Why is ASO still alive?

ASO keeps getting declared dead.

And yet: search traffic still exists, store listing conversion still moves revenue, and rankings still compound over time.

What did die is the lazy version of ASO:

• stuffing keywords
• shipping “one-time” screenshots
• hoping ratings fix themselves

Modern ASO is closer to product marketing + performance optimization.

Below is a practical view of why ASO is still alive — and what you should actually do this year.

1) The stores still make decisions for users

Apple and Google are recommendation engines. They decide what to show (and in what order) across:

• search results
• browse/category surfaces
• featured modules
• “similar apps” and “you might also like” placements

You don’t control those surfaces, but you can influence them with:

• relevance (metadata + semantics)
• conversion (icon, screenshots, video, copy)
• quality signals (ratings, retention, crashes, uninstall rates)

ASO is the discipline of shaping those inputs on purpose.

2) Privacy made paid UA noisier — ASO became a stabilizer

Attribution got harder. Measurement is slower and less granular. That pushes teams toward channels with:

• durable demand capture (search)
• durable conversion gains (store listing)

A 10–25% improvement in store CVR (common when you fix the basics) makes every channel work better:

• paid (more installs per click)
• organic (more installs per impression)
• referrals/social (better “first impression”)

ASO is still alive because it improves the unit economics of everything else.

3) The biggest lever isn’t ranking — it’s conversion

Teams obsess over rank because it’s visible. But the compounding lever is conversion:

• icon → taps
• screenshots → installs
• first impressions → fewer bounces

If your store listing isn’t doing its job, your growth looks like this:

“We need more traffic.”

When it’s actually:

“We need a page that converts the traffic we already have.”

If you only do one ASO thing this quarter, do this:

Store listing conversion checklist (fast version)

• One clear category promise in screenshot #1 (not a feature list)
• Two proof points (social proof, numbers, outcomes)
• One differentiator (why you over alternatives)
• One strong CTA in the last frame (what to do next)
• Copy that answers “why now?” in the first 2 lines

4) Keywords didn’t disappear — they got smarter

Keyword fields are not a magic trick anymore. The stores are better at semantics, variants, and intent.

So the job changed:

• pick clusters of intent (not single keywords)
• cover the “jobs-to-be-done” your users actually have
• build relevance across the full listing (title/subtitle/description + reviews)

In practice, winning teams run a weekly loop:

1. Monitor rank deltas + impressions (by cluster)
2. Ship metadata changes when a cluster underperforms
3. Validate with CVR so you don’t “win rank” and lose installs

5) ASO is now a system — not a one-off project

The “ASO project” mindset fails because the store changes every week:

• new competitors
• seasonal intent shifts
• algorithm updates
• new features in iOS/Android

So treat ASO like a product surface:

• a weekly cadence
• clear owners
• a simple scorecard

A simple weekly ASO scorecard

Track these every week:

• impressions (search + browse)
• page views
• install conversion rate (CVR)
• top 10 keyword clusters (rank + movement)
• rating average + review volume

If you can’t explain why those moved, you’re not running ASO — you’re watching it.

If you want this done for you

If you want a team to run this system end-to-end, we do ASO at consultmyapp.com:

• https://consultmyapp.com

If you want the workflow + tracking tooling, use APPlyzer:

• https://applyzer.com