Kickstart

App Store Optimization

Every App Store Optimization post from the Kickstart blog, condensed to its key points – skim the bullets, and read the full article when you want the detail.

How to choose App Store keywords: a complete 7-step pipeline

  • Three core keywords: start with three plain words that nail what your app does, and know which one matters most.
  • Expand the long tail: mind-map synonyms and niche terms until you have 200 to 400 characters of candidates – brainstorm, don’t filter.
  • Harvest autocomplete: type your core words into the App Store on a real device and merge whatever it suggests into your list.
  • Mine your competitors: their names, subtitles, and top-3 rankings are free research, but no tool can read a rival’s hidden keyword field.
  • Set bounds before numbers: decide your popularity floor and difficulty ceiling before you look at any scores, and treat popularity as an ordering signal rather than gospel.
  • Order by intent: nudge ready-to-act searches like “JLPT practice” up the list and curious ones like “travel” down – and never delete a keyword.
  • Pack all 100 characters: commas with no spaces, and no words already in your name or subtitle, no plurals, no trademarks.
Read the full article →

Mac App Store optimization: the definitive guide

  • The missing toolkit: the Mac App Store has no Apple Ads, no A/B testing, no custom product pages, and no in-app events – your levers are metadata, screenshots, reviews, and featuring.
  • Same fields, easier odds: you get the familiar 30-character name, 30-character subtitle, and 100-character keyword fields, but broad terms that are almost impossible on iOS can be winnable on the Mac. (Note: With no Apple Ads there’s no search volume data, so we need to use rankings instead.)
  • The universal purchase catch: your app name and subtitle are shared across both iOS and macOS, so those 60 characters need to earn their keep in both stores. (In comparison, the keyword field, description, and screenshots stay per-platform.)
  • Screenshots are search results: Mac screenshots are 16:10 landscape and appear directly in search results, so upload at 2880×1800 with a huge benefit caption – and if you can’t read it scaled to 25% in Preview, redo it.
  • Featuring replaces ads: file a Featuring Nomination in App Store Connect for every significant release, pitching a specific moment a few weeks before launch – it takes an hour and the downside is zero.
  • The web front door: on the Mac, discovery happens on the open web, so a site that ranks for “[your category] app for Mac”, press, and communities do the job Apple Ads won’t – and notarized direct sales or Setapp are real alternatives to the store.
Read the full article →

10 App Store optimization mistakes you can fix in an afternoon

  • Fill your name field: the app name is the most heavily weighted search text you have, so use all 30 characters, not just your brand.
  • Give your subtitle a job: it’s the second-strongest ranking signal, so add new terms instead of restating the name.
  • Dedupe across fields: Apple pools your name, subtitle, and keywords and only needs each word once – repeats waste slots.
  • Clean the keyword field: single words, commas with no spaces, and no “app”, “free”, brand, or category names.
  • Caption your first screenshot: put one truthful benefit above a framed screen, in type readable at search-result size.
  • Front-load your best screenshots: people decide from the first three in search results, so move your strongest there.
  • Write real release notes: replace “bug fixes and improvements” with two or three specific sentences, leading with the most-requested change.
  • Prompt at the happy moment: call requestReview() after the user has succeeded a couple of times – it shows at most 3 times per 365 days.
  • Reply to bad reviews: replies are public, and the reviewer gets notified of your reply and can update their rating.
  • Run one A/B test: Apple’s product page optimization is free and tests up to three treatments against your current page.
Read the full article →