you’ll start seeing ranking improvements within 4-8 weeks, with significant visibility growth within 2–3 months, and clear conversion lift from A/B tests.
ASO strengthens visibility and conversion, but its impact multiplies when combined with Paid User Acquisition, creative testing, and product updates. Together, they create a self-reinforcing growth loop. That's how our app marketing agency runs ASO: next to paid UA, creatives and paywall tests, from one plan.
Measuring ASO ROI is complex, its impact compounds over time and influences multiple acquisition channels and traffic sources. We track ranking, impressions, and conversion rate improvements, then connect those metrics to install and CPI performance. While ASO alone rarely delivers explosive growth, it amplifies Paid UA efficiency, reduces cost per install, and builds a long-term visibility moat that continues driving results even when ad budgets fluctuate.
Yes, we provide ASO services for both. While ranking factors differ, our framework covers metadata optimization, A/B testing, and creative iteration for both platforms. As each platform has its individualities such as Custom Product Pages, Custom Store Listings, In-App Events, Promotional Content, we shape each store strategy to leverage these capabilities.
Ideally every four to six weeks. App store algorithms and user search behavior change quickly, so a listing optimized once does not hold its position. A/B tests, In-App Events, Promotional Content and Featuring Nominations run continuously rather than in a batch.
A consultant is enough when you have the people to implement and only need the direction. An agency makes sense when the work itself has to be done: metadata per store, creative tested on a schedule, CPPs built per campaign, localization per market. The honest test is which of those your team will actually ship this quarter.
We handle all costs for ASO tools, there’s nothing extra for you to pay. The stack is AppTweak, ASOMobile, AppFigures, Sensor Tower and EasyAppReports. All data, reports, and insights from these tools are shared with you as part of our service.
We use automated reports by EasyApp Report to filter out inflated “organic” traffic caused by active Apple Ads. The analysis combines [Search + Browse minus Apple Ads Total Installs] to reveal the true organic contribution. When MMP is in place, we also look at its Organic traffic as a source of truth. This approach gives teams cleaner reports, more accurate keyword insights, and helps make data-driven ASO decisions without crossover from paid channels.
Let’s work together
Client feedback
Applica has a quality team that truly wants to be an extension of our business.
Andy McBride
Owner at Meal Plan App
Client feedback
Applica Agency is more knowledgeable in this area than most other providers we've used in the past.
Michael Brandon
CEO of Slumber Group
Paid acquisition on Meta, Apple Ads, Google and TikTok, scaled against payback rather than install volume.
Ad creatives briefed from user research, produced and tested until the winners cut your cost per subscriber.
Onboarding, paywall and pricing tests that raise revenue per user, not just trial starts.
Thank you for subscription
to Applica Digest!
The latest mobile growth insights will be
delivered straight to your inbox
