Most app creators approach App Store keywords one of two ways: they jam in whatever sounds relevant, or they copy their biggest competitor and hope for the best. Neither strategy moves the needle. Good keyword research is more deliberate than that — and it's one of the few ASO levers you have direct control over.
Here's how to approach it properly.
Understand What Apple Actually Gives You
Apple gives you three places where keywords influence search ranking: your app title, your subtitle, and the keyword field (100 characters, no spaces between commas). Words in your title carry the most weight. Your subtitle carries the second most. The keyword field fills in the gaps.
What doesn't affect search ranking: your description. Apple's algorithm doesn't index it for search. Write your description for humans, not for keyword stuffing.
One common mistake: repeating the same word across all three fields. If "tracker" appears in your title, don't waste characters putting it in your keyword field too. Apple already indexes it. Use your 100 characters for words you haven't covered elsewhere.
Start With Intent, Not Features
The biggest keyword research mistake is thinking about what your app does rather than what users search for. These aren't the same thing.
Someone looking for a habit tracking app might search "daily routine planner" or "streak counter" before they ever search "habit tracker." Someone looking for a budgeting app might type "stop overspending" or "paycheck budget." These intent-driven terms often have less competition and higher conversion because the user's need is so specific.
Before touching any tool, write down 10–15 phrases your ideal user might type when they have the problem your app solves — not when they already know your category exists.
Use the App Store Search Bar as a Research Tool
Apple's search autocomplete is an underrated research tool that's completely free. Start typing a seed keyword and watch what Apple suggests. These suggestions are based on real search volume. If Apple is autocompleting it, people are searching for it.
Go deeper: type your keyword with different prefixes and suffixes. Try "best [keyword]," "[keyword] app," "[keyword] free," "[keyword] for iPhone." Each variation can surface related terms with real demand.
Also check competitor app titles and subtitles. The words they've chosen to put in their most visible, character-limited fields usually reflect deliberate keyword choices — treat those as research signals, not a copy-paste template.
Assess Difficulty, Not Just Relevance
A keyword being relevant to your app doesn't mean you should target it. If a keyword returns a page of results dominated by apps with tens of thousands of ratings, your chances of breaking in are low regardless of how well you optimize.
When evaluating a keyword, ask: can a new or mid-sized app realistically rank in the top 10 here? Look at the rating counts, update frequency, and overall polish of the current top results. Highly competitive keywords need to be earned over time. In the meantime, targeting lower-competition, mid-specificity keywords gets you real downloads while you build authority.
A useful mental model: broad keywords are for the long game, specific keywords are for right now.
Fill Your 100 Characters Intentionally
The keyword field isn't a brainstorm dump — it's valuable real estate. A few rules for using it well:
- No spaces after commas. Every character counts.
yoga,meditation,sleepnotyoga, meditation, sleep. - No articles, prepositions, or filler words. Drop "the," "for," "and," "best." Apple ignores them.
- Singular vs. plural. Apple indexes both from a singular. Use the singular form to save characters.
- Numbers vs. words. "7" takes one character; "seven" takes five. Use digits.
- Don't include your app name or category name. Apple already indexes those.
With 100 characters, you can typically fit 8–12 solid keywords if you're tight with your formatting.
Update Keywords After Each Review Cycle
Your keyword strategy shouldn't be set-and-forget. Apple approves keyword changes with every app update, which means every update is a keyword test opportunity.
Track which keywords your app is currently ranking for — tools like AppFollow, Sensor Tower, or AppFigures can show you position data. If a keyword isn't ranking in the top 50 after a full review cycle, it's not performing. Swap it out. If something unexpectedly lands you in the top 10, double down on related terms.
This is also where App Store Connect data becomes useful. Monitoring download trends over time helps you see whether metadata changes are moving the needle — MakePost syncs your daily download and revenue data from App Store Connect, so you can correlate keyword changes with performance shifts without jumping between dashboards.
Don't Neglect Your Title and Subtitle
If you want one high-impact change: put your most important keyword in your title. Apps with keyword-rich titles consistently outrank apps with brand-only titles for those terms. You don't have to sacrifice your brand name — even adding a short descriptor like "App Name — Budget Planner" gives you that keyword anchor.
Your subtitle (30 characters) is the second most powerful placement. Use it for your second-priority keyword cluster, not a tagline.
The Bigger Picture
Keywords are a foundation, not a magic trick. They determine whether your app shows up. Ratings, conversion rate, and engagement determine whether it stays there. The best keyword strategy in the world won't save a listing with a low rating or screenshots that don't communicate value.
But getting keywords right is table stakes — and it's completely within your control from day one.
If you're revisiting your metadata after reading this, make the changes in your next update and give it at least one full review cycle before judging results. ASO is a slow game, but it compounds.
Want to see how your social promotion ties into your App Store performance? MakePost connects your social content and App Store Connect data in one place — makepost.com.