I've been doing App Store Optimisation since before Apple called it that. And honestly, the last two years have moved faster than the previous ten.
Apple's custom product pages now rank for keywords in organic search. Google Play still rewards conversion rate above almost everything else. Creative testing is no longer optional. And a growing slice of installs never touch a traditional App Store search at all - people ask ChatGPT or Perplexity which app to download, and the answer shapes their decision before they open the store.
This is how we approach ASO for Australian app teams in 2026.
What ASO actually is (still)
At its core, ASO is still two jobs: get found, then convert the visit into an install.
You improve visibility through keyword research, metadata, category positioning, and increasingly through custom store pages tuned to specific search intents. You improve conversion through icons, screenshots, preview video, social proof, and relentless testing.
When it's working, ASO is usually the cheapest install channel you have. We recently took a finance comparison app from outside the top 200 to #9 in its category on the App Store - mostly through metadata, creative, and Apple Search Ads working off a listing that finally converted. That's the compounding effect ASO is supposed to deliver.
What's new since 2024
Custom product pages with keyword assignment (iOS). Apple now lets you assign keywords from your keyword field to specific custom product pages. When your app ranks for that term, users can see a tailored page - not your default listing. The limit is 70 CPPs per app (doubled from 35 in late 2025). For apps with multiple use cases, this is a genuine ranking and conversion lever, not just a paid-campaign landing page trick.
Richer App Store Connect analytics. Apple's March 2026 analytics expansion added 100+ metrics - cohort retention, proceeds, subscription reporting, and CPP performance broken out by source (organic, Apple Ads, web referrer, and more). You can apply up to seven filters at once. For most teams, the native dashboard now answers questions we used to stitch together from exports and third-party tools.
Product page optimisation is baseline, not bonus. Apple PPO and Google Play store listing experiments still produce 5–25% conversion lifts when run with discipline. In 2026, if you're not testing screenshots quarterly, you're handing installs to competitors who are.
AI discovery is a third surface. Listings still matter for human search. But so does everything around them: your marketing site copy, FAQ pages, structured data, review presence, and how clearly third-party sources describe what your app does. Users increasingly discover apps via AI assistants before they ever type into the App Store. We cover that layer separately as AI app discovery and visibility - think of it as ASO extended beyond the store walls.
What hasn't changed
People still decide in seconds. Your first three screenshots still do most of the selling. A benefit-led headline still beats a feature dump. One well-chosen high-intent keyword still beats ten vague ones.
I've watched teams chase algorithm rumours while ignoring a blurry icon or a screenshot that doesn't explain the payoff/benefit/outcome for the user. The fundamentals haven't changed.
The workflow we run
Every engagement looks slightly different, but the sequence is consistent:
- Keyword and competitor research - AppTweak, AppFollow, manual category scans. We map category-defining terms, long-tail gaps, and what competitors rank for that you don't.
- Metadata build - title, subtitle, keyword set (iOS), short and long descriptions (Android). Write copy that real users understand first, then optimise each store field for how much it affects ranking (title and subtitle carry the most weight).
- Creative production - screenshots (multiple variants), preview video, icon refresh if needed. AI helps us scale variants; a human still directs what the creative is trying to prove.
- CPP and custom listing strategy - where the app has distinct audiences or use cases, we build keyword-mapped pages rather than one-size-fits-all creative.
- Launch, measure, iterate - baseline conversion and rankings, then quarterly refreshes. ASO compounds. Small gains each quarter add up and compound ROI.
If you want the full service breakdown, our App Store Optimisation page walks through what we implement on a typical engagement.
When ASO is the right bet (and when it isn't)
ASO pays off fastest when you have product-market fit and your install conversion is below roughly 30%. It's also the foundation every paid channel sits on - Apple Search Ads, Google App Campaigns, and Meta all perform significantly better when the listing they send traffic to actually converts.
It won't solve a cold-start volume problem overnight. If you need predictable installs this month, paid acquisition has to be in the mix. The best stacks run both: paid for volume and velocity, ASO for efficiency and compounding organic growth.
How does AI visibility fit into ASO in 2026?
Traditional ASO optimises for App Store and Google Play search. In 2026 you also need to know whether AI assistants recommend your app when someone asks "what's the best [category] app in Australia?" That depends on web entity signals - how your app is described across your site, reviews, and third-party sources - not only on store metadata.
We built a self-serve tool for this at 44Degrees (the company behind App Media): the AI App Visibility Check runs your app against 125 highly relevant prompts across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot. It takes a few minutes and shows you where you're visible, where competitors appear instead, and what's missing.
If you're serious about ASO in 2026, run the checker before your next metadata refresh. Fixing store listings while AI assistants recommend your competitors is leaving installs on the table.
If your listing hasn't been touched in six months
Start with keyword research and a honest look at your first three screenshots. Most teams we audit have a 20–40% conversion improvement sitting in creative or positioning they've never tested.
Want us to look at yours? Apply for a free strategy call - I review every application personally.