Optimize Apple App Store metadata in store.config.json for ASO (App Store Optimization). Use when working with store.config.json, App Store keywords, titles, subtitles, descriptions, or localizing app metadata. Helps maximize app visibility and downloads.

Apple ASO (App Store Optimization) Optimize App Store metadata following Apple's guidelines and ASO best practices to maximize visibility and downloads. When to Use Creating or editing store.config.json Optimizing App Store keywords Localizing app metadata for new markets Reviewing existing metadata for ASO issues Adding new language localizations Character Limits Field Limit Ranking Weight Indexed Title 30 chars Highest Yes Subtitle 30 chars 2nd highest Yes Keywords 100 chars 3rd (same as subtitle) Yes Description 4,000 chars None No Promo Text 170 chars None No Release Notes 4,000 chars None No Keyword Field Rules Format Critical formatting: Comma separated with NO spaces after commas (saves characters) Spaces allowed within multi word phrases 100 characters total Must Follow 1. Never duplicate words from title/subtitle Apple indexes them automatically 2. Use single words when possible Apple creates combinations automatically 3. No plurals if you have the singular form 4. No special characters @ , , are replaced with spaces 5. No generic terms avoid "app", "game", "free", "best", "new" 6. No competitor names or trademarks 7. No category names already indexed from category selection Should Include Synonyms not in title/subtitle Alternate spellings (with/without accents) Related concepts and features Long tail niche terms Regional variations Action verbs users search for Localization Best Practices Apple App Store Language Codes Language Code Language Code English (US) en US German de DE English (UK) en GB French (France) fr FR English (AU) en AU French (Canada) fr CA Spanish (Spain) es ES Portuguese (Brazil) pt BR Spanish (Mexico) es MX Portuguese (Portugal) pt PT Italian it Dutch nl NL Japanese ja Russian ru Korean ko Chinese Simplified zh Hans Arabic ar SA Chinese Traditional zh Hant Localization Rules 1. Don't just translate Research native search terms 2. Include English keywords in non English locales (users often search in English) 3. Remove diacritics for keywords (users skip accents when typing) 4. Add regional terms Different countries use different words 5. Consider cross localization Apple indexes multiple locales per territory Cross Localization (Free Extra Keywords) Apple indexes keywords from multiple locales per territory: US : English (US) + Spanish (Mexico) UK : English (UK) + English (US) Canada : English (Canada) + French (Canada) Australia : English (AU) + English (UK) This effectively gives you 200 characters in some markets. Optimization Workflow Step 1: Analyze Current Metadata Check for these issues: [ ] Keywords duplicating title/subtitle words [ ] Redundant synonyms (e.g., "kids" and "children") [ ] Generic terms that waste space [ ] Missing regional variants [ ] Unused character space Step 2: Research Keywords Consider: Relevance : Does it describe your app? Volume : Are people searching for it? Competition : Can you realistically rank? Step 3: Optimize Keywords 1. Remove all duplicates from title/subtitle 2. Remove plurals if singular exists 3. Add action verbs users search for 4. Add regional/cultural variants 5. Fill remaining space with related terms 6. Remove diacritics for better matching Step 4: Validate [ ] Title ≤ 30 characters [ ] Subtitle ≤ 30 characters [ ] Keywords ≤ 100 characters (count with no spaces after commas) [ ] No duplicates across fields [ ] No prohibited terms Example: Before & After Before (Poor ASO) Issues: "santa", "call santa", "santa claus" duplicate title "voice call" duplicates subtitle "kids" and "children" are synonyms After (Optimized) Improvements: No duplicates from title/subtitle Regional variant (father christmas for UK) Related terms (rudolph, elves, north pole) Alternate spellings (xmas) Action verb (talk) store.config.json Schema Common Mistakes to Avoid 1. Duplicating keywords across fields Wastes precious character space 2. Direct translation Doesn't account for local search behavior 3. Keyword stuffing in title Hurts readability and conversion 4. Ignoring subtitle Second most important ranking factor 5. Using spaces after commas Wastes ~10% of keyword space 6. Frequent changes Wait 3 4 weeks between keyword updates 7. Including app/game Already indexed from category Resources [Apple Developer: App Store Search](https://developer.apple.com/app store/search/) [EAS Metadata Schema](https://docs.expo.dev/eas/metadata/schema/) Project guidelines: docs/aso guidelines.md Commands

apple-aso