The Ultimate Guide To App Store Optimization For Localized Apps

The Ultimate Guide To App Store 

Optimization For Localized Apps 

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The Ultimate Guide To App Store Optimization For Localized Apps 

Table of Content 

What Is App Store Optimization (ASO)? 4 

1. Know Your Customer 5 

2. Know Your Competition 6 

3. App Localization Is All In A Name 6 

4. And In A Title 7 

IOS/The App Store 8 

Android/Google Play 8 

5. Write A Captivating Description 9 

6. Include Screenshots In Your Description 9 

7. Localize Your Measurements 12 

8. Think Carefully About Your Icon 14 

9. Drive Traffic To Your Listing 15 

10. Get Positive Reviews 15 

The Takeaway 16 



Getting your app noticed on the App Store isn't easy, but we're here to help! From market 

research to app localization, check out the ultimate guide to App Store Optimization for 

localized apps. 

If your company has an app, or your business model is an app, sooner or later you’ll have to 

localize your app for different markets. App localization is not a small task and should definitely 

never be an afterthought. With close to five billion mobile subscribers worldwide predicted by 

2017, it’s pretty clear: 

You’re missing out on a huge slice of the pie if your app isn’t localized for different worldwide 

markets. 

Smartphone users spend around 85% of their time using apps on their phones, rather than 

browsing the net. But your app needs to be extremely well thought out in terms of functionality, 

usability and localization. Competition in this high-growth area is burgeoning daily as everyone 

clamors to join the app party. So, there’s no room for a sloppy foreign market version. 

If you produce time management software, fitness programs, or making white noise for babies, 

you should probably focus on your key business. Call in an expert team for your app 

localization. Once you’ve selected the right partner, App Store Optimization (ASO) needs to be 

factored in from the start. If you want your app to be seen among the millions (actually, 

billions!) of others in the App Store, ignore ASO at your peril. 



What Is App Store Optimization (ASO)? 

As you’ve guessed by now, App Store Optimization (ASO) is a lot like Search Engine Optimization 

(SEO). The main common thread between the two lies in the concept of content optimization. 

You want to make sure that your localized app’s assets are optimized, which basically means 

that you make the most out of them. 

Your app’s content, descriptions, text and images should be primed to gain more visibility. What 

does more visibility lead to? Greater downloads. What do more downloads mean? Bigger sales. 

After all, what’s the point of styling your hair and putting on your best suit if you’re going to stay 

at home? Why waste time and resources designing the perfect app, if it’s going to be the 

wallflower at the party? 

App Store Optimization (ASO) is a way of ensuring that your app meets ranking criteria and rises 

to the top of search results in the App Store or Google Play. If you know that customers are 



looking for a weight loss app and you haven’t included the keywords “weight loss”, you’re going 

to flunk your first ASO class. 

But if you’ve primed your app for iOS and Android in your home country (good for you!), you’ll 

also need to do the same for your localized app. Why? Because they don’t say “weight loss” the 

same way in Colombia, France, or Morocco. Users won’t be searching for the same terms. 

Even if your app is nicely localized to respect cultures, languages and ideology, if you haven’t 

concentrated on international ASO for both platforms, then you’ve failed your second class. It 

might should like a lot of hard work, but if you consider your foreign language clients at all 

times, you’ll maximize your sales and ROI. 

So, if you’re listening and ready to take notes, let’s go! Here’s the ultimate guide to app store 

optimization for localized apps: 

1. Know Your Customer 

Knowing your customer is pretty well covered in Marketing 101, but it’s super important when it 

comes to app localization. After all, if you don’t know and respect your foreign clients’ cultures, 

how can you design an app to meet their needs? A well planned ASO strategy revolves around 

knowing your customers well in their different markets. Which means that if you’re not au fait 

with the lingo used on the streets of Colombo, or the local slang in the gin joints of Paris, you’d 

better start finding out. 

App localization is about so much more than simply translating your texts. You have to discover 

the keywords and search terms that your foreign customers use. You’ll also need to know that 

these vary over countries that speak the same language. The Spanish in Spain isn’t the same as 

the Spanish in Argentina or Peru. The French in France varies greatly from that used in parts of 

northern Africa — and so on. 

Find out how local people speak and how they would describe your app. Then use this vital 

information in your localized descriptions. How you do this will depend on your budget and 

timeframe. It would be pretty awesome to take a sabbatical and travel to the markets you want 

to compete in and carry out firsthand research. 



But if you don’t have the time or your boss won’t write that into your app localization budget, 

you’ll need to work with highly skilled native translators. Put together a team of people who 

know your industry in each place you want to do business. App localization begins and ends 

with your customers, and app store optimization naturally follows that trend. 

2. Know Your Competition 

Another textbook lesson, but an essential one (there’s a reason they’ve written books about it). 

Knowing your competition is essential, especially when it comes to app localization. Not only 

are you competing with other international companies, but you’re also battling it out with local 

apps that are killing it in their home market. Spy on them and find out what keywords they’re 

competing for, how high the competition is for certain search terms, and if you should compete 

for the same ones, or not. 

Sometimes you’ll find that lower competition keywords and secondary categories are the best 

way to compete in app saturated markets. You’ll also need to decide if you want to rank among 

the top ten competition keywords, or in the top place for lower competition words. The key here 

is getting noticed and rising above your competition. Being in ninth place for “weight loss” may 

not be as lucrative for you as being first on “boot camp” (for example.) 

See what colors and images your competitors are using for their icons, so you get an essence of 

what’s working and what isn’t. Also, so that you can design your app’s icon to be original and 

stand out from the crowd. More on that later. 

3. App Localization Is All In A Name 

Choosing the right name for your app is fundamental. Your name will have a huge effect on how 

easily it can be translated and localized for international markets. In some cases, you won’t 

need to translate your name, if your app has an invented or arbitrary name, like “Skype” or 

“Flickr.” But if you choose a generic name for your app, let’s say “weight loss app” – you’ll a 

harder time getting the translation and localization just right. You may decide not to translate 

the name of your app, as you can risk diluting your brand. 



As with so many things in life, less is more, so keep your app’s name short, sweet and to the 

point. You can include your keywords in the app’s title, if your company or app name don’t 

involve a relevant keyword. 

4. And In A Title 

If translating your app’s name is off the table, instead, you’ll need to optimize your app’s 

content and embed keywords in the title. This will give potential users a clearer idea of what 

your app is about and why they should download it. Apps with at least one relevant keyword in 

the title rank 10.3% higher than apps without keywords in the title. 

Take a look at the example below. You can see that apps like Duolingo, Scholly, Udemy, Rosetta 

Stone Ltd, and more, make use of their titles to add in a keyword and describe their app. 

Remember to keep in mind the right length for your title. If you’re familiar with SEO, you’ll know 

all about meta data. The same applies in app store optimization. In the App Store, titles are 

normally truncated (spaces included) at the 23rd character. In Google Play, you have a little 

more room, as truncation occurs after the 30thcharacter. Downloaded on a mobile device, the 

title will be cut off at 11 and 14 characters. The moral of the story? Put all your keywords at the 

front. 



When it comes to foreign characters, avoid them at all costs! Use only URL-friendly characters 

within your title. iOS is particularly sensitive to characters. Sometimes iTunes will refer to your 

app’s numeric ID, if it can’t understand your title or scan for relevant keywords. This will have a 

negative impact on your ASO strategy, so make sure your characters are friendly to both 

platforms. You need to tailor your ASO to each operating system, as they both work differently. 

IOS/The App Store 

It’s important to consider that the App Store has a 100-character keyword field limit. This 

exclusively includes your app’s title and keyword phrases. Taking this into account, when it 

comes to ASO for iOS, you’ll need to make every character count if you want to maximize the 

organic traffic for your app. 

Android/Google Play 

Google Play’s approach to ASO is much more like its approach to SEO, which gives you a lot 

more room for flexibility. Being Google, it scans your entire description and detects the 

keywords within. You have up to 4,000 characters to describe your app, but you’ll still need to 

use them wisely, with the right keyword density. 

Just as with your web copy, keyword stuffing doesn’t pay off. In fact, it’s important to remember 

to write for your customers and not for the algorithm. Keyword stuffing will not get you ranked 

higher and may turn customers away with your repetitive wording. 



5. Write A Captivating Description 

Write a captivating description, but don’t write an essay or a murder-mystery. Remember that 

people have limited time. They don’t want to be left waiting to find out what the best feature of 

your app is. They won’t read chunks of text to get to the twist in the tale. 

So, don’t keep it a secret. Put all your best information up front. Go against all the first date 

advice your Mom gave you and give everything away at once. Even if Google Play scans your 

entire description, that doesn’t mean that your customers will read it. 

Once you have your description optimized and ready, you’ll need to get it translated. But, 

depending on the type of text you need translated, it may be better to work with translators 

who can apply techniques of transcreation. 

Transcreation allows your translators the freedom to take local keywords and search terms and 

come up with a description that is both optimized and appealing to local customers. They will 

still stay faithful to the original, but where certain phrases and idioms can’t be translated world 

for word, they will adapt them for the target audience. 

Using the right translation management software, your programmers will be able to give your 

translators context, so that they won’t be working string by string. This is particularly important 

in app localization, where they need to see screenshots to understand the whole picture easily. 

You can also give your translators a list of keywords to include, to ensure maximum visibility. 

6. Include Screenshots In Your Description 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. There’s no specific equation when it comes to 

App Store Optimization, and your images will not affect your search ranking. However, adding 

screenshots to your description will increase your downloads. Clear and relevant images 

showing how your app works and how user-friendly it is will allow the user to visualize 

themselves using your app. 

Remember the strapped for time issue? People like looking at pictures as they can glean how 

easily they will be able to use your app and if it looks like a fit for them. iOS allows up to five 

screenshots for an iOS app, and Android allows eight, but only your first two or three 



screenshots will be displayed upload page load. This means that you need to put you most 

effective ones first. Some companies decide to use simple screenshots that show how the app 

works, while others combine strong imagery with screenshots. 

Uber and WhatsApp are among the most popular apps downloaded in 2016. In Uber’s 

description for Google Play, they use three carefully chosen screen shots that clearly show how 

their app works. Simple and functional. Notice how the fourth screenshot is cut off on Google 

Play. 



WhatsApp also makes careful use of their clearest screenshots. But, as many people already 

know what WhatsApp is about, they go for a combination of screenshots and imagery for high 

impact. Both descriptions are less than 100 words for the first page and each one is used with 

precision. 

So, always use the screenshots that will be more effective and convey meaning to your 

audience. If you have any updates, this is the place to show them, and also display the pages 

where your users spend most of their time. Don’t just show the slides that you think look 

prettier, as a photo may not be as useful as seeing the app in progress. Try A/B testing with 



different screenshots to see which ones encourage the most downloads. As with everything else 

in app localization, ensure that the screenshots you select are appropriate for each market. 

Have the images and units of measurement correctly displayed, as well as the text translated 

and localized. 

7. Localize Your Measurements 

Many apps include units of measurement. Whether it’s a pregnancy app tracking the size of the 

user’s baby, a fitness app monitoring their progress, or a money app recording spending. You’ll 

need to display measurements and weights the local way. Check out these screenshots for 

Android from Runkeeper, a popular running app. You can see that the English version gives 

distances in miles and the French version uses kilometers, as well as other translated assets. 



An app like Runkeeper, which relies on local maps, has run into some problems with its iOS 

users. Many people believe that Apple Maps are not as accurate as Google Maps and say that 

Runkeeper works better with Google Maps. Sometimes you may find that your app is easier to 

tailor to Android. In other cases, iOS’s XCode and its “base internationalization” feature may be 

your developers’ first choice. 

Obviously, if you want to maximize your sales, you’ll need to develop your app for both Android 

and iOS, especially when it comes to app localization. Some countries, like Japan and South 

Korea have a heavy preference for Android, whereas China is dominated by iOS. So, if you find 



that certain countries are determined to stick with one system over the other, you’ll need to 

figure out how to localize your app for both platforms. 

Remember that, while numbers may be universal, weights and measures, and even date and 

time formats are not. If you want to maximize your number of downloads and improve your 

ASO, you’ll need to make sure that these are all correctly displayed in local units — or your app 

will be deleted before you can say “app localization.” 

8. Think Carefully About Your Icon 

They always say never judge a book by its cover. But, I bet you have once or twice. It’s sad, but 

true. In a world full of visual clutter demanding our attention, your app’s icon will be one of 

many in the App Store. It’s important that it stands out – for the right reasons. 

You should avoid using text in your icon, especially when it comes to app localization. It will 

either not show or display blurry when reduced to iOS and Android sizes. It may also be 

impossible to include translated text in small dimensions with languages that take up more 

space. 



If you’re going to take your app to the middle east, be especially careful about researching the 

appropriateness of your icon. For example, while the “thumbs up” sign may be almost 

universally accepted, in Iran, it’s one of the most offensive gestures you can make. 

The suitability of your app’s icons, as well as originality will improve your ranking, visibility and 

chances of being featured by the App Store or Google Play. Remember that designing your icons 

for both platforms is different. Apple icons have rounded edges, whereas for Android they are 

squared. 

iOS requires icons to be 1024×1024, which will then be reduced to as small as 66×66, depending 

on the device. Android asks for images to be delivered at 512×512, to later be reduced to 

sometimes as small as 22×22. 

Most popular apps have bright, easily distinguishable icons, think WhatsApp, Twitter and 

Facebook. Research your competition and see what colors they are using, so that your app icon 

is easily distinguishable. 

9. Drive Traffic To Your Listing 

Driving traffic to your listing is about taking ASO out of the App Store. If you’re familiar with a 

solid SEO backlink strategy, start doing the same for your listing. Get trustworthy and popular 

sites to review your app and link to it. The more links you get (and traffic you generate), the 

higher your ranking will be. Advertise on social media and invest in PPC. Build a strong online 

presence for your app and try to get it reviewed and adopted by influencers in your industry. 

10. Get Positive Reviews 

The App Store takes reviews into account when adjusting its ranking and positive reviews will 

improve your visibility on both Android and iOS. Many users read app reviews before deciding to 

download them or, at the very least, check the star rating. If yours isn’t good, they won’t bother 

downloading your app in the first place. 

How do you get reviews? Make sure that you consider your user experience at all times. No one 

wants to be bothered with popups the instant they download your app. Not only will they not 



have had the chance to check your app out, but it may encourage them to delete it, rather than 

rate it. It’s better to set a prompt asking for a review a couple of weeks after download. 

You may decide to hold a competition or encourage reviews with free products or incentives. Be 

sure to check the legislation for competitions while researching your app localization strategy. 

Some countries have strict requirements when it comes to these types of promotions. 

The Takeaway 

App store optimization, just like app localization, should be factored in from the very beginning. 

But, if you have a successful app on your hands in your home market, with the right team, 

strategy and ASO techniques, you can make your app a global success. 

Research your customers and competition well in every market you launch. Respect their 

cultures, understand their needs and tailor your strategy to your customers, as well as Android 

and iOS applications. Follow these tips and you’ll soon be outranking even the most popular 

apps. 



phraseapp.com 

sales@phraseapp.com 

+49-40-357-187-76 

Große Theaterstraße 39 

Hamburg, Germany

The Ultimate Guide To App Store Optimization For Localized Apps

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