How to do basic ASO with AI (prompts + Figma template)
Hi there, it’s Egor. For the past 2 months, I’ve been building mobile apps for both iOS and Android. The thing is, when you’re done with the development part, your app is still only halfway to getting published. Before your app is accepted, you need to deal with titles, subtitles, descriptions, and other annoying stuff. So today, I want to tell you about ASO and how I tried to save time and speed it up using LLMs.
Take a look at my apps in the stores to see the results I’ve got:
- Prompt Forge (iOS) — teaches you how to code with AI
- Space Academy: Quiz (iOS/Android) — interesting facts about space in a quiz format
- Feedback Loop: Interview Prep (iOS) — to prepare for job interviews (AI product management)
- Giggle Ohms: Resisting Boredom (iOS/Android) — AI-generated jokes for hardware engineers (btw, I wrote an article about what I went through to make AI jokes)
What is ASO and why you need it
ASO stands for App Store Optimization. Despite the term ‘App Store,’ modern specialists are also skilled in Google Play optimization. Essentially, it involves presenting your application and its page in the store, but it’s also a valuable marketing channel. This field has been growing over the past 6–7 years because it’s one of the few ways you can get free traffic to your app. Similar to search engine optimization, ASO focuses on ranking based on keywords to attract free traffic. Additionally, stores have recommendation sections where your app might get featured, depending on the quality of your app and its presentation.
ASO can be divided into essential (without which your app cannot be published + filling metadata for potential traffic) and optional (setting up Live Events, applying for featuring, A/B testing app names or screenshot appearances, managing app reviews, and improving ratings).
Basic ASO consists of a few steps:
- Keyword research
- Filling metadata based on step 1 (Title, Subtitle, Description, Keywords)
- Creating appealing app screenshots and icon
Even these three steps can be time-consuming, taking a couple of days. Therefore, for my apps (I have four at the moment), I tried to speed up this process and find suitable prompts. So let’s go through the steps!
Keyword research
This step involves:
- Identifying relevant keywords that potential users might use to search for your app.
- Using tools and analytics to find high-traffic and low-competition keywords (in services, this is called popularity/frequency (queries per day) and competitiveness/difficulty). I used free trials of ASOmobile or ASOdesk.
For keyword research, you can use this prompt:
You are a search marketer tasked with finding the best keywords to get visibility for a mobile app. Mobile app marketing is very similar to website marketing (SEO), and you have that experience as well.
Please give me 10 keywords that are related and relevant, but do not repeat the topic [topic], and explain why each of the keywords is relevant to the topic in a sentence.
Prompts to create the title and subtitle
Use this prompt to create the title:
I am creating a [app category] app for [describe persona].
Create an ASO-optimized, unique app name under 30 characters long. Use the following combinations: [brand name & single keyword], [brand name: keywords and phrases, condense words and phrases], or create a completely new word. Use the following list of keywords [paste keyword list].
Use this prompt to create the subtitle:
I am creating a [app category] app for [describe persona].
Using the name [app name], generate [X number] of App Store subtitles under 30 characters.
Description
You can create a description using this prompt (for Google Play, but you can adapt it for the App Store):
Here is the short description for [competitor name]: [its short description].
Google allows us to use up to 80 characters in the short description.
Could you use all the below keywords in the short description and give me 3 variations: [keyword 1], [keyword 2], [keyword 3].
Additionally, ChatGPT has an agent that helps with ASO, which you can use to create metadata for your app: App Store ASO helper.
Creating screenshots with captions
App Store and Google Play have strict guidelines for screenshots, so I made a free Figma template that you can copy and use to quickly create screenshots. I recommend adding calls to action — they will look better. Everything is precise to the pixel, with 2 versions for the App Store and 1 version for Google Play (just be sure to export in JPG!).
To create captions for your screenshots, use this prompt:
You are an ASO specialist and your task is to come up with 3 calls to action for <my app>, below is its description:
<my app>
APP DESCRIPTION
</my app>
Come up with 3 calls to actions for App Store screenshots that complement the interface screenshots.
These calls to actions MUST be short but to the point.
Here is an example of such calls to actions for two other apps of mine, you can take it as a <reference>:
<reference>
1. Interview preparation app for product managers
Get instant feedback
Adjust your level
Boost your confidence
2. An app with memes on hardware engineering
Get smart, have fun
Explore electronics
Share with friends
</reference>
Localization
In my apps, I also enable several new regions for cross-localization. How does this work?
Localization is not just about adding translations of screenshots and descriptions into Spanish, German, or Chinese. Often, this is a “nice to have,” but not a “must have.”
For me, localization primarily enhances the ability to cover different keywords. If your app targets the US market, you can open Spanish and Portuguese localizations to create three different app names, all of which will be indexed together. This is called cross-localization and helps expand your indexing for other keywords you couldn’t fit into the primary title or description. Below, you can see a table with cross-localizations for the US.
Additional optimization
If you’ve done basic ASO and have free time, you can consider interesting features that will help strengthen your app’s position:
- In-app Events in the App Store or Google Play LiveOps: If you added a cool feature to your app or made some significant changes, you can create a nice looking “event” to increase conversion rates. It’s free and quite simple to set up in App Store Connect (but this event also needs to pass moderation).
- Campaign Links: The App Store allows you to create custom links for your app if you’re doing a promo and want to track how many users downloaded the app via each link (but note that your app needs to be installed by at least 5 individual Apple IDs).
- App Store Featuring: You can promote mobile apps and games in thematic collections in the App Store. You see these collections on the main screen when you enter the App Store. To get featured, you need to apply. The devil is in the details; it’s crucial to write a compelling story about your app to “sell” it to the App Store editors. The response time from Apple is quite long, but it’s worth trying.
Hope this helps. If you’ve found some other effective ways of promotion in stores, feel free to share! Will be happy to read your comments.
