Is App Store Optimization dead in 2025?

Readwise Summary: App Store Optimization is not dead in 2025 but has changed due to smarter algorithms using AI. To succeed, focus on harmonizing your app metadata around core keywords and use App Store ads to boost new app visibility. New apps face strong suppression for about six months, so ads help bridge the discovery gap until organic downloads grow.

Everybody’s been asking, “Is app store optimization dead in 2025?” And with recent changes to the algorithm, at first glance, it looks like App Store optimization is finished. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. App Store optimization is not only alive, it’s more important than ever. The rules may have changed, but not as much as you think. And a few simple tweaks could mean the difference between your app thriving or disappearing. In this video, I’m going to make the case for why app

store optimization is still alive and more important than ever, and I’ll show you the exact strategy I’m using. It’s my theory that the new app store algorithm partially uses Apple’s new large language models and machine learning models for rankings. So now our job is kind of like prompt engineers to engineer our entire app listing to train the new app store algorithm while also balancing for user conversions. So now all of your app store metadata should be

harmonized to provide context and prompts to train the new app store algorithm. Previously, it looked like the app store algorithm scanned your app metadata, the title, subtitle, keywords, that sort of thing, and then tried to match search queries literally. What mattered most was the exact keyword presence, keyword density, and the strategic placement of your keywords, particularly in the title. It was a really simple process, and in many

instances, you could rank number one by simply having the keyword in your title. Now, I think Apple is using their own LLM to inform the rankings, kind of like a hybrid of the old way and a reinforcement with some AI learning. Now, the algorithm interprets the meaning of keywords rather than the exact keywords themselves. The algorithm just got a little bit more intelligent, and what matters now is semantic relevance. The algorithm can understand context and related phrases. So, a

phrase like learn piano and piano lessons could be recognized as having the same intent. While strategic placement of keywords is still important, especially in the title itself, it’s almost like we’re now providing a context window for the algorithm itself. Instead of focusing on a bunch of keywords, I’m now focusing on one or two core keywords. And then any other data that goes into the metadata is only added to reinforce those keywords. Even the images that I’m

choosing, I’m seeing the imagery displayed has a direct impact on the search phrases my apps are appearing in. A deep dive I did a while ago showed an app of mine with a tropical fish photo actually was ranking for the term tropical fish, and there was no other reference to tropical anywhere in my app or metadata. It’s all about harmonizing every aspect of the app store metadata to revolve around your primary keywords. Everything else just provides context for the App Store algorithm. I’ve got an

entire video showing exactly how I set up my App Store listings. I’ll put a link in the description below. Now, let’s talk about that App Store boost. App Store visibility is being suppressed in new apps. It’s destroying the App Store boost, and you’re just not being seen when you release a new app. The solution is simple. Use App Store ads to bridge the gap. It looks like new apps are having a much harder time being discovered on the app store. Even when you type the name of the app, it just

can’t be found. But this is not actually anything new. Many of my existing apps prior to the June 2025 app store algorithm update followed a similar pattern. If you remove the new App Store Boost from the equation, they got no downloads. 4 months. Check out my fish identifier app released in December 2025. The new app boost got me 177 downloads in a week. And then when the boost was over, I was lucky to get 20 downloads a week. Version 1.0 was just

sitting there on the app store doing nothing. And without any further updates, it started to organically get more downloads. In April, it was getting around about 100 downloads a week. And then in May, that number was well over 200 per week. 6 months from the date of release, it was generating over 300 downloads a week. Then there’s Insect Identifier released at the same time it got 190 downloads on the first week from the new app boost followed by the exact same pattern less than 20 downloads a

week until it started to organically increase with no updates to the app itself still sitting at version 1.0. In April, it got around about 200 downloads a week and it reached its peak around about 548 downloads in June. And then it found its resting place at 200 downloads a week where it’s been sitting ever since. And just in case you’re thinking two isn’t enough, check out my Learn Piano app. Originally released in June 2023, the Boost week got 207 downloads,

followed by many months of barely even getting 20 downloads until June. 6 months later, it started to get around about 40 downloads a week. Fast forward the following June, and it’s getting 200 downloads a week organically, and the app was only updated last week when I relaunched and rebranded as Piano Run, getting 300 downloads. So, it’s clear to me that there has always been some sort of new app suppression where visibility has been limited for around about 6

months of the life cycle. The difference now seems to be the intensity. New apps are suppressed harder than ever. Even when you search for your own app name, you can’t be found. So, if your app does get featured in that search suggestions list and someone does tap it, you just won’t rank. The solution? Target exact match keywords in App Store ads for your app title. I’ve got a whole video on this. Go check it out in the description below. My guess is that this suppression will last around about 6 months. If

correct, we will start to see apps that were released in June start to automatically rank in December. So, watch this space. Is app store optimization dead in 2025? No, it’s just different. Get it right and you can still rely on app store optimization as a cost-effective and powerful way to drive downloads to your app. Think of your app store metadata as the context window for training the App Store algorithm and boost your new app’s visibility using App Store ads.