The plain-English ASO glossary.
When I started doing ASO, half the battle was just decoding the vocabulary. So here's a plain-English glossary of the App Store Optimization terms that actually matter — what each one means, and why it affects your rankings and installs across both stores.
App Indexation
Whether and how the store has indexed your app’s keywords so it can appear in search results.
Read definitionApp Metadata
The text and assets in your store listing that the store uses to index and display your app.
Read definitionApp Store Algorithm
The ranking system a store uses to order search and chart results, weighing relevance, conversion, and engagement.
Read definitionApp Store Optimization (ASO)
The practice of improving an app’s visibility and conversion in app store search and browse, to grow organic installs.
Read definitionApp Title Optimization
Crafting your app’s name/title to include your most valuable keyword while staying brandable and readable.
Read definition
Category Ranking
Your app’s position within its store category’s top charts, separate from keyword search results.
Read definitionCompetitor Analysis (ASO)
Studying rival apps’ keywords, rankings, and metadata to find opportunities and gaps.
Read definitionConversion Rate (ASO)
The share of people who view your store listing and then install the app.
Read definition
Keyword Difficulty
A score estimating how hard it is to rank in the top results for a keyword, based on the strength of the apps already ranking for it.
Read definitionKeyword Field (iOS)
The hidden 100-character field on the App Store where you list keywords, not shown to users.
Read definitionKeyword Gap
Keywords your competitors rank for but your app does not — opportunities to target.
Read definitionKeyword Popularity
A score estimating how much search demand a keyword has — how often users actually search for it.
Read definitionKeyword Ranking
The position your app appears at in the search results for a specific keyword.
Read definitionKeyword Stuffing
Overloading app metadata with repeated or irrelevant keywords in an attempt to game rankings.
Read definition
Long Description (Android)
The main 4,000-character body text on Google Play, indexed for keywords and used to detail features.
Read definitionLong-Tail Keyword
A longer, more specific multi-word search phrase with lower volume but higher intent and lower competition.
Read definitionLow-Competition Keyword
A keyword with a low difficulty score, meaning the apps ranking for it are relatively weak and easier to outrank.
Read definition
Screenshot Optimization
Designing store screenshots to communicate value fast and maximize the install conversion rate.
Read definitionSearch Volume
An estimate of how many times a keyword is searched in an app store over a period, usually monthly.
Read definitionShort Description (Android)
The 80-character summary on Google Play, indexed for keywords and shown prominently above the fold.
Read definitionSubtitle (iOS)
The 30-character line beneath your app name on the App Store, indexed for keywords and used to communicate value.
Read definition
Put the theory to work
Check any keyword's difficulty and search volume, or find low-competition opportunities for your app — free, no credit card.