Who is an ASO specialist and why is it advantageous to master this profession in 2023?

App Store Optimization
Mar 22, 2024

We will tell you about a great option for a career change: you can learn how to promote mobile applications in the App Store, and Google Play, and use this skill to find a comfortable IT company job or take on freelance projects.

Join the open ASO & User Acquisition community on Discord - ASO Busters! Here, engage in insider discussions, share insights, and collaborate with ASO and UA experts. Our channels cover the App Store, Google Play, visual ASO, ASA, UAC, Facebook, and TikTok.

No higher education, programming knowledge, or any other specific skills are required to learn how to become an ASO specialist. You only need basic adequacy, a desire to change something in your life, and about three months for classes and practice in your free time outside of your main job.

The salary of an ASO (App Store Optimization) specialist can vary depending on several factors such as the company they work for, their level of experience, location, and specific job responsibilities. According to data from Glassdoor, the average base salary for an ASO specialist in the USA is around $63,000 per year, with salaries ranging from $42,000 to $91,000 per year.  

At the same time, the competition in the job market is not very high. Now we will explain why this unusual situation has arisen in this profession.

Shortly about why the mobile market is the new golden opportunity

For many people in dozens of countries, the phone has become an integral part of life, and the pandemic has only intensified this effect.

Lexi Sydow, Head of Marketing Insights at the analytics company App Annie

People all over the world have adapted to the pandemic by transitioning to a mobile life.

Here is what the annual revenue growth (in billions of dollars) from mobile applications looks like in Statista's research:

The revenue columns before 2022 are facts, while 2023-2025 are predictions.According to Statista, if nothing changes, the mobile app market will reach more than 500 billion by 2023.

Attribute
Value
Format
PNG
Color space
Display P3 (wide-gamut color), sRGB (color), or Gray Gamma 2.2 (grayscale).
See Color Management.
Layers
Flattened with no transparency
Resolution
Shape
Square with no rounded corners
Attribute
Value
Format
PNG
Color space
Display P3 (wide-gamut color), sRGB (color), or Gray Gamma 2.2 (grayscale).
See Color Management.
Layers
Flattened with no transparency
Resolution
Shape
Square with no rounded corners
Word
Frequency in service
Qimai(China)*
AppTweak
Mobileaction
Appfollow
课程 (course)
5387 (high)
56 (mid)
5 (low)
34 (mid)
外语 (foreign language)
5699 (high)
35 (mid)
5 (low)
34(mid)
播放 (play)
5496 (high)
35 (mid)
5 (low)
35 (mid)
*Search index in China provided by Qimai and based on multidimensional calculations such as search results, downloads and relatable keywords.
App Store
Google Play
1. Icon impact on user choice
Important, but not more than a video with screenshots, as they take up most of the screen
Icon is displayed with several other icons in search results, and therefore it has the greatest impact on the user's choice
2. Icon localization
1 icon for all locales
Can be localized for each country
3. Screenshots quantity, orientation
From 1 to 10, any orientation
From 2 to 8, any orientation
4. Screenshots the most important are the ones that are visible before you start scrolling
  • Vertical screenshots: 3 are visible
  • Horizontal screenshots: only the first one is visible
  • Vertical screenshots: 4 are visible
  • Horizontal screenshots: only the first one is visible
5. Screenshots size
Large — the content is legible
Much smaller — the captions are quite illegible
6. Video quantity
Up to 3
One video that must be uploaded to YouTube
7. Video orientation
Any orientation
Horizontal orientation prioritized
8. Video autoplay
Plays automatically for 30 seconds without sound
You need to click on it to play
9. Application cover
Displayed on the application and developer pages
There is no cover
10. Graphics update
After release only
Whenever

But what do ASO specialists have to do with it?

They play a crucial role! Developers upload about 100,000 new apps to Google Play and around 30,000 to the App Store every month.

However, app creators and owners can only earn money from their apps if users find and download them. If an app gets lost among hundreds of thousands of others, there will be no profit.

This is why there is a growing need for people who can promote mobile apps according to relevant user queries on the App Store and Google Play.

For example, if you want to find a fitness app, you go to the App Store and type in "fitness" in the search bar. The apps that appear in the search results didn't just make it there by chance, but rather thanks to a specific person's hard work.

The profession is called "ASO specialist", which stands for "App Store optimization specialist".Initially, app creators who wanted to earn money from their apps were mostly interested in the App Store. According to statistics, iPhone owners spend more money on mobile purchases. But then the name stuck, and today an ASO specialist is a person who promotes apps both within and outside the Apple ecosystem.

Device or context
Icon size
iPhone
60x60 pt (180x180 px @3x)
60x60 pt (120x120 px @2x)
iPad Pro
83.5x83.5 pt (167x167 px @2x)
iPad, iPad mini
76x76 pt (152x152 px @2x)
App Store
1024x1024 pt (1024x1024 px @1x)
Source language
Target language
How much longer (+) or shorter (–) the text in the target language is
English
French
21.18%
English
Spanish
19.52%
English
Italian
17.91%
English
Deutsch
16.67%
English
Dutch
13.80%
English
Portuguese (Portugal)
14.29%
English
Portuguese (Brazil)
12.96%
English
Polish
9.33%
English
Russian
9.11%
English
Czech
3.70%
English
Arab
–6.25%
English
Japanese
–39.68%
English
Korean
–44.04%
English
Chinese (Simplified)
–61.97%
English
Chinese (Traditional)
–63.80%
*Search Ads Popularity (SAP)shows the popularity of the search term from 5 to 99.

Smartphones have been around for over a decade. So why is the profession of an ASO specialist relevant now?

Mobile apps began to dominate only in the last 6-7 years. As shown in Statista's infographic, in 2017, revenue from mobile apps was about $177 billion, while in 2022, it reached $469 billion.Moreover, Apple launched internal app advertising – Apple Search Ads – only in 2016. In other words, the profession of an ASO specialist is just 5-6 years old.

Device
Spotlight icon size
Settings icon size
Notification icon size
iPhone
40x40 pt (120x120 px @3x)
29x29 pt (87x87 px @3x)
38x38 pt (114x114 px @3x)
40x40 pt (80x80 px @2x)
29x29 pt (58x58 px @2x)
38x38 pt (76x76 px @2x)
iPad Pro, iPad, iPad mini
40x40 pt (80x80 px @2x)
29x29 pt (58x58 px @2x)
38x38 pt (76x76 px @2x)
Search term
Translation
SAP* English (U.S.)
SAP* English (U.K.)
truck games
games with trucks
62
39
lorry games
games with trucks
32
jail games
prison games
29
8
prison games
prison games
32
24
*Search Ads Popularity (SAP)shows the popularity of the search term from 5 to 99.
App Store
Google Play
What can be tested?
  • Short description
  • Long description
  • Icon
  • Feature graphics
  • Screenshots
  • Videos
  • Screenshots
  • Videos
  • Icon (has to be uploaded to the build*)
Number of simultaneously running tests
5 tests (each test is valid within a single country.

You can choose a default country test (details below): then it will run in all countries where there are no localized graphical or textual materials.
1 test (the test can be immediately extended to all countries where the application is available or opt for specific countries as needed)
The number of test variants that can be tested with the current version in the store
Compared with a maximum of 3 new variants
Can a test be launched while another item is under review?
Yes
No
Mandatory formats for screenshots uploaded to the store
6.5
  • 6.5
  • 5.5
  • 12.9 (if there is an iPad version)
*Build – is a new version of the application. Updating the icon is only possible when updating the application version in the store. In other words, the term "build" refers to a specific version or variant of the application that is ready to be downloaded and installed on the users' devices. It contains all the necessary files and data for users to install and use the application.
More about optimizing graphic elements in the App Store and Google Play can be found in the article 'Graphics in Mobile App Promotion in the App Store and Google Play (ASO) – How to Optimize Graphic Elements.'

What does an ASO specialist specifically do?

  1. Ensures that the application meets the official requirements of the markets: you can take a look at the rules of the App Store and Google Play.
  2. Studies competitors:
  • Looks at which "locales" (countries and localizations) they operate in, from which countries their applications are downloaded, and where they make purchases. There are special services for this analysis.
  • Looks at the relevant search terms (such as "fitness" or "fairy tales for children") that people enter in the search to promote the applications of competitors.
  • Analyzes the screenshots, icons, and text descriptions of the competitors' applications.

3. Based on the official rules and competitor analysis, the ASO specialist fills out the application card in the market and also prepares technical tasks for other performers.For example, the ASO specialist assigns a task to a designer to create a bright, attractive icon and describes in detail how to do it.

4. When the application card is completed and published in the market, the ASO specialist studies analytics data to see what worked and what did not.Based on this, he compiles a list of hypotheses of "what to fix/improve." For example, he can experiment with the icon to find the most effective option.

All these icons are not drawn for nothing: they are tested multiple times

You can also read about 10 key differences in the graphics of the App Store and Google Play.


The ASO specialist is an application manager who thinks and analyzes how to distinguish the app from a huge number of similar ones.

Device size or platform
Screenshot size
Requirement
Screenshot source
6.5 inch (iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR)
1284 x 2778 pixels (portrait)2778 x 1284 pixels (landscape)1242 x 2688 pixels (portrait)2688 x 1242 pixels (landscape)
Required if app runs on iPhone
Upload 6.5-inch screenshots
5.8 inch (iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone XS, iPhone X)
1170 x 2532 pixels (portrait)2532 x 1170 pixels (landscape)1125 x 2436 pixels (portrait)2436 x 1125 pixels (landscape)1080 x 2340 (portrait)2340 x 1080 (landscape)
Required if app runs on iPhone and 6.5 inch screenshots are not provided
Default: scaled 6.5-inch screenshotsAlternative: upload 5.8-inch screenshots
5.5 inch (iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus)
1242 x 2208 pixels (portrait)2208 x 1242 pixels (landscape)
Required if app runs on iPhone
Upload 5.5-inch screenshots
5.5 inch (iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus)
2048 x 2732 pixels (portrait)2732 x 2048 pixels (landscape)
Required if app runs on iPad
Upload 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation) screenshots
5.5 inch (iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus)
2048 x 2732 pixels (portrait)2732 x 2048 pixels (landscape)
Required if app runs on iPad
Upload 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation) screenshots
Price
Traffic Source (Self Reporting Networks)
Facebook
Google
X (Twitter)
Apple Search Ads
Cohort reports
Impression tracking
Audience segmentation
At extra charge
Custom Dashboards
Custom Reports
At extra charge
Advertisement Cost
DAU/MAU (Stickiness)
Raw Data Export
At extra charge
At extra charge
At extra charge
API Reporting
Search term
Translation
SAP* French
SAP* French (Canada)
soldes
sale
25
5
aubainerie
sale
14
*Search Ads Popularity (SAP)shows the popularity of the search term from 5 to 99.

What skills and qualities does a beginner ASO specialist need?

Maxym Melnyk, team lead of the RadASO agency, shares:

Hard skills – professional skills

Basic knowledge of ASO. What are mobile markets, keyword research, and metadata, and how do the algorithms of App Store and Google Play differ?

Soft skills – personal skills

The ability to identify cause-and-effect relationships. For example, someone released the application with metadata based on keyword research After that, something happened: for example, the positions increased. What did that give?  You need to look more deeply. The mere increase in rankings doesn't say anything. It's important to understand whether the number of installs and mobile app impressions has increased.

The next level is to investigate if the increase in installations has led to an increase in purchases or if there has been a change in conversion rates. It's important to find the causal relationships between these metrics. These relationships can exist anywhere, including non-obvious areas.

For example, when you open the analytics, you may see a sudden spike in numbers, even though there were no updates. This could be due to a celebrity like Britney Spears mentioning the app, which caused the increase in installations.

If causal relationships are not found, you will draw the wrong conclusions and the application will not develop.

High self-learning and self-reliance.
Asking questions is good. But you shouldn't expect someone to constantly check you, refine the semantic core, and so on. Sometimes I see that a specialist could have solved the problem themselves without involving me. Then I ask, "What would you do if I weren't here?"

Creativity.
If specialists work with graphics and are engaged in AB testing, they should be able to formulate hypotheses. For example, a specialist assumes that changing the background from black to white will increase the conversion of the application.

Stress resistance.
When you work on a project, it may happen that things get worse after your work. This can be demotivating and affect work processes. But this is normal: sometimes we make mistakes, and sometimes the algorithm behaves differently than we planned.


English language.
English at least at an intermediate level is already needed for beginners to compose metadata for different localizations. For example, in the App Store, there are 39 localizations.

If the app is intended for the whole world, not just a specific country, we always fill in the metadata and titles in English. That is, we localize for the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. In 90% of cases, the metadata will have to be filled in by an ASO specialist.

We are talking about written English, not spoken communication. A good level of vocabulary is necessary in order to be able to combine keywords in different ways in the same phrase.

Here's what to read about ASO:

  1. The largest Telegram channel and chat is Rad ASO (the channel was created by Radomir Novkovic, who also founded a RadASO agency).
  2. Chat ASO Stack (Phiture).
  3. App Marketing section in Netpeak Journal
Device
Icon size
iPhone
180px × 180px (60pt × 60pt @3x)
120px × 120px (60pt × 60pt @2x)
iPad Pro
167px × 167px (83.5pt × 83.5pt @2x)
iPad, iPad mini
152px × 152px (76pt × 76pt @2x)
App Store
1024px × 1024px (1024pt × 1024pt @1x)
Icon format
PNG
Color models
sRGB or P3 (see "Color Management")
Layouts
Aligned without transparency
Sizes
Shape
Square without rounded corners
All the current requirements for icons are specified in the specification.
Icon format
32-bit PNG (with alpha channel)
Color models
512 х 512 pixels
Layouts
1024 КБ
Sizes
square, without rounding and shadows (Google automatically rounds the corners and adds shadows)
All the current requirements are specified in the specification.

ASO specialist is a highly demanded profession.  This market is young and rapidly growing. To learn the profession, you don't need a higher education degree – it can be done by both a student and an adult who wants to change their profession.

Home
Up