WHO IS AN ASO SPECIALIST AND WHAT DO THEY DO

According to Apple, about 70% of App Store users use search to find and download new apps. Google Play shows a similar pattern. The more users see an app in the organic search results of a marketplace, the higher the conversion rate, number of paid purchases, and brand recognition..

What is this about?

• Goals and responsibilities of an ASO specialist
• Skills of an ASO expert
• How to become an ASO specialist?
• Conclusion

Goals and responsibilities of an ASO specialist

ASO stands for App Store Optimization. It means promoting mobile apps. Specialists who work on optimizing app listings on the App Store and Google Play are called ASO experts.

This marketing tool and job title came from the App Store because that’s where it all started. At first, mobile app developers focused on promoting their products to iPhone users, as they were known to spend the most money on mobile purchases. Later, the work of ASO specialists expanded. Today, ASO experts also promote apps in Google Play and, in some cases, in other app marketplaces.

Every month, about 100,000 new apps are added to Google Play. For the App Store, this number is at least 30,000. So, competition in the marketplaces is very strong. That’s why smartphone apps need promotion, and business owners and developers hire ASO experts for this.

If you write useful blog articles on your website but don’t use keywords and other SEO elements, the content won’t bring in target traffic or profit. It’s the same with mobile apps: no matter how unique or user-friendly an app is, the target audience won’t find it among the many other apps in the App Store or Google Play.

To help the right users see and download the app more often, specialists promote it using relevant search queries in the App Store and Google Play. For example, if you want to find a fitness app, you go to the App Store and type “fitness” in the search. If you’re looking for a specific type of workout for a goal, the search query will be more specific and less popular (like “yoga for weight loss”)—just like searching on Google.

You’re likely to choose one of the top-listed options in the suggested app store list.

ASO (App Store Optimization) services have become more popular over the past 6–7 years. According to Statista, in 2017, mobile app revenue was around $117 billion, and by 2022 it grew to $496 billion. A major boost to the growth and awareness of this profession came with the launch of Apple Search Ads—Apple’s in-house advertising platform.

What does an ASO specialist do?

1. Even during the development and testing stage, the ASO expert makes sure the app meets the official requirements of the App Store and Google Play. Before being published in the App Store, every app goes through a review process to check if it meets standards for quality, privacy, and data protection. It’s especially important that users are clearly informed in advance about the cost of any purchases or subscription renewals.
2. The ASO expert researches competitors using professional tools—especially checking which keywords similar apps are ranking for. They also analyze the visual and text content shown in competitors’ app listings.
3. They create the app listing in the store. This means following the platform’s rules and using insights from the competitor analysis.
4. Often, the ASO specialist writes technical tasks for other team members involved in creating and promoting the product. For example, they can advise the designer on how the graphic icon for the ad should look.
5. Once the app listing is published in the store, the ASO expert moves on to analyzing the data. They check what worked and what didn’t—and then create a list of hypotheses for increasing reach and conversion.

ASO Manager KPIs

• Improving the app’s visibility
• Increasing conversion—the number of installs on user devices

When conversion goes up, organic traffic also grows. App visibility in search results depends on the title and text description. So, strong ad copywriting skills and the ability to organize the content clearly are very important. The description must include clear information about how the app works, including any free trial period and paid features.

The number of downloads depends on the logo, interface screenshots, and videos—overall, on the visual part.

A company can reduce app promotion costs if the ASO specialist does their job well. That’s why more and more app development companies are opening positions for this role.

It’s great if the specialist understands key marketing concepts and is also an active user of the App Store or Google Play. When preparing a product page for publication, several questions must be answered:

• How many organic installs are there per day, week, and month?
• In which region or country is the number of downloads decreasing?
• Who are the direct competitors and what are their performance metrics?
• For which search queries does the app appear in the rankings, and in what position?

After this analysis, the specialist can decide what’s more important—improving the app’s ranking in search results or increasing the number of downloads. In other words, during different stages of analysis and optimization, it’s important to define where to focus main efforts and resources—on the visual elements or the text content.

Creating a general promotion strategy for the app in mobile stores is an important part of the ASO specialist’s job. They should regularly select and analyze relevant keywords, track rankings, and report on the promotion results.

It’s often said that improving app conversion rates organically is very important. It’s essential to understand what organic traffic means. Organic traffic comes from users who visit the app page after finding it through search results in app stores, recommended apps in the App Store or Google Play, app featuring, and other free sources.

Organic traffic is divided into two types by source:

1. Search—These are visitors who find the app page after entering a search term or keyword in the search tab of the App Store or Google Play. However, in the App Store, Search traffic is also marked as paid (Search Ads).
2. Browse (App Store) or Explore (Google Play)—These visitors come to the app page while exploring Top Charts, Category Charts, Today tab placements, or Featured sections.

ASO is a complex process because it’s aimed at getting maximum visibility both in-store and through search and discovery. A high conversion rate (CVR) helps reduce the cost of paid promotion over time. So, CVR affects both organic and non-organic traffic.

ASO Specialist Skills

Let’s take a closer look at what knowledge and abilities an ASO manager needs. We’ll start with hard skills—technical skills directly related to marketing and smartphone digital products.

• Володіння англійською (upper intermidiate+), часто також знадобиться знання інших мов або досконале вміння користуватися сервісами для якісного перекладу.
• Досвід роботи з пошуком і дослідженням ключових слів.
• Як мінімум базові знання з ASO, розуміння суті роботи мобільних маркетів, відмінностей між алгоритмами App Store і Google Play.
• Розуміння UX-дизайну (дизайну користувацького досвіду).
• Робота з різноманітними інструментами ASO і сервісами звітності та аналітики, включаючи інструменти візуалізації даних.
• Вміння оцінювати результати ASO-апдейтів.
• Знання підходів до індексації у Apple Store та Google Play.
• Уміння проводити A/B тестування, спліт-тестування і ін.

English proficiency (upper-intermediate or higher); often, knowledge of other languages or strong skills in using quality translation services is needed.

Experience in keyword research and analysis.

At least basic knowledge of ASO, an understanding of how app stores work, and the differences between the App Store and Google Play algorithms.

Understanding of UX design (user experience design).

Ability to use various ASO tools and reporting/analytics services, including data visualization tools.

Ability to evaluate the results of ASO updates.

Knowledge of indexing approaches in the Apple Store and Google Play.

Ability to run A/B tests, split tests, and more.

Experience with Apple Search Ads (Apple’s ad platform for mobile apps) and Google UAC (Google Ads’ similar platform) is a strong advantage and sometimes a must. Since app store search results prioritize ads, specialists should know how to properly set up and test them.

Soft skills are personal abilities that affect how well you work with team members and influence the overall success of the project.

• Soft skills are personal abilities that affect how well you work with team members and influence the overall success of the project.
• The ability to clearly explain tasks, create briefs, and write technical requirements.
• Time management and meeting deadlines.
• Communication and presentation skills that help you work well with product managers, designers, and others.
• The ability to do tasks in a complete and structured way.
• The skill to find cause-and-effect relationships, for example, understanding why an app’s position in organic search results suddenly goes up or down.
• A desire for self-development and the ability to search for information independently.
• Creativity and the ability to think outside the box when solving problems.
• The skill to build and test different hypotheses.
• Stress resistance is also important because app store algorithms can act unpredictably, and results are not always satisfying.

An ASO specialist should follow trends in mobile digital marketing and think creatively. Like a marketer, they should understand the brand’s target audience and use the right tone of voice in descriptions and calls to action. Short screenshot captions should include key information but not sound too “dry” or generic.

Appeals to potential application users resemble descriptions on landing pages, where you need to describe important features in a few words and attract the attention of the target audience.

To manage the entire ASO strategy with a full project approach, it’s important to understand the sales funnel and know which stages of the funnel users show interest in the mobile app.

“They also understand how top-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel metrics work, and have some experience running campaigns on platforms like Google.”—“What Does An ASO Specialist Do?”, Stefania Volpe, Freelancermap

The level of user engagement influences how the app page looks and what kind of copy is used. That’s why an ASO specialist can’t work separately from the team. Even if they work remotely, they need deep knowledge of the project, the product’s features, and the target audience’s needs.

Besides the app description, ratings and the number and quality of reviews are also very important for visibility and conversion. You should ask for a rating and review at the right moment—when users have time and are more likely to respond positively to the in-app request. It’s important to ask only users who are actively using the app, meaning they’ve opened it at least twice in the last 7 days.

In most cases, it’s enough to understand how the Apple App Store and Google Play Store work.
However, there are other mobile marketplaces, and knowing how platforms like Huawei AppGallery, Microsoft Store, Samsung Galaxy Apps, Amazon Appstore, etc. work is a big advantage for a job seeker.
Each platform needs its own ASO strategy.

It’s a good idea to start working on ASO before the product launch.
Doing research in advance—especially checking future possible competitors—can help your app reach top search results in the stores faster.

How to Become an ASO Specialist

The salary of an ASO specialist can vary depending on the employer’s country, company size, experience level, location, and specific responsibilities. Right now, job market competition is not high—but this probably won’t last long, as the profession is becoming more popular fast.

In the United States, an ASO specialist earns about $44,000 per year on average. In the United Kingdom, professionals make between £32,500 and £58,500, and in Germany—between €30,000 and €50,000 a year.

For example, on in.indeed.com, some global companies list job openings with salaries from $50,000 to $75,000. However, these positions usually require a strong skill set and several years of experience in mobile app marketing.

A big advantage of this job, like many other jobs in marketing and IT, is the chance to work remotely. ASO freelancers on freelancermap.com earn about $87 per hour on average.

Most universities do not offer a degree in ASO, but a college education in marketing, programming, or digital technologies can be helpful for beginners. Many ASO specialists used to work as marketers, link builders, analysts, SEO experts, web designers, or copywriters. Sometimes business owners get interested in ASO when they want to boost sales for their mobile apps.

You can learn the basics of ASO on your own through educational websites. Also, app store optimization is often part of general mobile marketing courses. Experts say this is actually better because the algorithms of the App Store and Google Play change often, and news about these updates usually shows up first on professional blogs.

The responsibilities of ASO specialists usually go beyond just technical work with mobile apps. They also involve learning about related areas of marketing, such as design and copywriting. To keep growing professionally and learning without spending too much, it’s a good idea to regularly read expert blogs. Here are some recommended sources.

• AppTweak—this website has a wide range of sections. Its app reviews help with competitor analysis and tracking trends. It also covers the important topic of keyword research.
• ASO Stack—a blog by the ASO and consulting agency Phiture. It focuses on promoting mobile products on the App Store.
• SplitMetrics—a platform with useful articles about mobile marketing. It also offers a tool to manage and automate Apple Search Ads.
• TheTool—offers guides, free tools, and eBooks about app store optimization.
• AppMasters YouTube channel by Steve P. Young—includes interesting playlists about profitable app ideas and strategies to grow downloads.
• Apptaminblog—a regularly updated collection of articles about mobile app marketing. It often features expert interviews and video news roundups.
• Mobile Dev Memo aggregator—a site with both free and paid content about different areas of marketing.

It’s a good idea to follow at least a few of these blogs and keep up with top industry experts on social media.

Conclusions

The main goal of an ASO specialist is to improve app visibility in mobile stores and to increase its conversion rate.
Mobile apps in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store are ranked based on several factors. These include user ratings, user experience, number of installs and uninstalls, in-app purchases, and more.
An ASO (App Store Optimization) specialist selects and uses relevant keywords, writes app descriptions, creates screenshots, encourages users to leave positive reviews, and constantly analyzes data. This specialist ensures that the app and its listing meet the platform’s guidelines.
Thanks to ASO, app pages in the App Store and Google Play are optimized. This benefits both developers and users. App page optimization helps users find the content they’re looking for more easily, as search results better match the target audience’s queries. Detailed descriptions and visuals help users understand whether the app meets their needs.

Frequently Asked Questions