ASO in 2024: What Changed in App Store Search Ranking

Both major app stores have shifted weight toward engagement and retention signals over raw keyword density in the past two years, which changes how ASO should actually be practiced. On the Apple App Store, the title field (30 characters) still carries the most keyword weight of any field, followed by the dedicated 100-character keyword field that isn't user-visible but is fully indexed. Subtitle matters for ranking but noticeably less than title — treat it as a secondary keyword slot, not a duplicate of the title. On Google Play, the algorithm now weighs uninstall rate and average session length more heavily than it did two years ago, meaning an app that ranks well for a keyword but gets uninstalled quickly by users who searched that term will see its ranking for that specific term decay over time — the store is inferring that the listing is over-promising relative to the actual app. Both platforms have gotten more aggressive about penalizing keyword stuffing in the description field specifically. A description that reads as a keyword list rather than genuine copy now risks a ranking suppression on both platforms, not just a missed opportunity — this is new since 2023 and catches a lot of older ASO advice off guard. Screenshot and preview video quality has become a stronger indirect ranking factor, not because the store reads image content for keywords, but because better creative assets measurably improve conversion rate, and conversion rate is a direct ranking input on both platforms. An app with mediocre keyword optimization but strong creative regularly outranks the reverse. Practical takeaway: keyword research still matters for title, subtitle, and Apple's keyword field, but the description should read as genuine, benefit-focused copy, and the biggest ranking lever available today is improving the actual retention and conversion metrics of the listing — the keywords get you discovered, but engagement signals now decide whether you keep the ranking.