A practical, no-budget ASO guide for indie developers: keywords, icon, screenshots, preview video, ratings, and the metrics that tell you what is working.
App Store Optimization is the closest thing indie developers have to free distribution. You do not need an ad budget to rank for the right searches and convert the people who find you. You need a clear, well-executed product page and the patience to iterate. This guide walks through every lever, in priority order.
ASO has two halves
Keep these separate in your head, because they are measured separately. Discovery is getting found: ranking in search and browse. Conversion is turning a page visit into a download. You can win one and lose the other, so track both in App Store Connect.
Discovery: keywords and metadata
- Your app name and subtitle carry the most keyword weight: put your single most important term in the name itself.
- Use the 100-character keyword field fully: no spaces after commas, no repeats, no plurals you already covered.
- Research terms the way a user searches: by problem (“split a bill”) not by feature name (“expense calculator”).
- Localize metadata for your top markets; it is one of the highest-ROI ASO moves and most indies skip it.
Conversion: the visual page
Once someone lands on your page, four assets do the persuading. In rough order of impact:
- The icon: it appears in search before anyone reads a word. Make it simple, distinct, and legible at small sizes.
- The preview video: it autoplays at the top of the page and shows your app in motion. This is your highest-leverage conversion asset.
- The screenshots: captioned, benefit-led, and scannable in a single swipe.
- The subtitle: one line that states the outcome, reinforcing the visuals.
We have written separately on building a preview that converts and on screenshots versus video, both are linked at the end. The short version: lead with motion, support with stills, and keep the message consistent across all four.
Ratings and reviews
Rating is a ranking and a conversion factor at once: a higher average lifts both. Prompt for reviews at a moment of success (a task completed, a goal hit), never on launch or mid-flow. Use Apple’s native review prompt so it counts, and respond to reviews; it signals an active, cared-for app.
Measure, then iterate
App Store Connect’s Product Page Optimization lets you A/B test icons, screenshots, and previews against live traffic. This is the single most underused indie feature. Test one variable at a time, give it enough installs to reach significance, and keep the winner.
- Impressions falling? That is a discovery problem: revisit keywords and metadata.
- Impressions fine but conversion low? That is a page problem: revisit icon, preview, and screenshots.
- Good conversion but poor retention? ASO did its job; the work is now in the product.
ASO is not a one-time setup. It is a loop: ship the page, read the numbers, change one thing, repeat. The compounding is where indies win.
– Sabrina Fraser
A 30-day ASO starter plan
- Week 1: Research keywords, rewrite your name, subtitle, and keyword field.
- Week 2: Redesign the icon if it is weak; produce a fresh set of captioned screenshots.
- Week 3: Record and edit a preview video; export everything at the required dimensions.
- Week 4: Set up a Product Page Optimization test and add a well-timed review prompt.
Do that and you will have a product page most indie apps never reach, and a measurement loop to keep improving it. The tooling is the easy part; the discipline of iterating is what separates the apps that grow from the ones that stall.
Written by
Sabrina Fraser
Product Designer & ASO Specialist
Sabrina designs the frames, motion, and typography that make a 15-second preview feel inevitable. She obsesses over the first three seconds and the last call to action.