A

A/B Testing — a method of experimentation where two or more versions of a page element are compared to see which performs better, typically in terms of conversion rate or other key metrics.

Additional Localization — the process of adding extra language support to an app’s App Store page, allowing users to view the page in the language set on their device.

Apple Search Ads (ASA) — a paid advertising tool that promotes apps in the App Store search results. Apps using ASA are displayed at the top of search results, often with a small “ad” label next to their name.

App Page — the page in the app store that showcases an app’s details, including the title, description, icon, screenshots, ratings, and other relevant information. This is where users can learn about the app and download it.

App Store Optimization (ASO) — the process of optimizing mobile apps to improve their visibility and increase conversion rates (views to installs) in app stores like the App Store, Google Play, AppGallery, and others.

App visibility — the extent to which the App Store or Google Play displays the app in search results. This takes intro account the number of indexed queries, as well as how high the app is displayed in the search results.

Application Programming Interface (API) — a set of protocols, tools, and definitions that allow developers to build software applications and enable different systems to communicate with each other. APIs facilitate interactions between software components or services.

ASO audit — a procedure for assessing the quality of app page optimization in a store.

ASO Tools — specialized applications that assist in optimizing keyword research, analyzing app performance, and improving app store visibility. These tools help with tasks like keyword collection, tracking rankings, and evaluating promotional effectiveness.

Attendance — the number of mobile app visitors for a certain period (day, month, etc.).

Autocomplete — when the search bar predicts what you want to type and suggests the end of a phrase or sentence.

B

Branded query — a query including the name (brand) of a company or trademark.

C

Conversion Rate — the proportion of users within a target audience who completed a desired action, such as clicking on an ad or making a purchase.

Conversion to installs — the ratio of users who installed an app to those who viewed the app page.

Conversion to purchase — he ratio of users who installed an app to those who made in-app purchases.

Cost per install (CPI) — the price that the publisher pays for a single install of the app. This is the ratio of the ad campaign budget to the total number of app installs. This metric allows you to assess the effectiveness of ads.

Custom Product Pages — alternative versions of your App Store product page, each showcasing a specific feature or content, such as a particular sport, character, show, or gameplay element.

D

Diacritics — superscript, subscript, or inline symbols. You can find them in Spanish, French, German, and other languages.

Download — a metric indicating that a user has installed the app but has not yet launched it. This metric is excluded when calculating conversion rates.

E

Exact match — (a keyword type) a keyword phrase presented in the text in its original (unchanged) form (including the case, number etc.), that is, in the way users use it in search.

F

Feature — a specific aspect or component of a product with unique characteristics. In the gaming industry, for instance, features may include distinctive character behaviors, a dialogue system, or unexpected plot twists. Features should be engaging and designed to motivate users to interact with the app’s functions.

Featuring — apps selected by editors to be part of a thematic collection in the App Store or on Google Play. Users see these collections on the main app store page. To be included in collections, you need to meet all the requirements of stores and submit an application to the App Store and Google Play editors.

I

Icon — a unique image of the app displayed in the search results and on the device screen.

Impressions — the number of times an app page is shown in the search results.

In-App Events — promotional activities within apps and games showcased on the App Store page or in search results, such as game competitions, movie premieres, live streams, and similar events.

In-App Purchase — the acquisition of additional content or features within App Store apps, such as digital products, subscriptions, or premium content.

Incentive Traffic — paid installs from users who receive a reward for downloading an app via search. This type of traffic is often used to improve an app’s ranking for specific keyword queries or achieve other goals, such as enhancing app ratings or mitigating the impact of negative reviews.

Indexing — an app’s visibility for keywords in Google Play or the App Store. If an app is indexed for a keyword, users can find it using that word.

Install — a metric indicating that a user has downloaded an app and successfully launched it for the first time.

Iteration — a period of time during which hypotheses are tested, results are evaluated, and so on.

Iterations to Maximize Installations — a process of carrying out a series of tasks designed to increase your app’s visibility to relevant users. The goal is to increase the number of relevant search queries for which your app appears in the top 10 results.

K

Keyword Field — a section in the App Store where developers input keywords that describe the app or its functionality. This field is not visible to users.

Keyword Frequency (Traffic) — the number of users who enter a specific search query into the App Store search bar over a given period. It represents the total number of impressions for a keyword query during that time. A higher frequency indicates greater popularity of the query.

Keyword Ranking (Position) — the placement of an app in the search results for a particular keyword.

Keywords — words and phrases that describe the functions of an app. Using keywords, people can find what they need in the app store.

L

Live-Ops — promotions, major updates, and limited-time events offered within an app or game on Google Play.

Localization in ASO — the process of adapting all text on the app page to another language, while considering cultural nuances and search traffic trends.

Long-Tail Keywords — search phrases containing three or more words, typically less popular and attracting lower traffic, but often more specific and targeted.

M

Metadata — the elements of an app page designed to enhance its visibility and optimize conversion. Metadata can be textual or visual. Textual metadata includes the title, subtitle, keywords (App Store), short description (Google Play), promo text (App Store), and app description. Visual metadata includes the icon, screenshots, and video previews.

Metric — a broad term referring to any indicator used in web analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of a specific activity.

Mockup — a full-size model of an unreleased app page design used to demonstrate and evaluate the style.

Monetization — a business model that enables generating consistent revenue from an app through paid subscriptions and advertisements.

N

Negative Keywords — a type of keyword used to prevent ads from being shown for irrelevant words or phrases. They help refine targeting and are commonly used in Apple Search Ads.

O

Optimal Keyword — a keyword that offers the best balance between the number of users searching for it and the number of competitors targeting it within their semantic core.

Organic Traffic — installs from users who discover an app through search, categories, top charts, or similar apps on the App Store or Google Play.

Overspamming — the excessive repetition of a keyword in the app description (Google Play), which can lead to negative effects on app visibility and ranking.

P

Product Page Optimization — a built-in tool in the App Store that allows testing of different graphics and elements on an app page to optimize its performance.

Product Page View (Views) — the total number of visits or transitions to an app’s product page.

R

Ranking — sorting apps based on a query using the relevance rule: the top positions are occupied by the most relevant and reputable apps, and the others are ranked in descending order.

Rejection — a denial of an app publication by the App Store or Google Play moderators.

Relevance — the degree to which a keyword matches the app functionality.

Retention rate — the percentage of users who repeatedly visit an app.

Reviewer — a moderator from the Apple Review Team responsible for evaluating apps to ensure they comply with the App Store Review Guidelines before publication. After the review, the reviewer approves or rejects the app’s publication request.

S

Scope Iteration — the process of carrying out a series of tasks designed to increase the number of search queries for which your app appears.

Search Ads Popularity — a metric within the Search Ads advertising tool that measures the popularity of keywords on a logarithmic scale from 5 to 100.

Search Listing — a list of apps that appears in the search results when a user conducts a search.

Search Result — the apps that users see in the search results, determined by their search query and the keywords associated with the apps.

Search Suggestions — recommended search phrases that appear in the App Store and Google Play when users start typing in the search bar. You can review search suggestions for all queries in your semantic core using tools like Asodesk.

Search Traffic — installs from users who discovered an app through a specific search query in the app store. Search traffic can be either organic or incentive-based.

Semantic Cohort — a group of keywords that are related by meaning and typically target similar topics or themes.

Semantic Core — a collection of keywords for which your app will be promoted in search results. Building a semantic core is a comprehensive and essential process for app optimization.

Semantic Core Narrowing Iteration — a process of performing a set of tasks aimed at improving the ranking of your app for a narrow relevant group of queries that are currently the most lucrative for your app.

Short-tail Keywords — queries consisting of one or two words that people use when searching. Usually, their popularity and traffic volume are higher than those of long-tail keywords.

Similar Apps — a list of theme-related apps based on the internal App Store and Google Play algorithms.

Stop Words — words that the App Store takes into account by default. They have no extra meaning and don’t need to be added to the metadata.

Suggestions — recommended phrases in search offered by the app store when you enter a query in the search bar.

T

Top Charts — lists of the most popular apps at a given time. You can check the top charts for free in Asodesk. In the App Store, you will see lists of paid (Top Paid) and free (Top Free) apps, and in Google Play for cash apps (Top Grossing).

Top Grossing (Trending) — apps that at a given time have generated the most revenue compared to other apps (Google Play). Find an up-to-date list of Top grossing on Asodesk.

Trending Searches — the 4 most popular search queries in the App Store per hour. In Asodesk, you can view trending searches for the desired period for free.

U

Unique User — an individual user who can be identified as distinct based on parameters such as IP address, cookies, registration, or other identifying factors.

User Acquisition (UA) — the process of attracting traffic, typically referring to paid traffic sources aimed at acquiring new users for an app.