aso

What this skill does

# ASO Audit

Analyze App Store and Google Play listings against ASO best practices. Fetches
live listing data, scores metadata, visuals, and ratings, then produces a
prioritized action plan.

## When to Use

- User shares an App Store or Google Play URL
- User asks to audit or optimize an app listing
- User wants to compare their app against competitors
- User asks about app store ranking, visibility, or download conversion

## Before Auditing

**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

## Phase 1 — Identify Store & Fetch

### Detect store type from URL

```
Apple:  apps.apple.com/{country}/app/{name}/id{digits}
Google: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id={package}
```

If the user gives an app name instead of a URL, search the web for:
`site:apps.apple.com "{app name}"` or `site:play.google.com "{app name}"`

### Fetch the listing

Use WebFetch to retrieve the listing page. Extract every available field:

**Apple App Store fields:**

- App name (title) — 30 char limit
- Subtitle — 30 char limit
- Description (long) — not indexed for search, but matters for conversion
- Promotional text — 170 chars, updatable without new release
- Category (primary + secondary)
- Screenshots (count, order, caption text)
- Preview video (presence, duration)
- Rating (average + count)
- Recent reviews (visible ones)
- Price / in-app purchases
- Developer name
- Last updated date
- Version history notes
- Age rating
- Size
- Languages / localizations listed
- In-app events (if any visible)

**Google Play fields:**

- App name (title) — 30 char limit
- Short description — 80 char limit
- Full description — 4,000 char limit, IS indexed for search
- Category + tags
- Feature graphic (presence)
- Screenshots (count, order)
- Preview video (presence)
- Rating (average + count)
- Recent reviews (visible ones)
- Price / in-app purchases
- Developer name
- Last updated date
- What's new text
- Downloads range
- Content rating
- Data safety section
- Languages listed

If WebFetch returns incomplete data (stores render client-side), note gaps and
work with what's available. Ask the user to paste missing fields if critical.

### Visual asset assessment

WebFetch cannot extract screenshot images or caption text. **Take a screenshot
of the listing page** to get visual data:

1. Navigate to the listing URL and capture a full-page screenshot
2. Assess the screenshot for: icon quality, screenshot count, caption text,
   messaging quality, preview video presence, feature graphic (Google Play)
3. If browser tools are unavailable, ask the user to share a screenshot of the
   listing page

**Promotional text (Apple):** This 170-char field appears above the description
but is often indistinguishable from it in scraped HTML. If you cannot confirm
its presence, note this and recommend the user check App Store Connect.

---

## Phase 1.5 — Assess Brand Maturity

Before scoring, classify the app into one of three tiers. This determines how
you interpret "textbook ASO" deviations — a deliberate brand choice by a
household name is not the same as a missed opportunity by an unknown app.

### Tier definitions

| Tier            | Signals                                                                                                                              | Examples                                    |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------- |
| **Dominant**    | Household name, 1M+ ratings, top-10 in category, near-universal brand recognition. Users search by brand name, not generic keywords. | Instagram, Uber, Spotify, WhatsApp, Netflix |
| **Established** | Well-known in their category, 100K+ ratings, strong organic installs, recognized brand but not universally known.                    | Strava, Notion, Duolingo, Cash App, Calm    |
| **Challenger**  | Building awareness, <100K ratings, needs discovery through keywords and ASO tactics. Most apps fall here.                            | Your app, most indie/startup apps           |

### How tier affects scoring

**Dominant apps** get adjusted scoring in these areas:

- **Title:** Brand-only or brand-first titles are valid (score 8+ if brand is the keyword). These apps don't need generic keyword discovery.
- **Description:** Score purely on conversion quality, not keyword presence. If the app is a household name, a well-crafted brand description beats a keyword-stuffed one.
- **Visual Assets:** Lifestyle/brand photography instead of UI demos is a legitimate conversion strategy. No video is acceptable if the product is hard to demo in 30s or brand awareness is near-universal.
- **What's New:** Generic release notes at weekly+ cadence are acceptable (score 8+). At scale, detailed changelogs have minimal ROI and risk backlash.
- **In-app events:** Missing events for utility apps with massive install bases (Uber, WhatsApp) is not a penalty. These apps don't need discovery help.
- **Localization:** Score relative to actual market, not absolute count. A US-only fintech with 2 languages (English + Spanish) is appropriately localized.

**Established apps** get partial adjustment:

- Brand-first titles are fine but should still include 1-2 keywords
- Strategic description choices get benefit of the doubt
- Other dimensions scored normally

**Challenger apps** are scored strictly against textbook ASO best practices — every character, screenshot, and keyword matters.

**Key principle:** Before docking points, ask: "Is this a mistake or a deliberate
choice by a team that has data I don't?" If the app has 1M+ ratings and a
dedicated ASO team, assume their choices are data-informed unless clearly wrong.

---

## Phase 2 — Score Each Dimension

Score each dimension 0-10 using the criteria in `references/scoring-criteria.md`.
Apply the brand maturity tier adjustments from Phase 1.5.

Reference files for platform specs and benchmarks:

- `references/apple-specs.md` — Official Apple character limits, screenshot/video specs, CPP/PPO rules, rejection triggers
- `references/google-play-specs.md` — Official Google Play limits, screenshot specs, Android Vitals thresholds, policies
- `references/benchmarks.md` — Conversion data, rating impact, video lift, screenshot behavior, CPP/event benchmarks

### Dimensions and Weights

| #   | Dimension            | Weight | What It Covers                                                            |
| --- | -------------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1   | Title & Subtitle     | 20%    | Character usage, keyword presence, clarity, brand + keyword balance       |
| 2   | Description          | 15%    | First 3 lines, keyword density (Google), CTA, structure, promotional text |
| 3   | Visual Assets        | 25%    | Screenshot count/quality/messaging, video, icon, feature graphic          |
| 4   | Ratings & Reviews    | 20%    | Average rating, volume, recency, developer responses                      |
| 5   | Metadata & Freshness | 10%    | Category choice, update recency, localization count, data safety          |
| 6   | Conversion Signals   | 10%    | Price positioning, IAP transparency, social proof, download range         |

**Final score** = weighted sum, out of 100.

### Score interpretation

| Score  | Grade | Meaning                                                   |
| ------ | ----- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| 85-100 | A     | Well-optimized; focus on A/B testing and iteration        |
| 70-84  | B     | Good foundation; clear opportunities to improve           |
| 50-69  | C