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Submitting a new version is exciting. It's also the moment most indie developers accidentally leave discoverability on the table. A rushed metadata update, a forgotten subtitle change, or screenshots that still reference an old feature — these small oversights compound over time into a ranking that never quite reaches its potential. This checklist is designed to be run before every release, not just your first one. Treat it like a pre-flight check: boring, methodical, and absolutely worth doing.
1. Revisit Your Title and Subtitle
Your app title (up to 30 characters) and subtitle (also 30 characters) are the highest-weighted fields in Apple's search algorithm. Before each release, ask yourself: have any higher-volume, lower-competition keywords emerged since your last update? Tools like Appolyn let you see keyword search volume directly alongside your current metadata, so you can make this decision with data rather than gut feel. Don't change your title for the sake of it — brand recognition matters — but the subtitle is fair game to iterate on every release cycle.
- Check whether your subtitle still contains your two or three most valuable non-brand keywords.
- Confirm the title reads naturally to a human, not just an algorithm.
- Avoid repeating words between your title and subtitle — Apple ignores duplicates.
2. Audit Your Keyword Field
The 100-character keyword field is invisible to users but heavily indexed by Apple. It's also easy to let go stale. Before each release, run through these quick rules:
- No spaces after commas — every character counts.
- No repetition of words already in your title, subtitle, or category name.
- No competitor brand names — Apple will reject you or ignore the terms.
- Replace any keywords that have consistently driven zero impressions over the past 60 days.
- If you localise into multiple languages, each locale gets its own keyword field — treat them independently, not as direct translations.
3. Confirm Your Screenshots Still Reflect Reality
Screenshots are your storefront window. After several updates, it's common to find that the UI shown in your screenshots differs noticeably from the current app. This creates distrust the moment a user downloads and opens the app. Before each release, open your current screenshots on a device and compare them against the live build. Flag any that show deprecated UI, removed features, or old branding. You don't need to remake all of them every time — even updating the caption text on one or two frames can improve conversion when you're A/B testing via Product Page Optimisation.
4. Check Your Description and What's New Text
Apple doesn't heavily index the long description for search, but users do read it — particularly on iPad or when browsing on a desktop browser. More importantly, the 'What's New' field is read by your existing users deciding whether to update, and by reviewers. Keep it honest and specific. 'Bug fixes and performance improvements' is not a reason to update. Tell users what actually changed, even briefly. For the description itself, make sure the first three lines (visible before 'More') still represent your app's strongest value proposition.
5. Localise Before You Ship, Not After
Most indie developers launch in English and localise 'eventually.' Eventually rarely comes. But markets like Japan, Germany, Brazil, and South Korea have enormous App Store user bases and far less competition for keyword slots in their respective languages. If localisation feels like a mountain, start with just the title, subtitle, and keyword fields in two or three additional languages. Appolyn can generate and publish localised metadata across all your target locales in one go, which removes the main bottleneck — the time cost of doing it manually for each locale.
6. Review and Respond to Recent Reviews
Apple's algorithm takes review velocity and rating into account for ranking. More practically, a recent one-star review with no developer response signals abandonment to potential users. Before you submit, spend five minutes scanning your most recent reviews. Reply to any negatives constructively and thank users who left detailed positives. If a review mentions a bug that your new version fixes, say so — it shows responsiveness and can prompt users to revise their rating.
7. Sanity-Check Your Category and Age Rating
These two fields are easy to set once and forget, but they matter. If your app has evolved — say, a utility app that now includes a social component — your primary and secondary categories may no longer be the best fit. Browse the top charts in adjacent categories to see whether you might rank more easily somewhere else. Similarly, if you've added any content that pushes your age rating up, Apple's review team will catch it and adjust it for you, which can suppress your visibility. Better to self-audit first.
The developers who compound ranking gains over time aren't necessarily the ones who ship the most features. They're the ones who treat every release as an ASO opportunity and actually follow through on it.
8. Set Up or Refresh a Product Page Optimisation Test
If you're not running a Product Page Optimisation (PPO) test, you're leaving Apple's own free A/B testing tool unused. Before each release, check whether your current test (if any) has reached statistical significance. If it has, graduate the winner to your default page and start a new test with fresh creative. If you've never set one up, your next release is the right time to start — even testing one alternative screenshot set will tell you something useful within a few weeks.