Frequently asked questions

App store optimization (ASO) is the work of making your app easier to find in an app store's search and more likely to be installed. It centres on the keywords in your title and descriptions, your ratings, your screenshots and icon, and how you rank for the words people search.

Google Play reads your title (30 characters), short description (80) and long description (4,000) for search, and has no hidden keyword field. The App Store reads your title (30), subtitle (30) and a hidden keyword field (100); the description is generally understood not to count for search ranking. So the keyword plan differs, which is why each store gets its own engine in NextASO.

A store's results depend on the country and the language of the search, and they move by a place or two during the day. Choose the same country and language in NextASO as on your phone. A one-place difference is normal.

No. NextASO only needs your app's store link or package name. It works the same for your app and for any competitor's app.

Tracked keywords are checked once a night, and you can re-check on demand. Each check is saved with its date, so rank history and charts build up from the day you start tracking. A keyword has no history from before then.

Google Play is live in 155 countries. Each one has its own language choices, so you can check how your app ranks for a search in Spanish in the United States, or Urdu in Pakistan. Pick the country and the language, and the ranks match what people there see.

Difficulty is how hard a keyword is to win. Chance is how likely your app is to win the keyword. Relevancy is how well the keyword fits your app.

Add competitors, or take the suggestions: apps that appear most often in the top results of your keywords. You then see their rank beside yours for each tracked keyword, the gaps where only they rank, a comparison of their listings and their recent changes.

NextASO keeps a dated history of each app's listing. When the title, descriptions, icon, screenshots or other parts change, you see what changed and when.

Yes. Tracked keywords, keyword ideas, competitor tables and metadata keyword lists download as CSV files that open in Excel.

Yes. NextASO works for Google Play and the App Store. Each store is kept apart: a rank in one store is never mixed with the other.

It is free while in beta. See the pricing page.