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Keyword research and metadata course · Lesson 10 of 10 · 50 minutes with practice

ASO Keyword Research Handover: Deliver Approved Metadata

Deliver a research pack another person can verify, use in production and revisit without reconstructing your reasoning.

An elegant open charcoal portfolio containing source records, approved paper listing mockups and a remaining-questions sheet, arranged as a professional project handover with red dividers.

Download your lesson workbook · Open the assignment tool →

Your ASO learning objective

Deliver a research pack another person can verify, use in production and revisit without reconstructing your reasoning.

  1. Step 1Assemble copy, evidence and decisions
  2. Step 2Preview the exact transfer destination
  3. Step 3Record approval, release owner and review date
The lesson workflow

Make the handover self-contained

Include the original candidate list, the approved name and supporting fields, proposed keyword field where applicable, reasons for significant inclusions and exclusions, target locale, review date and remaining evidence gaps. These items answer different questions. The original list proves what was considered; the metadata shows what is proposed; the reasons explain the trade-offs.

Attach review IDs, competitor observation IDs and source references wherever they influenced a decision. A source archive is useful only if the reader can connect it to the interpretation. Avoid handing over a large folder of research without a clear statement of which observations changed the proposal.

Prepare the reviewer’s route through the pack

Begin with the app, store, locale, audience, owner and decision required. Then present the proposed copy, the important changes from the baseline and the supporting evidence. Put unresolved questions near the decision they affect. For example, an unverified feature claim belongs beside the affected subtitle, not buried in a general appendix.

Use the research handover for the complete record and the CSV exports for review in a spreadsheet. Export the JSON project backup if another person needs to continue in the tools. The CSV is a readable decision table; the JSON retains the connected project and source archives. Review exported files for confidential or personal information before sharing them with others.

Transfer safely and record the release boundary

Preview the transfer from research draft B to Listing Studio. Verify the destination app, store, locale and selected version, then compare the old and proposed field values. Existing screenshots and the other version remain in the listing project. A transfer prepares an internal proposal; it does not publish to an app store.

After approval, record who will submit the metadata, which release or console action is required, and when the team will review observations. If the listing changes before your transfer is confirmed, reopen the preview rather than overwriting newer work. Keep the research backup with the released copy so later discussions can distinguish the approved proposal from subsequent edits.

Worked example: Trail Notes

This fictional hiking-journal app and its review samples are the teaching project. Treat the example as a reasoning exercise you can adapt to your own evidence.

  1. Original draftA message saying “use these keywords” with no locale, source history or approval owner.
  2. Revised proposalA dated en-US App Store pack containing both metadata drafts, original candidates, approved placements, exclusions, linked evidence and named remaining decisions.
  3. Why it changesThe recipient can verify the proposal and understand why an attractive but unsupported term was excluded. The release owner knows what is ready and what is still unresolved.
From a weak draft to a defensible proposal

Your ASO assignment

  1. Download the full research handover, three CSV reports and project backup. Check that originals, decisions, source references and unresolved questions are present.
  2. Have a reviewer choose one approved and one rejected candidate and reconstruct your reasoning from the pack alone. Repair any missing link.
  3. Preview and confirm a transfer into the intended Listing Studio version. Verify the resulting fields and preserve a backup before preparing the store submission.

Work on your app project

Your handover and assessment criteria

Your work is ready for review when each deliverable below can be understood without a verbal explanation. Include the source or product reference, the decision owner and any unresolved evidence gap. If a reviewer cannot verify a claim, record the missing evidence before treating the proposal as approved.

  1. Deliverable 1Complete source-linked research and metadata pack
  2. Deliverable 2Verified Listing Studio transfer and project backup
  3. Deliverable 3Named approval, release and follow-up responsibilities
Three deliverables to include in your handover

Check your understanding

The recipient can see the final keyword field but cannot explain why navigation terms were excluded. Is the handover complete?

Read the interpretation

No. Add the exclusion reason, the product-scope reference and the condition for reconsideration. A professional handover preserves the reasoning as well as the selected words.

Record your progress

Mark this lesson complete after checking your assignment against the handover criteria. Progress stays in this browser, separately from your tool project.

Sources and further reading

Platform references checked 30 September 2026.

App Store keyword research guide · Check final metadata fields