Mac App Store Optimization: What Works and What Is iPhone-Only

• Name and subtitle live under App Information, shared across platforms, and are localized per language. The keyword field holds up to 100 bytes. Research for these fields is in the Mac App Store keyword research guide.
• Search results show screenshots, so the first one to three matter for a Mac app too, depending on orientation.
• Up to three app previews per supported device size and language can be uploaded for macOS.
• The system rating prompt is available on macOS, with the same limit of three occurrences per app within 365 days.
• You can respond to reviews, and responses appear on macOS 10.6.6 or later.

Check the sizes: 1280 / 800 = 1.6, 1440 / 900 = 1.6, 2560 / 1600 = 1.6 and 2880 / 1800 = 1.6. All four are 16:10.

1. Set the category in Xcode and App Store Connect. They should match; see choosing categories.
2. Write the metadata for the Mac version. Description and keywords live under the platform version, so a Mac version has its own list.
3. Prepare Mac-sized screenshots. Show the app window in use, with the main benefit in the caption.
4. Consider a preview. Previews must be screen captures of the app itself, 15 to 30 seconds.
5. Plan ratings. Use the system prompt after a completed task; see how to ask for ratings.
6. Reply to reviews. See responding to reviews.
7. Test by sequence, not by split. Without product page optimization, change one element, wait, and compare conversion in App Analytics before and after. It is weaker than a split test because season and rank also move, so keep a log.

A hypothetical Mac writing app, Inkwell, has six 2880x1800 screenshots. It cannot run a product page optimization test. Instead it changes the first screenshot's caption on a Monday, records daily conversion for two weeks before and two weeks after, and holds every other element still. If conversion moves, it still cannot rule out a seasonal effect, so it repeats the comparison once more before keeping the change.

• Names of other apps or companies are not allowed in your keyword list.
• Do not assume iOS ranking data applies. Search the Mac App Store itself.

Mac apps are often chosen for a task, so the first sentence of the description should name the task and the platform. Apple says that sentence is what users read without tapping to read more, so see writing the description. Treat reviews as research too: the words reviewers use for what your app does belong in your keyword research.

LocalASO is itself a Mac app for macOS 14 or later that checks keywords in the Apple App Store; it does not cover Google Play. Download it from the download page, or read how it handles Mac listings in the keyword research docs.