App Store Screenshots and Metadata: ASO Guide for Startups

Most people never scroll past the first three screenshots in your app store listing. Apple and Google both show a horizontal carousel, and on average, users spend less than 7 seconds deciding whether to download or bounce. That means your first three frames carry roughly 80% of the conversion weight.

This is not speculation. StoreMaven, one of the leading ASO testing platforms, analyzed over 500 million store visitors and found that only 4% of users scroll through the full screenshot gallery. The rest make their decision based on what they see above the fold.

So what goes in those first three slots? Lead with your core value proposition, not your app's login screen or onboarding flow. If you are building a budgeting app, your first screenshot should show the dashboard with a compelling headline like "See exactly where your money goes." The second screenshot should reinforce the promise with a specific feature. The third should address a common objection or highlight a differentiator.

Think of it like a billboard on a highway. You have seconds, not minutes. Every screenshot needs a clear headline (5 to 8 words max), a device frame showing your actual UI, and enough contrast to pop on both light and dark backgrounds. Avoid cramming text into the frame. If someone has to pinch and zoom to read your screenshot, you have already lost them.

One more thing: order matters more than you think. AppTweak data shows that rearranging the same set of screenshots can shift conversion rates by 15% to 25%. Always put your strongest benefit first, not the feature you are most proud of. Users care about outcomes, not your engineering effort.

Apple and Google have different requirements for screenshots, and getting them wrong means your listing either looks terrible or gets rejected outright. Here is the full breakdown so you do not waste time reformatting assets.

Apple App Store Requirements

Apple requires screenshots for every device size you support. At minimum, you need:

• iPhone 6.7" display (1290 x 2796 pixels): Required for all new submissions. This covers iPhone 15 Pro Max and similar devices.
• iPhone 6.5" display (1284 x 2778 pixels): Covers iPhone 14 Plus and older large-screen iPhones.
• iPhone 5.5" display (1242 x 2208 pixels): Still required if you support older devices like iPhone 8 Plus.
• iPad 12.9" display (2048 x 2732 pixels): Required if your app runs on iPad.

You can upload up to 10 screenshots per localization. Apple accepts PNG or JPEG format. If you include an app preview video, it occupies the first slot and your screenshots shift right.

Google Play Requirements

Google is more flexible but has its own constraints:

• Phone screenshots: Minimum 320px on the shortest side, maximum 3840px on the longest. Aspect ratio must be between 16:9 and 9:16. Recommended size is 1080 x 1920 pixels.
• Tablet screenshots: At least one 7-inch and one 10-inch screenshot if you want to appear in tablet search results.
• You can upload up to 8 screenshots per device type per language.

A practical tip: design your screenshots at the largest required size first (Apple's 6.7" display), then scale down for smaller sizes. This saves you from recreating layouts. Tools like Figma and Sketch both support export at multiple resolutions from a single artboard. If you use a dedicated tool like AppLaunchpad or Screenshot Designer Pro, they handle resizing automatically for about $10 to $30 per month.

Do not forget about landscape orientation. If your app works in landscape (games, video apps, productivity tools with split views), include landscape screenshots too. They display differently in the carousel, taking up more horizontal space and drawing attention. For games especially, landscape screenshots convert significantly better because they show more of the gameplay.

App preview videos are one of the most underused assets in store listings. On Apple, videos autoplay silently in the search results. On Google Play, the promotional video appears at the top of your listing with a play button. Both give you a chance to show your app in motion, which static screenshots cannot do.

Apple App Preview Videos

Apple allows up to 3 preview videos per localization, each up to 30 seconds long. The first 3 seconds are critical because they serve as the poster frame in search results. Your video autoplays on mute, so design it to work without audio. Add text overlays and captions to communicate your message visually.

Apple has strict guidelines: you must show actual app footage, not cinematic renders or live-action sequences. Screen recordings with caption overlays are the standard approach. Use transitions between features and keep each scene to 3 to 5 seconds. Anything longer and viewers zone out.

Google Play Promotional Videos

Google uses YouTube links for promotional videos. This gives you more creative freedom since you are not restricted to screen recordings. You can mix app footage with live-action demonstrations, customer testimonials, or animated explainers. The recommended length is 30 seconds to 2 minutes, but shorter consistently outperforms longer.

Keep your YouTube video unlisted (not private) so it only appears through your store listing. Add a compelling custom thumbnail because it serves as the video poster image in your listing.

Video Production Tips

You do not need a $10,000 production budget. Tools like ScreenFlow ($149 one-time) or even iMovie can produce clean app preview videos. Record your app running on a real device, add text overlays in post-production, and layer in subtle background music. The total cost for a solid app preview: $200 to $500 if you handle it in-house, $1,500 to $5,000 from a freelancer, or $5,000 to $15,000 from a specialized ASO agency.

One pattern that works well: open with a bold headline ("Track every dollar in 10 seconds"), show the feature in action for 5 seconds, then transition to the next benefit. Three benefits in 30 seconds. Close with your app icon and a simple "Download Free" call to action. If you are already running a broader ASO strategy, the video should reinforce the same keywords and messaging you use in your metadata.

Your app title is the single most important metadata field for search ranking. Both Apple and Google give heavy weight to keywords in the title. But there is more to it than stuffing keywords into 30 characters.

Crafting Your App Title

On Apple, you get 30 characters. On Google Play, you get 50. Use the format: Brand Name + Primary Keyword. For example, "Mint: Budget Planner & Tracker" beats "Mint" by itself every time. The keyword "budget planner" signals to the algorithm exactly what the app does, and it helps users scanning search results quickly understand your value.

Avoid special characters, excessive capitalization, or keyword stuffing. Apple will reject titles with terms like "#1 Best App" or misleading claims. Google is equally strict. Stick to factual, descriptive keywords that match real search queries.

Subtitle Strategy (Apple) and Short Description (Google)

Apple's subtitle field gives you another 30 characters. This is your second-most-weighted search field. Do not waste it on a tagline that sounds nice but contains no searchable terms. "Your Financial Command Center" sounds cool but nobody searches for "financial command center." Instead, try "Money Manager & Expense Tracker" because those are actual search terms with volume.

Google Play's short description is 80 characters and serves a similar purpose. It appears below your title in search results and carries significant search weight. Front-load your most important keywords. Write for both the algorithm and the human reading it.

The iOS Keyword Field

Apple gives you a hidden 100-character keyword field. This is invisible to users but directly impacts search rankings. Here are the rules for maximizing it:

• Separate terms with commas, no spaces. "budget,tracker,expense,money,finance" not "budget, tracker, expense, money, finance." Those spaces eat into your character count.
• Never repeat words from your title or subtitle. Apple already indexes those. Repeating them wastes precious characters.
• Use singular forms only. Apple matches both singular and plural, so "tracker" covers "trackers" automatically.
• Skip prepositions and articles. Words like "the," "and," "for" waste space.
• Include competitor brand names cautiously. Apple has cracked down on this, but generic terms that competitors rank for are fair game.
• Include common misspellings. If users frequently search "budgit" instead of "budget," include the misspelling.

Tools like AppTweak ($69/month for their starter plan) and Sensor Tower (custom pricing, typically $79+/month) let you see keyword search volume, difficulty scores, and competitor rankings. Investing $70 to $150 per month in keyword intelligence pays for itself many times over when you consider the alternative is guessing.

Your app description serves two different purposes depending on the platform. On Apple, the description does not directly affect search ranking (Apple does not index it for keywords), but it heavily influences conversion. On Google Play, every word in the long description is indexed and affects your search visibility.

Apple App Store Description

Since Apple does not index your description for search, focus entirely on conversion. You have 4,000 characters. The first 3 lines (roughly 170 characters) are visible before the "more" button, so treat them like ad copy. Open with a strong value statement, not "Welcome to [App Name]."

Structure the rest with clear sections. Use line breaks and simple formatting (Apple strips HTML but keeps spacing). Cover these points in order: what the app does, key features with brief descriptions, social proof (press mentions, award wins, user count), and a closing call to action. Keep paragraphs to 2 to 3 sentences. Walls of text kill conversions.

Google Play Long Description

Google indexes the full 4,000-character description, so keyword placement matters here. Aim to include your primary keyword 3 to 5 times naturally. Place it in the first sentence, once in the middle, and once near the end. Google's algorithm treats keyword density similarly to web SEO: natural usage ranks, stuffing gets penalized.

Use bullet points and short paragraphs. Google Play renders basic formatting, so structure your content for readability. Start with a compelling paragraph that includes your primary keyword, follow with feature bullets, and close with social proof and a download prompt.

The "What's New" Section

Both platforms display release notes under a "What's New" heading. Most developers treat this as a changelog. That is a missed opportunity. Your release notes are a chance to re-engage lapsed users and show active users you are investing in the product. Instead of "Bug fixes and performance improvements," try "We rebuilt the dashboard from scratch. It now loads 3x faster and shows your weekly spending trends at a glance."

Specific, benefit-focused release notes also improve your chances of being featured by Apple's editorial team. They look for apps that are actively maintained and clearly communicating improvements to users. If you are worried about getting your update through review smoothly, keep the release notes accurate to what actually changed.

The difference between a 20% conversion rate and a 35% conversion rate on your store listing is enormous. At 10,000 impressions per month, that is 1,500 extra downloads, every month, for free. A/B testing is how you find those gains.

Google Play Store Listing Experiments

Google Play Console includes a built-in A/B testing tool called Store Listing Experiments. It is free and lets you test:

• Graphics: App icon, feature graphic, screenshots, and promo video.
• Text: Short description and long description.

You can run experiments with up to 3 variants against your control. Google splits traffic evenly and shows you statistical significance once enough data accumulates (typically 7 to 14 days for apps with decent traffic). Always test one variable at a time. Testing a new icon and new screenshots simultaneously tells you nothing about which change drove the result.

Apple's Product Page Optimization

Apple introduced Product Page Optimization in iOS 15, allowing you to create up to 35 custom product page variants. You can test:

• Screenshots (different images or different ordering)
• App previews (video content)
• App icon (different designs)

Apple distributes traffic across variants and provides conversion data in App Store Connect. Tests need at least 2,000 impressions per variant for meaningful results, so plan for tests to run 1 to 4 weeks depending on your traffic volume.

What to Test First

If you have never run a store listing experiment, start with screenshots. They have the highest impact on conversion. Specifically, test the order of your first 3 screenshots. After that, test headline copy on your screenshots. Then test your app icon. Save description tests for last since they have the smallest measurable impact.

Third-party tools like StoreMaven ($500+/month) and SplitMetrics ($300+/month) offer more advanced testing features, including the ability to test before you publish changes to the live store. These are worth considering once you have consistent traffic above 50,000 monthly impressions. Below that threshold, the built-in tools from Apple and Google are sufficient, and your money is better spent on acquiring users to test with.

Keep a testing log. Document every experiment: what you tested, the hypothesis, the variants, and the result. After 6 months, you will have a playbook specific to your app and audience that no competitor can replicate. If you are tracking conversion funnels with proper mobile analytics, you can correlate store listing changes with downstream retention and revenue metrics.

Localizing your app store listing is one of the highest-ROI activities in ASO, yet most startups skip it entirely. Apple supports 40 languages. Google Play supports even more. Translating your metadata into just 5 to 10 additional languages can increase downloads by 30% to 80% with relatively minimal effort.

Localization is not the same as translation. A direct word-for-word translation of your English keywords will miss the mark because people in different countries search differently. "Budget app" might be the top keyword in the US, but in Germany, the search term might be "Haushaltsbuch" (household book) rather than the literal translation "Budget-App." You need local keyword research for each market.

What to Localize

• Title and subtitle/short description: Critical. These carry the most search weight and must contain locally relevant keywords.
• Keyword field (iOS): Research keywords in each target language using AppTweak or Sensor Tower, both of which support multilingual keyword research.
• Description: Translate and adapt for cultural context. Humor, idioms, and references that work in English may fall flat elsewhere.
• Screenshots: At minimum, translate the text overlays on your screenshots. Ideally, use culturally relevant imagery. A screenshot showing prices in dollars will feel foreign to users in Japan or Brazil.
• App preview video: Add subtitles in the target language or create separate video versions.

Cost and Timeline

Professional localization for ASO metadata typically costs $50 to $150 per language if you use specialized ASO translation services like OneSky, Lokalise, or Gengo. For screenshots, budget an additional $30 to $80 per language for text overlay updates. A full localization sprint across 10 languages usually takes 2 to 3 weeks and costs $800 to $2,500 total.

Do not rely on machine translation alone. Google Translate has improved dramatically, but ASO keyword research requires understanding local search behavior. A hybrid approach works well: use AI-powered translation for the initial draft, then have a native speaker review and adjust keywords based on local search volume data. The native speaker catches nuances that algorithms miss, like regional slang or platform-specific terminology.

Prioritize your target markets based on where your app category has the most growth potential. Japan, South Korea, Germany, Brazil, and France are consistently high-value markets for most app categories. Start with 3 to 5 languages, measure the impact over 30 to 60 days, and expand from there.

You do not need to guess your way through ASO. The right tools give you data on keyword rankings, competitor strategies, and conversion benchmarks. Here is what the best teams use.

Essential ASO Tools

• AppTweak ($69 to $299/month): Excellent for keyword research, competitor tracking, and ASO audit reports. Their keyword suggestion engine is one of the best in the market. Particularly strong for Apple App Store analysis.
• Sensor Tower ($79+/month, enterprise plans available): Industry standard for market intelligence. Provides download estimates, revenue estimates, keyword rankings, and ad intelligence. If you can only afford one tool, this is a strong choice.
• AppFollow ($25 to $111/month): Best for review monitoring and management at scale. It aggregates reviews across stores, enables team responses, and tracks sentiment over time. Essential once you have more than a few hundred reviews.
• data.ai (formerly App Annie, free tier available): Good for market-level data and competitive intelligence. Their free tier provides basic download and revenue estimates for competitors.
• StoreMaven / SplitMetrics ($300 to $500+/month): Advanced A/B testing platforms that simulate the store experience. Worth it at scale, overkill for early-stage apps.

Conversion Rate Benchmarks

Knowing where you stand requires understanding what "good" looks like. Based on aggregated industry data from Sensor Tower and StoreMaven:

• Apple App Store average conversion rate (impressions to downloads): 25% to 35% for search results, 2% to 8% for browse/featured traffic.
• Google Play average conversion rate: 20% to 30% for search, 1% to 5% for explore traffic.
• Top-performing apps in competitive categories (finance, health, social) hit 35% to 50% from search.
• Below 15% from search signals a serious problem with your listing. Check your screenshots and first impression elements immediately.

Track your conversion rate weekly. Small changes compound over months. A 5% improvement in conversion rate, spread across 12 months of consistent traffic, can mean tens of thousands of additional downloads at zero marginal cost.

Putting It All Together

Here is your action plan: start with keyword research using AppTweak or Sensor Tower. Optimize your title, subtitle, and keyword fields based on actual search volume data. Redesign your first 3 screenshots with clear benefit headlines and real UI. Set up a monthly A/B testing cadence on Google Play. Localize your top-performing listing into 5 additional languages. Then measure everything and iterate.

ASO is not a one-time project. It is an ongoing discipline. The apps that dominate search results revisit their metadata every 4 to 6 weeks, test new creative assets monthly, and expand localization quarterly. If that sounds like a lot of work, it is. But the payoff is a sustainable, compounding growth channel that does not depend on ad budgets.

If you want expert help building an ASO strategy tailored to your app, or if you need a team to handle screenshot design, keyword optimization, and localization from end to end, we work with startups at every stage. Book a free strategy call and we will map out a plan that fits your budget and growth goals.