App Store Keyword Optimization: How to Research and Use Keywords in Your App Listing

App store keyword optimization is about choosing search terms that fit your app, putting them in the fields each store indexes, and improving your choices using real performance data.

The aim isn't to rank for as many keywords as possible. It's to help the right users find your app when they search for the problem, feature, or experience it provides.

That distinction matters. A broad keyword may look attractive because it has high estimated search volume, but it will do little for you if the search results reflect a different intent. A smaller, more specific term can bring fewer impressions while producing more product-page visits and downloads.

This guide explains how to research and use keywords in both Apple’s App Store and Google Play, to help power your App Store Optimization strategy.

How App Store Keywords Work

Apple and Google use different metadata to understand an app, so you can't simply copy the same keyword strategy from one store to the other.

Apple App Store Keywords

Apple says an app can be found through its app name, subtitle, keyword field, and company name. Its search guidance also identifies the primary category as a relevance signal.

The main keyword-bearing fields are:

The full description helps users understand the app, but Apple doesn't identify it as one of the fields used to make an app searchable. Treat it as conversion copy, not a place to repeat keywords.

Apple’s product page guidance explains how to format the keyword field and which terms to avoid.

Google Play Keywords

Google Play has no hidden keyword field. Its main listing fields are:

Use important search language naturally in these fields, but don't cram them with keyword variations. Google explicitly warns that repetitive or irrelevant keyword use creates a poor experience and can result in enforcement action.

Google’s store listing documentation confirms the current limits and advises developers against unnecessary repetition.

Start With the User, Not a Keyword Tool

Before looking at search-volume estimates, define what your app helps a user do.

Ask:

• Who is the app for?
• What problem are they trying to solve?
• What would they search if they didn't know your brand?
• Which features distinguish your app from the alternatives?
• Which words do customers use in reviews, support conversations, and search queries?

This gives you a set of keyword themes grounded in real demand.

For a meal-planning app, those themes might include weekly meal planning, family meal plans, grocery lists, recipes, dietary preferences, and batch cooking. For an ecommerce app, non-branded discovery may be less important than branded searches, product categories, loyalty benefits, or a specific shopping use case.

The point is to build a map of user needs before assigning numbers to terms.

Build a Useful Keyword List

Once you understand the audience, expand your initial themes from several sources.

Review Your Existing Store Data

If the app is already live, start with first-party data in App Store Connect and Play Console.

Look at:

• Search traffic and acquisitions
• The countries and languages producing downloads
• Product-page conversion rate
• Branded versus non-branded demand where your reports expose it
• Changes in impressions and downloads after metadata updates

Third-party ASO platforms can help estimate keyword popularity and track rankings. Treat those numbers as modeled estimates, not exact store traffic.

Study Relevant Competitors

Search for apps that solve the same problem and inspect the results.

Pay attention to:

• The terms used in app names and subtitles
• Common feature language
• How the first screenshots frame the value
• Which apps appear for several related searches
• Themes in positive and negative reviews

Don't copy a competitor’s metadata. Look at it to understand how the category is described and where a competitor may be serving a different intent.

Use Search Suggestions and Adjacent Language

Autocomplete suggestions can reveal common phrasing. So can related web searches, customer reviews, support tickets, on-site search logs, paid-search data, and the language used in relevant communities.

Build a working list that includes:

• Core function terms
• Problem and outcome terms
• Important feature terms
• Audience or industry terms
• Use-case terms
• Brand and product terms
• Relevant synonyms and regional language

You can group these into themes before deciding which exact terms deserve limited metadata space.

How to Prioritize ASO Keywords

Evaluate each candidate against four factors.

1. Relevance

Does the app genuinely satisfy the search?

This is the first filter. If a term is only loosely related, remove it even if a tool reports high volume. Irrelevant visibility wastes metadata space and can reduce conversion because the listing doesn't match what the user expected.

2. Intent

What do the current results tell you the user wants?

Search the term in the relevant storefront and inspect the apps that appear. If most results serve a different audience or job, your app may struggle to rank or convert even when the phrase sounds relevant in isolation.

3. Demand

Is there enough interest to justify the term?

Use first-party performance where available and third-party estimates as supporting evidence. Don't dismiss every low-volume term. Specific terms often have clearer intent and less competition.

4. Competition

Can your app realistically earn visibility?

Competition scores from ASO tools are estimates. The more useful test is to inspect the ranking apps. Consider their relevance, ratings, download momentum, brand strength, and how closely their listings match the query.

A practical portfolio usually contains a mix of broader terms and highly specific ones. The balance will change as the app earns more visibility.

Where to Put Keywords in Apple’s App Store

Apple gives you very little metadata space, so each field needs a clear job.

App Name

Use the recognized brand name first. If space permits, add one descriptive term or phrase that accurately communicates the app’s function.

Don't turn the name into a string of keywords. It still needs to be readable, distinctive, and within Apple’s 30-character limit.

Subtitle

Use the subtitle to clarify the primary benefit, feature, or use case. It should add information rather than repeat the app name.

For example, if the name already contains “meal planner,” the subtitle could focus on family recipes or automatic grocery lists rather than repeating “meal planning app.”

The 100-Character Keyword Field

The keyword field is invisible to users and limited to 100 characters. Apple recommends separating terms with commas and no spaces after those commas.

To use the space efficiently:

• Skip terms already covered by the app name, subtitle, or category.
• Use the singular when it already covers the plural.
• Leave out the word “app” and category names.
• Remove duplicate words.
• Avoid competitor names, trademarks, irrelevant phrases, and pricing language.
• Only use spaces when they're needed inside a phrase.

Think in components as well as fixed phrases. Apple can combine individual words into relevant search phrases, so a compact set of well-chosen terms can cover more than one query.

That doesn't mean every possible combination will rank. Relevance and performance still matter.

Where to Put Keywords on Google Play

Google Play’s visible copy needs to work for both discovery and persuasion.

App Name

Use the app name and, when it fits naturally, a concise description of the core function. Keep it accurate and readable.

Short Description

The short description is often the first explanation a user sees. In up to 80 characters, state the core purpose or benefit in plain language.

Google recommends avoiding promotional claims, ranking language, calls to action, unnecessary keywords, and time-sensitive copy in this field.

Full Description

Use the full description to explain the app clearly. Cover the main benefits, features, audience, and information someone needs before installing.

Important terms should appear where they make sense, but there is no credible rule that says a keyword should appear exactly five times, or any other fixed number. Repetition for its own sake makes the listing worse and can create a policy issue.

Write the description for a person deciding whether the app is right for them. If the copy explains the product precisely, much of the relevant language will appear naturally.

For a deeper copy framework, see our guide to writing app store descriptions.

Connect Keywords to the Creative

Screenshots and preview videos can't replace indexed metadata, but they can confirm that the app matches the user’s search.

If someone finds an app through a query about loyalty rewards, the first screenshots should make that benefit easy to see. If the listing opens with unrelated features, the app may earn an impression without earning a download.

Use the language of the user’s need in short, readable screenshot captions where appropriate. The goal is consistency between the search, the metadata, the visual story, and the experience inside the app.

See our App Store screenshot guide for the creative process and current specifications.

Measure Results Without Chasing Rankings

Keyword rankings are useful diagnostic signals, but they're not the outcome that matters most.

Track:

• Search impressions
• Product-page views
• Downloads or acquisitions
• Product-page conversion rate
• Performance by country and language
• Branded and non-branded demand where available
• Retention and engagement after install

A keyword can improve in rank while producing little qualified traffic. Another can rank lower but generate more downloads because the intent is stronger.

Use App Store Connect and Play Console as the source of truth for performance. Use third-party tools to supplement that data with research and ranking estimates.

Test at a Pace Your Data Can Support

There's no universal rule that says metadata takes exactly 30 to 45 days to index, or that every app should update on a fixed schedule.

Make a change when you have a reason:

• A priority term is not gaining relevant visibility.
• The app’s positioning or feature set has changed.
• A new market or localization is important.
• Search demand is seasonal.
• The current listing earns impressions but converts poorly.

Record what changed and compare enough data to avoid reacting to ordinary day-to-day variation. High-traffic apps can learn faster than low-traffic apps. Avoid making several overlapping changes if you need to understand which one affected performance.

Metadata updates alone won't keep an app ranking. Downloads, ratings, reviews, conversion, app quality, and competitive changes also influence discovery.

Localize the Keyword Strategy

Don't assume a literal translation will preserve search intent.

Research the words people use in each target market, then localize the app name, subtitle or descriptions, keyword field, and creative assets as the store permits. Apple notes that users can search through localized metadata based on the languages and storefronts involved.

Start with markets that already show demand. Compare visibility and conversion by localization, then expand where the opportunity justifies the work.

Common App Store Keyword Mistakes

Most keyword problems come from a few habits:

• Choosing volume over relevance
• Copying competitor metadata without checking intent
• Treating third-party estimates as exact data
• Repeating the same words across Apple’s limited fields
• Stuffing Google Play descriptions with awkward phrases
• Targeting trademarks or irrelevant popular terms
• Optimizing rankings without measuring downloads and conversion
• Updating metadata constantly without a clear hypothesis
• Using one English keyword list across every market

The best keyword strategy is usually simpler: describe the app accurately, use the limited metadata deliberately, and learn from real users.

App Store Keyword Optimization Checklist

Before publishing an update, check that:

• The target terms reflect real user needs.
• Search results match the app’s intent.
• The app name and visible summaries read naturally.
• Apple’s keyword field contains no wasted repetition.
• Google Play copy contains no forced keyword density.
• The first screenshots reinforce the main search intent.
• Localizations use market-specific language.
• You've recorded the change and the metrics you'll review.

The Bottom Line

App store keyword optimization isn't about putting the same phrase in your listing a certain number of times. It's about understanding what users search for, choosing terms that fit your app, putting them in the right fields, and seeing whether they lead to useful discovery and downloads.

Start with relevance. Use store data as your source of truth. Then refine the strategy as the app, audience, and market change.