[Webinar recap] Advanced ASO Strategies for 2026

Key takeaways

• You can add keywords to Arabic or Chinese localizations and they'll work for US searches. Gets you 10x more keyword space.
• Custom product pages let you show different screenshots to different users. CBS Sports got 20% better conversions doing this.
• Google's AI now shows if people uninstall your app a lot. Right on your store listing where everyone can see.
• Getting featured can get you millions of extra impressions. One app got 4 million in two weeks.
• Most app reviews can be automated. One company automated 80% of their responses with templates.
• Apple cares if you use their new features. Tell them when you add their latest stuff to your app.
• Review faster. People forget they left a review if you wait weeks to respond.
• Your crash rates need to be better than similar apps or you won't get featured.

Introduction

We just wrapped up a webinar with Yodel Mobile and AppFollow about what's working in app store optimization right now. Arazoo Kadir and Igor Blinov from Yodel hosted it, with AppFollow’s own Yaroslav Rudnitsky covering featuring, keywords, and review management. Here's what you need to know about getting your app noticed in 2025.

Also, in case you'd like to see the whole webinar, we've got the recording here:

ASO hits the whole funnel now

ASO used to be just about getting downloads. Now it affects everything from first impressions to people using your features.

At the impression level, you're working on brand visibility and search power. How much space are you taking up in the app store compared to competitors? At the install level, you're making sure your positioning beats everyone else's. Your product offering needs to be clear. At activation, you're using stuff like in-app events and promotional content to get people engaged after they download.

ASO can help with acquiring users, getting them to use features, growing revenue, and keeping people engaged.

Getting featured is still worth it

Most people ignore app featuring, but it's free visibility. When Apple or Google features your app, you show up in the Today tab or Apps tab where millions of people browse. One streaming app we looked at got 4 million extra impressions in two weeks just from being featured. That's a 271% increase year over year.

You need to follow a whole process, though. Start by working with your developers. Go into the app store console and check your crash rates, review scores, engagement, retention. Apple gives you benchmarks to compare against similar apps. If your numbers are worse, fix that first. You can't get featured if your app crashes more than others.

Your app store listing needs to follow best practices. Good visual metadata, proper text metadata. Not just high-volume keywords but relevant ones that match your app. Sometimes relevancy beats volume.

Create a story that fits with Apple's goals. They release new features like liquid glass UI/UX? Add it to your app and tell them about it. They want developers using their new stuff because that's how the app store evolves.

Use everything Apple gives you. In-app events, custom product pages. These are signals to Apple that you're trying to provide the best experience. Submit your featuring request at least 3 weeks before your update goes live. Give them time to review it.

If you have awards or social proof, mention those, and localize for your key markets. Localize, don't just translate. Get native experts who know ASO for that market.

The keyword hack that works

You only get 160 characters for keywords in the US app store. That's basically nothing when you think about all the ways people might search for your app.

But here's the thing.

You can add keywords to other language localizations and those keywords still get indexed in the US market. Arabic, Chinese simplified, Chinese traditional, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish. All of these work.

So instead of 160 characters, you get about 10 times more space. You can test way more keywords and figure out what works without waiting for multiple app updates.

Custom product pages are more important than ever

Both Apple and Google let you create different versions of your app store page for different audiences. This is huge for conversion rates.

Google Play lets you change everything. The name, descriptions, screenshots, even your icon. Apple only lets you change screenshots and promo text, but that's still plenty to work with.

The smart move is connecting these to your paid ads. Run Apple Search Ads and you can see exactly which keywords convert well. Then create custom pages with messaging that matches what those specific users are looking for. CBS Sports increased their conversion rate by 20% and signups by 48% doing this.

You can also add deep links to track what happens after install. This helps you find your highest value users and see which sources bring the best ROI. You get insight into how users perform after they install, not just whether they convert.

Apple recently added organic custom product pages too. So now you can target organic search keywords with custom messaging. If people search for a specific feature, show them screenshots of that feature. If they're coming from an influencer link, show that influencer in your screenshots.

AI is changing everything

Google's Gemini AI now summarizes app features and can highlight performance issues right on your store listing. If your app has high uninstall rates, that might show up for users to see. The AI pulls from your text metadata, so you need to think about how machines read your descriptions now.

Google really cares about this stuff now. They want Google Play to look as high quality as the app store. So they're showing Android vitals like crashes, ANRs, startup time, user loss rate. All compared to your peers. If your churn rate is high, Gemini might highlight that on your listing. Imagine users seeing "most people uninstall this app after a few days" before they download. That's going to kill your conversion rate.

Apple's AI focuses on reviews. It creates summaries that show up before the actual user reviews. Since people check reviews before downloading, these AI summaries become super important for conversions.

Use tools like Google's Natural Language Analysis to see how AI interprets your metadata. You want to know what category it thinks your app is and how confident it is about that classification. Structure your descriptions clearly. Use relevant keywords but make sure they match what your app does.

Review management is make or break

Your average rating affects both conversion rates and visibility. The app stores use reviews as their main signal for app quality. But some apps get thousands of reviews per week. You can't respond to everything.

You need a whole system. First priority is featured reviews. The ones that show up prominently on your app page. They directly affect downloads so respond to all of them. Next, look for potentially featured reviews. Usually, longer ones that are really positive or really negative. They might become featured later.

Tag reviews to prioritize them.

Can you fix the problem or not?

• "This app is disgusting" you can't fix.
• "Bug here, here and here, please fix it" you can fix.

Tag them differently and work through them by priority.

Track your results. What's your reply rate? How many reviews go from 1 star to 5 star after you reply? How many go from 5 to 1? You need to know if your strategy works.

One European publisher automated 80% of their review responses. They use tags and templates. Half their reviews get handled automatically. Only the complex ones need humans. The faster you respond, the more likely users update their rating. Wait weeks, and they forget they even left a review.

You can also report and delete some reviews on Google Play. Spam, inappropriate language, that kind of thing. After moderation, they get removed.

Some quick answers from the Q&A

• How long should you run A/B tests? You need about 1000 installs per variant to be confident in your results. Don't A/B test text metadata though. That's for visibility, not conversion.
• Can you target competitor keywords? On Apple, you can use competitor names in the keyword field. Pick competitors that aren't defending their brand heavily. On Google Play, you can't use competitor names directly, but you can analyze their metadata and match their semantic footprint.
• What if your featuring requests keep getting rejected? Try different angles. Focus on seasonal events or new Apple features. Think about what Apple gets from featuring you, not what you get from it.

Afterword

ASO affects everything now.

From getting impressions to keeping users engaged after they download. You need to use all the tools. Custom pages, review automation, AI optimization, and featuring requests.

Users make download decisions in seconds, so every element matters. Your crash rates matter. Your review responses matter. How AI reads your metadata matters too. The apps that succeed will be the ones that use everything the app stores give them.

FAQ

What is the Super Geos keyword hack for the App Store?

You can add keywords to language localizations like Arabic or Chinese and they'll get indexed in the US market. The App Store only gives you 160 characters for keywords in each market. But keywords you add to other languages still work for US searches. So you basically get 10 times more keyword space by using Arabic, Chinese simplified, Dutch, French, and the other supported languages. Add your extra keywords there and they become searchable in the US when your app update goes live.

How do custom product pages improve app conversion rates?

Custom product pages let you show different app store pages to different users. If someone searches for a specific feature, you show screenshots of that feature. If they come from an influencer, you show that influencer in your screenshots. CBS Sports got 20% better conversion rates and 48% more signups doing this. You connect these pages to your Apple Search Ads to see which keywords convert well. Then you make custom pages for keywords that need better messaging. Google Play lets you change everything including the app name and icon. Apple only lets you change screenshots and promo text.

How is AI changing app store optimization?

Google's Gemini AI reads your app description and creates summaries. It also shows performance problems on your listing. If lots of people uninstall your app quickly, that might show up for everyone to see. Apple's AI makes review summaries that appear before the actual reviews. Since people check reviews before downloading, these summaries matter a lot. You need to write descriptions that machines understand. Use Google's Natural Language Analysis to see how AI reads your text. The AI decides what category your app belongs in and how confident it is about that.

Should you respond to all app reviews?

You can't respond to thousands of reviews manually. Focus on featured reviews first since they show up on your app page. Then handle potentially featured ones which are usually long and very positive or negative. Tag reviews by whether you can fix the problem. Track how many reviews improve after you respond.

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