> Foundational concepts that underpin all of App Store Optimization. Start here to understand how app stores discover, rank, and surface apps to users.
Fundamental Concepts
- App Store Optimization (ASO)
- Organic Installs
- App Store Search
- App Discovery
- AI Search Visibility — NEW App discoverability in AI-powered search engines (ChatGPT, Google Gemini)
- App Store Browse
- Search Visibility
- Category Ranking
- Top Charts
- Featured Apps
- Editorial Curation
Search Algorithms & Ranking
- Apple Search Algorithm
- Google Play Search Algorithm
- Ranking Factors
- Semantic Intent Ranking — NEW Google Play's 2026 Transformer model understanding user intent beyond keyword matching
- Keyword Relevance
- Keyword Indexing
- Search Result Ranking
- Algorithmic Boost
- Velocity Algorithm
- Download Velocity
- Install Velocity
- Ranking Decay
- Search Ads Intelligence
Indexing & Crawling
- Metadata Indexing
- Keyword Indexing (iOS)
- Description Indexing (Google Play)
- Backlink Indexing (Google Play)
- Re-indexing Cycle
- Index Lag
Optimization Types
- Search Optimization
- Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
- Browse Optimization
- Category Optimization
- Competitive ASO
- Defensive ASO
- Brand ASO
- Growth ASO
Scoring & Relevance
Store Mechanics
- App Store Page
- Product Page
- Store Listing
- Search Result Card
- Impression
- Tap-Through
- Page View
- Install Attribution
- First-Time Download
- Re-download
- Update
Platform-Specific Concepts
Apple App Store
- App Store Connect
- Product Page Optimization (PPO)
- Custom Product Pages (CPP)
- In-App Events
- App Clips
- StoreKit
Google Play Store
- Google Play Console
- Store Listing Experiments
- Custom Store Listings
- LiveOps Cards
- Promotional Content
- Data Safety Section
Amazon Appstore
Dependency Map
graph TD
ASO[App Store Optimization] --> SO[Search Optimization]
ASO --> CRO[Conversion Rate Optimization]
ASO --> BO[Browse Optimization]
SO --> KR[Keyword Relevance]
SO --> KI[Keyword Indexing]
KR --> RSR[Search Result Ranking]
CRO --> PP[Product Page]
CRO --> VA[Visual Assets]
BO --> CR[Category Ranking]
BO --> TC[Top Charts]
DV[Download Velocity] --> CR
DV --> TC
RS[Relevance Score] --> RSR
QS[Quality Score] --> RSR