ASO vs SEO: The Differences Between Website & App Optimization

What’s ASO? In short, ASO is like SEO for app stores. You need App Store Optimization (ASO) to optimize your app listing so that it appears high in searches on Google Play, Apple App Store, and other mobile app stores, such as Samsung Galaxy Store, Amazon App Store, and GetJar, an open-source app store.

With the mobile app market projected to generate +$613 billion in revenue in 2025, working on your app’s ASO can help you gain a slice of the pie in this vast industry, counting 2,098,524 apps on Google Play and 1,901,309 apps on the App Store.

How Is ASO Different From SEO?

ASO, meaning App Store Optimization, is the equivalent of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for optimizing app listings within an app store. Although basic SEO principles also apply to ASO, some require a different approach and specialized implementation.

SEO-ASO Variations In Ranking Algorithms

One fundamental difference is time. What this means is that, when doing ASO, you’ll see much faster results than SEO.

This is mainly because app marketplaces want to offer new, exciting features to their users, so they start pushing new apps higher in search results.

Otherwise, new apps wouldn’t stand much of a chance of outperforming popular competitors, app developers would be less motivated, and users would eventually spend less time on their phones.

On the contrary, SEO takes time. Because Google values quality, it expects websites to ‘prove their worth’ before showing them above established competitors in SERPs - unless they are willing to pay, of course, in Google ads.

In our experience, it takes about 6 to 8 months for your search engine optimization efforts to produce some worth-mentioning results.

But there are more key differences between optimizing a website for search engines and optimizing an app for app stores.

ASO vs SEO: Distinct Target Audiences

ASO targets users searching within app stores. This crowd is looking for specific solutions to a particular problem or need.

For instance, they might search for “photo editor” or “translator.”

As simple as that.

Writing merely one or two keywords in the app store search bar.

App users look for product features and services rather than general information.

For instance, in a Google search, you’d type in: ‘English to French translator’ or ‘search engine optimization French’ (which, by the way, is translated into: optimisation des moteurs de recherche, or OMR).

However, in an app store, you would just write: ‘translate.’ Because you’re looking for a translation app for your tablet or mobile phone.

To accommodate user intent, SEO and ASO serve different needs and thus provide different search suggestions.

Let’s see that in practice. Here’s an SEO/ASO example when searching for the term ‘translate.’

See how search suggestions vary in each medium to better match user intent.

And now, see how results differ.

Although many mobile phone users are searching for service apps in app stores, the most popular type of search is branded searches. Actually, among the top app market keywords, more than ¾ are brands.

In contrast, SEO also deals with long-tail queries, informational searches, and international searches. At the same time, website owners must optimize both technical and on-page website features.

To achieve decent results, SEOs must also try to rank their pages for various search terms related to their industry and offerings.

SEO-ASO Variations In Ranking Factors

Google search considers more than 200 different ranking factors when sorting the results, while ASO algorithms deal with significantly fewer.

But, concerning the ranking factors, there are more core differences between SEO and ASO.

Let’s have a quick look.

App Downloads/Installs In ASO

If you’re optimizing your app listing, remember: The more downloads and engagement, the higher your app’s rankings.

So, you need to work hard to get loads of downloads (from any app store) for your ASO efforts to pay off.

However, when performing SEO, you must strive to get more clicks and lure users to spend more time on your pages.

App Metadata (Keywords) In ASO

In SEO, you need to include your main keyword(s) in your page title and description, as well as in the headers and paragraphs, your image file names and alt tags, and other relevant on-page elements.

ASO doesn’t allow so much room for keywords. You only have a limited number of characters and spots to add keywords that the app store algorithm can read. You must also follow each app store’s specific guidelines.

To get an idea, you have a 30-character limit for the name field in both the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Then, Apple provides another 30 characters for the subtitle that users see in search results and an additional invisible keyword space that can hold up to 100 characters.

On the other hand, Google Play allows 80 characters in a listing’s short description and an extra 4,000 characters in its long description, which users see once they click on an app.

Note that you only need to include each keyword once for the Apple Store.

On the contrary, for best results in the Google Play store (as well as SEO for Google searches), you are urged to repeat your target keywords (without overdoing it, though).

SEO Images & Videos vs ASO Screenshots & App Previews

Although SEO bots scan for keywords, they also consider images and videos as positive ranking signals. A website’s visual content indicates versatility, rich information, quality, and appeal.

Moreover, images appear in image searches, in rich snippets, in image and video results within organic search results, and in many other places on the web.

Similarly, screenshots in your app listings help attract more user clicks and, thus, more downloads. Note that the Apple Store shows three screenshots in search results, while on Android’s Google Play, only a few images may appear in branded searches.

Both app stores, however, present their app listings with images and short videos, but you need to follow specific guidelines for videos on each store.

App Revenue & Retention In ASO

Because app stores take a percentage of an app’s revenue, whether from paid apps or in-app purchases for free apps, an app’s earnings are a key factor in higher rankings in ASO.

Consistent, high income is also a sign of user satisfaction.

Now, high revenue is enhanced by an app’s retention score - another key performance indicator (KPI) in measuring success rate in ASO.

Industry statistics show that most app uninstalls occur a bit after installation. So, if ⅓ of users keep your app installed after downloading it, it’s a sign of high performance. And while global app retention falls to 26% on day 1, it settles at 7% by day 30.

In SEO, user retention counts. If users spend a decent amount of time on your pages, about 2 to 2.5 minutes, this is a very positive signal for the Google algorithm.

It’s worth mentioning here that high dwell time doesn’t necessarily mean better content in SEO. It can be a combination of things, such as more linked content with improved UX/UI. Indeed, “it's a notoriously hard metric to calculate,” claim industry professionals.

Many other factors affecting ASO, such as backlinks, updates, quality, and localization, are also important for SEO, although they are handled differently by search engines.

ASO vs SEO: Which One Is Better For Promoting Your App?

If you wish to monetize your app, you will do much better if you work on both search engine and mobile app optimization, and also run some paid ads. This digital marketing approach ensures maximum visibility across various platforms.

For instance, creating and optimizing a website for your app complements your ASO initiatives, strengthens your credibility, and boosts your message.

So why not partner with the best? Get expert advice from a member of our team at Atropos Digital SEO Agency. Book an SEO strategy call today!