Canonical: https://www.strataigize.com/case-studies/mobile-security-app-downloads-aso-asa/ Description: A connected Apple Search Ads and ASO flywheel lifted a cybersecurity app's iOS downloads 387.5%, with gains compounding over time. Published: 2026-04-06T00:00:00.000Z Modified: 2026-08-30T00:00:00.000Z [← Case Studies](https://www.strataigize.com/case-studies/) Mobile Security App # How We Increased App Downloads with ASO and ASA by 387% A connected Apple Search Ads and ASO flywheel lifted a cybersecurity app's iOS downloads 387.5%, with gains compounding over time. [Get results like these →](https://www.strataigize.com/audit/) +387.5% iOS downloads +75.8% Google installs (30 days) +166% Google installs (90 days) By [**Ian McGavin**](https://www.strataigize.com/about/team/ian/), Co-Founder & CMO · Published April 6, 2026 · Updated August 30, 2026 ## The App Wasn’t Showing Up Where Buyers Were Searching Nobody installs a security app on impulse. People search for one, compare a few, and pick whichever reads as trustworthy, which makes growth here a question of trust, clarity, and intent alignment. The product was solid. The problem was store momentum: - The app wasn’t consistently surfacing across enough high-intent searches. - When users reached the store listing, the page needed clearer conversion support. Because this is a sensitive category, we kept the engagement conservative in execution and reporting: we focused on a sanitized methodology, measurable outcomes, and avoided exposing anything operationally sensitive. **The goal:** increase downloads by improving visibility and store conversion, using a system that ties Apple Search Ads (ASA) to app store optimization (ASO) so the two feed each other and compound over time. We set three objectives. Expand visibility for high-intent searches. Increase store installs by improving listing clarity and screenshot sequencing. Build a repeatable search-to-store loop so results improve month after month. Capture_→_Convert_→_Compound ## Paid Search Showed Us What the Listing Should Say ### The Strataigize search-to-store flywheel We ran ASA and ASO as one loop. Paid search shows you which words people actually type and which of those words turn into installs. Those words then go into the keyword set and the store listing, and next month’s paid results tell you whether the change worked. In a sensitive category, relevance and trust beat raw volume, which is why the loop suits it so well. **1\. Intent-first keyword research.** We built keyword clusters organized around what the searcher wanted, with volume as the second filter. For a cybersecurity app, qualified intent outweighs broad reach, so we prioritized terms most likely to attract users actively looking for a solution. **2\. ASO updates and screenshot refresh (Google Play).** We updated store metadata to improve keyword coverage and relevance across both platforms, rolled out in a controlled cadence to keep measurement clean. We refreshed the screenshot sequencing to communicate the app’s value more clearly at the moment of decision. **3\. ASA update (iOS) to support demand and validate intent.** We ran a targeted ASA update to support download momentum and use paid signals to refine which search terms and which positioning the listing should emphasize. Paid search does two jobs here. It buys installs, and it tells you which promises the listing should lead with. ## iOS Downloads Rose Almost Fivefold in 21 Days Out of respect for the client’s position as a cybersecurity company, we’re not publishing revenue figures from this engagement. What we can share is the movement in download volume and keyword visibility across both platforms. The two halves worked on different clocks: ASA moved the short window, ASO compounded over the long one. **Performance highlights:** - **iOS:** downloads increased **+387.5% (about 4.9x)** in comparable 21-day windows following the ASA update. - **Google Play (30 days):** installs increased **+75.8% (1.76x)** after the ASO update window. - **Google Play (90 days):** installs increased **+165.8% (2.66x)** in the longer comparison window. - **Compounding effect:** the following 90-day period reached **10.9x versus the earlier 90-day baseline**. > “Most apps don’t have a demand problem, they have a connection problem. ASA and ASO are treated separately, so insights never compound. Once we connected search intent with store conversion, performance became predictable. That’s when growth really started to scale.” > > Teegan Johnson, Co-Founder & CGO, Strataigize ## Where to Look If Your Growth Keeps Stalling Cybersecurity apps face a distinct growth challenge: the people searching are informed, cautious, and looking for something specific. Connecting search intent to store conversion works here because it puts relevance ahead of reach. ASA finds the demand, [ASO](https://www.strataigize.com/services/mobile-app-marketing/app-store-optimization/) converts it, and repeating that every month is what makes the numbers compound. If your app has real demand and growth that keeps stalling, start with three questions. Which searches are you actually capturing? What does your store page do with the people it gets? And how often does either one change? Author **Ian McGavin**, Co-founded Strataigize in 2022. AI operations, business strategy, and AI-search visibility. Next step Where is your growth leaking? The Growth Diagnostic benchmarks your funnel in six questions. [Run the diagnostic →](https://www.strataigize.com/tools/growth-diagnostic/) ## More case studies [$0.70 Cost per install, best month (from $2.38)Podz: 52,873 App Installs in a Month at $0.70 EachPodz: Family Organizer](https://www.strataigize.com/case-studies/podz-52873-installs-in-a-month-at-70-cents/)[50+ Team hours saved weeklyHow Our Marketing Agency Uses AI Agents to Automate BusyworkStrataigize Marketing](https://www.strataigize.com/case-studies/how-agency-uses-ai-agents-automate-busywork/)[364% Return on ad spendA High-Intent Google Ads Engine for Backroad MapbooksBackroad Mapbooks](https://www.strataigize.com/case-studies/google-ads-canada-adventure-map/) ## Want results like _these?_ Book a free 30-minute consultation. No pitch until you see the value. [Book a growth consult →](https://www.strataigize.com/audit/) [Rated **5.0** on Clutch](https://clutch.co/profile/strataigize-marketing)