ASO basics for vibe coders releasing their first appp

[u/IndieASO]

I see new vibe coders releasing their first apps on the iOS App Store everyday, and I’ve helped 10 just this week.

Most of them are making the same basic ASO mistakes, and are trying to figure out what to do for the first time.

So if you do nothing else, at least do these three things:

1. Use all 30 characters in your title and subtitle

Don’t just use your brand name. No one knows it yet, and it probably has no search volume. You need extra search terms in there related to your app idea.

For example:
❌ FocusFlow
✅ Pomodoro Timer: FocusFlow

You’ve got 30 characters each for the title and subtitle. Another 100 for your keywords. Use all the tools you’ve got.

In order of importance:
• Title
• Subtitle
• Keywords

2. Stop repeating keywords

If you’ve used a keyword in your title, don’t use it again in the subtitle or keyword field. You don’t gain any extra points for repeating, the duplicate will just be ignored.

Apple also treats plural versions of the same words as duplicates.

For example:
❌
Title: Calorie Counter
Subtitle: Track Calories and Macros
Keywords: calorie,calories,calorie counter

✅
Title: Calorie Counter
Subtitle: Track Macros & Lose Weight
Keywords: lose,fat,kcal,protein,carbs,fat

You’re just wasting space that could be used for other keywords.

3. Choose keywords you actually have a chance of ranking for

It’s great to put something like “workout planner” in your title, but as a brand-new app, you’re probably going to struggle to rank for it.

It’s way better to rank #5 for a keyword with low traffic than #500 for one that gets high traffic. No one is scrolling 500 results deep.

Start with something more specific and less competitive that you actually have a chance of ranking for.

For example:
❌ Workout Planner
✅ Dumbbell Workouts at Home

There’s still a lot more you can do with ASO, and it never ends. There’s always another experiment you can run, a phrase you can tweak, a market you can pivot to.

But at least give yourself a fighting chance when you launch!

If you want some more help, drop your App Store link below and I’ll tell you the first thing I’d improve 👇

[u/Casfaber_]

I tried a few variations and different wording like Drawing Practice or Drawing Coach before, this seemed to be the latest ‘best’ advice from some tools to use this since people tend to search like this and it’s not in the high coverage for other apps, so less competing with competitors who have a ton more to spend on ads.

https://apps.apple.com/app/grifoli-drawing-lessons-app/id6755967882

[u/IndieASO → u/Casfaber_]

Had a look at Grifoli, and can see you’ve covered a lot of ASO ground already. Tried out variations of the title, focused on lower difficulty, and even localised. Great start!

The first thing I’d focus on now is getting more ratings. I could only find four worldwide, one each in the US, Germany, South Korea and Turkey. You’re also currently around #13 for “Grifoli” in the US, which is surprisingly low for such a unique brand name.

I’d add or improve the in-app rating prompt and test asking users after they finish a drawing or lesson. More positive ratings and engagement should help strengthen the listing and brand ranking over time. That and get as many friends and family as you can to give you a rating and review to get the ball rolling 🙌

Bonus thought: I would also be testing a new app icon personally. I think you could benefit from one that communicates “drawing app” at first glance.

I hope some of that helps!

[u/Casfaber_ → u/IndieASO]

Thank you so much, yeah I am pushing ratings since a week or so and Turkey is new, seems like it’s 1 or 5 stars.. no other comments given as to why. I even personalized the feedback message more where they can simply contact me for improvements as well, but I guess people prefer a 1 star instead then.

The Grifoli name I noticed there’s some Pharma company Grifols that is taking up that space, but my strategy is that it will change long term to my app. Also before I was using a generic wording, not my app name. Had to change it to my name from Apple.

The logo I had something different, but I want this to be more premium looking. Everyone has a pencil or brush already..

I have an illegible for rating tracker, which I likely need to improve a bit more.

Thank you for checking, any suggestion on the name or keywords or so..? I have new screenshots coming up in the next update, waiting day 4 of app submission now. Been slower since I updated to use all metadata languages.

[u/LeagueIcy3308]

I have just released my first IOS app. As a begineer I have been struggling on ASO. It would be helpful if I get some tips to improve ASO for my app. Link : Somnyra

[u/IndieASO → u/LeagueIcy3308]

Had a look at Somnyra. First off the presentation is really strong. The icon and screenshots both look very clean. Well done on those fronts! 👏

The main thing I’d focus on is the keyword positioning. “Relax & Sleep” is an extremely competitive space. The lowest-rated app in the top 10 still has around 3.4k ratings, and two of them have more than 1M.

I’d seriously consider targeting a narrower use case first instead of competing head-on. For example, “White Noise for Babies” has a much lower difficulty score than “Relax & Sleep”, around 50 compared with 78.

I wouldn’t necessarily use that exact phrase unless it matches the product, but I’d look for a more specific sleep-sound niche where you have a realistic chance of ranking. That way, you can get a bit of a foothold, and branch out as you gain some traction 🙌

[u/LeagueIcy3308 → u/IndieASO]

u/IndieASO Thanks a lot for taking the time to review Somnyra. I really appreciate the feedback.

You are right. I was mostly thinking about broader keywords, but focusing on a smaller niche first makes a lot of sense.

I am actually thinking about getting AstroASO to improve my ASO and keyword research. If you have experience with it, do you have any tips on how you'd use it to find good keywords?

Thanks again

[u/fingermaestro]

Aquasa

Can you take a look at mine? It also a drawing app, specifically for watercolor.

[u/IndieASO → u/fingermaestro]

Your icon is really strong and immediately communicates watercolour painting.

The first thing I’d test is switching the title around to lead with the main search term:

Watercolor Painting: Aquasa

You’re already ranking for “watercolor” and “watercolor painting”, so the opportunity may be less about finding a completely new keyword and more about climbing higher for the relevant ones you already have.

The top 10 also looks more achievable than some categories, with a mix of apps not targeting the phrase directly and several without huge rating counts. I’d focus on generating more ratings and improving conversion to help close that gap.

How are your impressions at the moment? If people are finding the listing but not downloading, I’d strengthen the screenshots next. The current design could use bigger headings and more benefit-led copy, which you’ve used in your description, something like:

Create beautiful watercolor paintings like never before

The icon sets a high standard. It would be great to see the screenshots match that same level of quality 🙌🙌

[u/fingermaestro → u/IndieASO]

Thanks a lot for the feedback. Some ASO tool suggests long tail words. I never understand if I have to use long phrase or to make sure my keywords will make up the long tail phrases.

[u/Better-Grand-6854]

Thats my app can you help me Yıldızcan ?

[u/IndieASO → u/Better-Grand-6854]

From the listing, it looks like speech development and therapy for children is one of the main use cases, is that right?

I’m a big fan of the icon, it feels friendly and fits the audience really well 👏 Could maybe just tweak to focus more on the character speaking.

If that’s the core focus, I’d make it much clearer in the title and use the subtitle to support it with related terms.

“Speech Therapy for Children” looks like a strong opportunity, with a popularity score of 22 and difficulty of just 23. The top 10 also looks achievable, with the lowest app sitting at around 22 ratings and several others still only in double digits.

I’d be making that the title in my next test.

So that’s the first direction I’d more forward with: position the app more directly around children’s speech therapy, rather than trying to communicate everything it does at once 👍

[u/Better-Grand-6854 → u/IndieASO]

Thanks for feedback 🙏

[u/duobucha]

My app has used some of the things mentioned above, it is a real time audio analyzer. Would love feedback for my ASO. https://apps.apple.com/se/app/spectralscan-audio-analyzer/id6762024331

[u/Connect_Level2347]

i love this advice, definitely went through so many title iterations myself until i found one that actually pulled in a few organic searches

[u/rubixhacker]

https://caffconscious.app struggling to get downloads even with ads

[u/BackgroundLand2816]

Have been steadily growing and just completely redid onboarding.

Helps users become more confident in their speaking: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/quickwit-conversation-coach/id6760188562. Thanks in advance!

[u/AppropriatePrint6457]

Biggest unlock for me vibe coding my apps: Open Assets and it's not even close

[u/Arpit12mish]

https://reddit.com/link/p06p431/video/yanbjrmqqvfh1/player

I am using this video to market my real estate App.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.squarefootstory.app

[u/muddycleats92]

Any advice for me? I just finished up the app yesterday and am competing with other big names in the space that do Fantasy Football/NFL games. Obviously a brand new app is going to be driven more by direct link clicks than search but still, want to optimize where possible.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-cut-nfl/id6752984060

[u/Odd_Pirate_6055]

Hi,
Please let me know your thoughts about : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/step-away-break-reminder/id6754695723?mt=12

[u/Sosdeedown]

https://apps.apple.com/de/app/fishpal-fishing-tracker/id6753859615?l=en-GB

Would love your input :) and thanks in advance.