Localization (ASO)
ASO localization is the process of writing separate app metadata (name, subtitle, keyword field) in the local language of each target App Store storefront to capture search demand that English-only metadata misses.
When a user in Germany searches the App Store in German, Apple's search results prioritize apps with German-language metadata. An English-only app will appear in German results only if a German speaker happens to search in English, or if the category has no German-language competition. In practice, English-only metadata leaves most of the German storefront's demand invisible to your app.
The case for localization is quantitative: run the same keyword in the US (English) and Germany (German equivalent) and compare popularity scores and difficulty. If German demand is meaningful and German difficulty is lower than the US, localizing delivers more installs per unit of effort than continuing to optimize English metadata that is already well-optimized.
Localization requires native-speaker input for quality. Machine-translated metadata reads as unnatural to native speakers and will underperform because it doesn't match how locals actually search. The keyword field especially needs to be translated to how local users would phrase their search intent, not how a translation engine renders English keywords.
Starting with a handful of high-priority storefronts rather than all 109 is the practical approach. Localize where the demand-minus-difficulty gap is largest — often markets like Germany, France, Japan, or Brazil depending on your app category.
Frequently asked questions
- Which storefronts are worth localizing into first?
- Compare keyword popularity and difficulty in candidate markets for your core terms. Markets where popularity is above 25 and difficulty is meaningfully lower than your primary market are the highest-ROI targets. For most English-language apps, Germany, France, and Japan are frequent top-3 additions.
- Does localizing one field (e.g., just the keywords) make sense?
- Partial localization helps but underperforms full localization. If you localize the keyword field but not the name and subtitle, users who find your app in a German search see an English name — the mismatch can reduce conversion. Full localization of name + subtitle + keywords gives the best result.
- Can I use the same keywords across all storefronts?
- If your app is English-only and you're only targeting English-speaking storefronts (US, UK, AU, CA, IE, NZ), yes. For non-English storefronts, you need keyword field entries in the local language to capture demand.
Related terms
- App Store StorefrontAn App Store storefront is one country-specific instance of the App Store, each with its own search demand, ranking results, and keyword difficulty — 109 storefronts exist in total.
- Keyword PopularityKeyword popularity is a 0–100 score measuring how often users search for a given term in the App Store, derived from Apple Search Ads demand signals.
- Keyword DifficultyKeyword difficulty is a 0–100 score estimating how hard it is to break into the top-ranking positions for a given App Store keyword, based on the strength of apps currently holding those positions.
Browse the glossary
Put this into practice
Score App Store keywords by popularity and difficulty across 109 storefronts — the numbers behind localization (aso).
Start keyword research