The complete Google Play ASO audit checklist (40 checks)
A practical audit you can run on any Google Play listing in an hour: title, descriptions, graphics, ratings, quality, localization and tracking — with what to fix first.
Key takeaways
- Audit in order: policy risks first, then the biggest ranking and conversion levers.
- Title, short description, icon and first screenshots carry most of the weight.
- Check quality signals (vitals, rating) — they can undo good listing work.
- Localize for countries that already send traffic.
- Re-audit every quarter and after major releases.
A listing audit is a structured review of everything that affects how your app ranks and converts on Google Play. Use this checklist on your own app — or a competitor’s — and mark each item pass, fix or not applicable.
Policy and risk (check first)
- No ranking or performance claims in the title, icon or developer name (“#1”, “Best”, “Top”).
- No price or promotion wording in the title (“Free”, “Sale”).
- No emoji, repeated special characters or ALL CAPS in the title unless part of the brand.
- No other brands or trademarks used as keywords.
- No keyword lists or unnatural repetition in descriptions.
- Screenshots show the real app experience.
Title (30 characters)
- Includes your brand.
- Includes your most important keyword phrase, naturally.
- Readable and clear at a glance in search results.
- Doesn’t waste characters on filler words.
Short description (80 characters)
- Says what the app does in plain words.
- Includes a core keyword naturally.
- Names the audience or key benefit.
- Has a differentiator.
Long description (4,000 characters)
- First three lines explain the job, audience and main benefit.
- Important keywords used naturally, with variations.
- Scannable structure: short sections and bullets.
- Practical facts: pricing model, offline support, languages, account requirements.
- Up to date with current features.
Graphics
| Asset | Check |
|---|---|
| Icon | 512 × 512 PNG, simple shape, recognisable at small size, distinct from competitors |
| Feature graphic | 1024 × 500, key content centred, no important text at the edges |
| Screenshots | 4+ at 1080 px or more, first one shows the main benefit, readable captions, tells a story |
| Video | Shows the real app in the first seconds; feature graphic present so it can display |
Ratings, reviews and quality
- Rating trend stable or improving.
- Replies to recent negative reviews, especially after fixes.
- In-app review prompt shown at success moments.
- User-perceived crash rate well below 1.09% and ANR rate well below 0.47%.
- No single popular device above the 8% per-device threshold.
Localization and audiences
- Listings translated for countries that already send meaningful traffic.
- Keywords researched natively in each language.
- Screenshot captions localized.
- Custom store listings considered for important countries or keyword groups.
Measurement
- Target keywords tracked daily in key countries.
- Store listing experiments run on the icon or first screenshot at least once.
- External links tagged with UTM parameters.
- Listing changes and releases annotated.
What to fix first
| Priority | Fix |
|---|---|
| 1 | Policy risks |
| 2 | Quality issues above thresholds |
| 3 | Title and short description |
| 4 | Icon and first three screenshots |
| 5 | Long description structure |
| 6 | Localization and custom listings |
+How often should I audit my listing?
Every quarter, after major releases and whenever rankings or conversion drop without an obvious reason.
+Can I audit a competitor’s listing?
Yes — everything on this list is visible on their public store listing, except their Play Console data.
+What is the most common ASO mistake?
A first screenshot and short description that don’t say clearly what the app does and why it’s better.
Sources
Specifications and figures are as published by Google and the listed sources at the time of writing; check Play Console for the latest.
Practise this lesson on your app.
Track keywords, run the listing audit and see what your changes do — free.