The ASO audit checklist we use on every Google Play app.
Thirty checks in the order we run them, updated for CTR reporting, Ask Play and Guided Search. Work top to bottom; the early sections usually pay back fastest.
Every engagement starts the same way: thirty checks, in this order, before anyone touches a keyword.
1. Quality and policy
- Android vitals below overall thresholds (1.09% crashes, 0.47% ANRs).
- No phone model above the 8% per-device threshold.
- No policy warnings in the Play Console inbox.
- Metadata free of emojis, ALL CAPS, "#1" or "best" claims and keyword lists.
- Data safety, target audience and content rating accurate; Families rules met if kids are an audience.
- Rating trend: new ratings averaging above your target. See how the rating moves.
2. Conversion
- Store listing CTR baseline by traffic source and country, on the post-July 2026 metric.
- First screenshot states the main benefit in a few words.
- Short description: what it does, for whom, one proof. See our guide.
- Icon tested against the top five competitors on the same search page.
- Feature graphic and video show real use.
- Recent reviews answered, especially the negative ones.
- A store listing experiment running or scheduled.
3. Visibility
- Title (30 characters) carries the brand and the main keyword phrase.
- Main and secondary phrases in the short description and the first lines of the full description.
- Full description written in sentences, covering the features users search for.
- Search terms from Play Console reviewed for terms you rank for but don't target.
- Custom store listings for top intent clusters and key countries.
- Localised listings for the markets that matter; for India see our playbook.
- Category choice checked against where competitors sit.
- Promotional content planned for the next real release.
4. AI discovery
- Description states facts plainly and early: price model, audience, offline, languages. See Ask Play.
- Website and listing agree on name, features and pricing.
- Website readable without JavaScript and open to AI search crawlers.
- MobileApplication structured data on the app's page.
- Release notes that name features, not "bug fixes".
- A monthly prompt panel for Gemini and ChatGPT. See the tracker.
5. Measurement
- Branded vs generic search visitors tracked separately.
- Click-to-install completion rate next to CTR.
- A changelog of every listing change with its date, so movements can be explained.
Want a score instead of a checklist? Our free ASO checker runs twelve weighted checks per store and gives you a ranked fix list. Or ask for a free ASO teardown and we will run the full audit.
Questions people ask
What should an ASO audit include?
App quality and policy, conversion (screenshots, short description, CTR by source), visibility (keywords, custom listings, localisation) and, in 2026, AI discovery through Ask Play, Gemini and the app's website.
How often should I audit my Google Play listing?
Fully once a quarter, and quickly after every major release or Google Play change. Track listing changes in a dated log so you can explain movements.
What should I fix first after an ASO audit?
Quality and policy issues first, then conversion, because the traffic already exists. Keyword and visibility work comes after.
Want this mapped onto your product?
See how our ASO work runs, or send your store link and a founder will reply personally.
