Reference library · Glossary
The App Store Optimization glossary
Short, exact definitions of the metrics and fields that decide how an iOS app is found and chosen on the App Store. Each entry quotes Apple's own definition where one exists, adds a worked example with real numbers, and lists the mistakes people make reading it.
- Pages
- 2
- Last checked
- Sep 30, 2026
App Store Connect uses ordinary words — impressions, conversion, promotional — in very specific ways. Reading them the everyday way leads to bad decisions: optimizing a field Apple doesn't index, or panicking about a conversion rate that's calculated differently from the one your tool shows.
Entries are deliberately short at the top (a definition you can quote) and practical underneath (how to find it, how to move it). Start with impressions if you're diagnosing a traffic problem, or promotional text if you want a change live today.
In this library
More added weekly
- App Store impressionsApp Store impressions: what Apple counts, and how to read the numberThe top of every iOS app's funnel. Reading it wrong sends you to fix the listing when the problem is ranking, or the reverse.4 min · updated Sep 30, 2026
- Promotional textPromotional text: the 170 characters you can change without a new versionThe only product page copy you can change today. Most apps leave it empty or waste it on keywords Apple ignores.4 min · updated Sep 30, 2026
How to use this library
Quote the definition
The boxed definition is written to be cited as-is, with Apple's wording where Apple defines the term.
Use the worked example
Each entry runs the numbers once, so you can check your own dashboard against it.
Follow the links
Terms link to the guides and fixes where they matter, so a definition turns into a next step.
Questions
Where do the definitions come from?
App Store Connect help pages and Apple's developer documentation, quoted and linked. Where Apple doesn't define a term, we say so and give the industry usage.
Do definitions change?
Sometimes — Apple moved its analytics documentation in 2026 and adds metrics regularly. Each entry shows the date it was last checked.
Can I cite these?
Yes. Every entry has a stable URL and a markdown version at the same address with .md appended.