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TL;DR
ASO consultant Anton (Freeletics) walks through underused 2025 ASO tactics beyond keyword optimization and AB testing: custom product pages / custom store listings, in-app events and Google promotional content, featuring nominations, and win-back offers — most of which take ~15 minutes and punch above their weight. The throughline: visual keyword recognition and conversion signals drive rankings more than metadata stuffing. This source belongs to the app-masters-youtube batch.
Biggest lessons
- Custom product pages / custom store listings are the most underused win. Google Play custom store listings can target specific search terms (math games for kids → math-specific creatives), returning users, or ad campaigns. One client went from $0 to a few thousand dollars just from custom store listings.
- Visual keyword recognition compounds. When a searcher sees their search term (“abs”, “lose weight”) echoed in your creatives or icon, conversion rises — and higher conversion is the signal that lifts rankings. Adding a brand term (e.g. Bitcoin) to an icon repeatedly drove download lifts.
- In-app events + Google promotional content are featuring fuel. They’re indexed (extra search visibility), easy to set up (a few images + sentences), flexible (frame anything as “content update”/“major update”), and Apple/Google often boost them. Google promotional content can even promote discounts (Apple can’t).
- Win-back offers are a rare direct ASO→revenue lever. Easy console setup, no creative needed, and App Store Connect gives a win-back eligibility report so you can measure claims directly.
- Conversion, not keyword placement, is why custom store listings rank. Targeting a keyword and converting well on it signals relevance to the algorithm — ranking follows conversion, not just metadata.
- Benchmarks are weak; compare to your own history. Category benchmarks are too generic (“your best benchmark is how you did yesterday” — Thomas Petit). For new apps focus on impressions, conversion rate by traffic source, and downloads.
Why it matters
- Expands the wiki’s ASO playbook past keyword optimization into store-merchandising tactics (CPPs, in-app events, win-backs) that are high-ROI for small teams.
- Reinforces the cross-batch funnel KPIs (install→paywall→trial→paid) and the niche-keyword strategy for indies.