Localization for app store optimization in short

Treat each locale as its own ASO campaign. Research keywords in the target language instead of translating English ones. Fill every locale's name, subtitle, keyword field, and screenshots together. Use extra locales for added indexation. Compare installs per page view per territory before expanding. One finished locale beats three half-filled ones.

The rest of this guide turns that paragraph into a checklist you can run per locale. It ends with the measurement step that tells you when the next language pays for itself.

Research keywords per locale, never translate them

Translated keywords fail because shoppers in different markets search with different words for the same app. A photo editor that Americans find through background blur might be found in Japan through a term closer to bokeh portrait. German shoppers type longer compound queries that no literal translation of English keywords produces. Start from the target language, not from your English keyword field. List how locals describe the job your app does. Check which terms rival localized listings repeat in titles and subtitles. Build the 100-character field from those observations. Keep brand terms identical across locales, since Apple indexes the name everywhere it appears. Reserve the subtitle for the highest-value local phrase, because those 30 characters carry the most weight after the name. When two candidate terms compete for the last slots, prefer the one rivals use over the one a dictionary suggests; live listings beat theory. This habit alone often beats a full retranslation, since discovery changes while the description stays untouched.

Run this as a 30-minute routine per locale. First, write down 10 ways a local would describe your app's main job, in their words. Second, open the top 5 localized rival listings in that storefront and note repeated title and subtitle terms. Third, draft the name, subtitle, and keyword field as one row, since they share a 30 plus 30 plus 100 character budget of meaning. Our keyword field guide walks the character budget mechanics, and our localization strategy guide shows which locales deserve this routine first.

A translated keyword field keeps your English assumptions. A researched one adopts the market's vocabulary. Only the second one ranks.

Cross-localization buys extra indexation

Here is the part most indie teams miss. Each localization you add is indexed in its own right, so extra locales mean extra chances to match searches, even beyond their home market. Language twins are the cheapest version. Once Brazilian Portuguese ships, European Portuguese reuses most of it. en-GB rides on en-US with spelling tweaks. Each twin adds its own indexed name, subtitle, and keyword field for near-zero work.

  • Add the big market first (pt-BR, es-MX, zh-Hans), then clone the twin (pt-PT, es-ES, zh-Hant) in the same sitting.
  • Give each twin its own keyword research pass, even a short one, because twins diverge in slang and compounds.
  • Do not add locales you cannot keep accurate. A wrong-language page that confuses shoppers converts worse than an honest English fallback.

Our locale list shows every language App Store Connect accepts, so you can plan twins before enabling anything. Keep the count deliberate: 2 or 3 researched locales beat 12 copied ones. One more honest note on scope. Storefronts you never localize keep showing your primary-language page. Untranslated markets still convert through your English screenshots. That fallback is the business case for the next locale, not an excuse to ship twelve thin ones. Fund each new language from the lift of the last, and the catalog grows exactly as fast as it pays.

Screenshots convert the traffic keywords find

Keywords open the door and screenshots close the sale. A Japanese shopper who taps a translated subtitle and lands on English captions bounces. That drags the conversion rate that feeds rank back down. Ship translated captions with every locale, and check imagery for local fit: hand gestures, holidays, and color cues all read differently across markets.

Match caption words to subtitle words so the page feels like one product. When the subtitle promises one-tap invoices in Spanish, the first screenshot should show exactly that, captioned in Spanish. Our screenshot localization guide covers caption translation and size requirements, and our publish walkthrough shows the upload order that avoids review stalls. A concrete example helps: a habit tracker whose English captions read Streaks, Reminders, Widgets should not ship Romaji lookalikes in Japan. Its Japanese captions should use the terms local productivity apps repeat. Render the streak count in a screenshot that shows a full week, since Japanese listings in this category compete on visible continuity. Same app, same features, different proof. When captions mirror the subtitle vocabulary and the imagery mirrors local category norms, installs per view move within weeks.

Measure each storefront before buying more languages

Each locale ends with a read, not a feeling. Open App Store Connect analytics. Split product page views and installs by territory for 4 to 6 weeks after a locale ships. A locale that lifts installs per view earned its cost and argues for a twin. One that trails needs page surgery, usually the subtitle or the first three screenshots, before you fund more languages.

  • Installs per page view per territory: the headline metric for page quality.
  • Search impressions per locale: shows whether the translated keyword field opened discovery you lacked.
  • Views up with installs flat: the art mismatches the words, so fix screenshots first.

Read custom product pages separately when you run them. A CPP inherits default-page fields it does not override, so a weak localized default page leaks into every campaign variant. Our CPP localization guide details the fallback chain. Fix the default locale first, then judge the variant, or you will blame the campaign for a listing problem.

How App Store Localizer ships the ASO pack

App Store Localizer (https://asolocalization.com) builds the per-locale packs this checklist assumes. Paste a public App Store URL and it imports your title, description, icon, and screenshots. It translates the title, subtitle, description, and the 100-character keyword field per target locale. It generates localized keywords from free heuristics over your listing. It re-renders screenshots with translated captions in iPhone 14 Plus 1284x2778 and iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2048x2732 sizes.

Coverage runs to 20-plus target locales. It spans Japanese, Korean, and both Chinese scripts, plus German, French, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese, down to Hindi, Thai, and Vietnamese. Pricing is one-time per listing: Starter at $19.99 covers 3 languages with every available screenshot, and Global at $99.99 covers all supported languages. Two honest limits apply. It handles the store listing only, not interface strings or code. Keyword ideas come from listing heuristics rather than paid search-volume data.

If this checklist sold you on one researched locale, ship it today. Generate the pack this afternoon at https://asolocalization.com, then work the per-locale routine above with every string and screenshot ready to paste.

Frequently asked questions

  • Does translating the keyword field actually change rank? Translation alone rarely does, because translated terms mismatch how locals search. Researching keywords in the target language and rebuilding the 100-character field from rival listings and local phrasing is what moves discovery.
  • Should I add locales when my app interface stays in English? For testing, yes. App Store Connect treats each localization on its own, so a localized listing can point at an English interface. Many indie teams ship this way to validate a market before paying for full interface work.
  • How many locales before ASO gains flatten? Most indie apps see the curve bend after 5 to 8 researched locales, because later markets shrink. Twins stay cheap, so clone them, but stop buying fresh languages when a new locale costs more than it returns.
  • Do twins need their own keyword research? A short pass, yes. Brazilian and European Portuguese share most strings but diverge in slang, and the same holds for Spanish variants and both Chinese scripts. Fifteen minutes per twin beats copying blind.
  • How long before I know a new locale works? Wait 4 to 6 weeks after release, then compare installs per page view in that territory against your primary-language baseline. Data lags and review adds days, so week-one numbers wobble. Judge once, on the calendar.