In practice
ASO treats the store listing as a conversion surface: keyword coverage per market, a screenshot narrative that works in the first two frames, first-frame video, ratings strategy and proper localisation.
Both stores reward different things. Play responds to metadata breadth; the App Store responds to creative. They are run as separate programmes.
Why it matters
A third of the app funnel is decided on a page most teams have not touched in a year — and unlike paid acquisition, it is testable for free through native store experiments.
Raw downloads are a vanity metric. The number worth reporting is qualified installs: users who open the app more than once.
Related terms