Most App Store keyword advice is either too vague to act on or too focused on gaming an algorithm that has gotten significantly smarter in the last two years.
This guide covers what actually works in 2026 — the mechanics that haven't changed, the tactics that have, and the mistakes that consistently cost founders discoverable traffic.
The Mechanics: What Gets Indexed Where
On the App Store, search ranking is determined primarily by three fields: the app name, the subtitle, and the keyword field. That's it. The description is not indexed for search. Review responses are not indexed. The developer name has minimal weight.
On Google Play, the equivalent fields are the app name, the short description, and — to a lesser extent — the long description. The long description is partially indexed on Google Play, unlike the App Store.
Everything else — promotional text, in-app purchase names, screenshots — influences conversion from search result to download, but not whether you appear in search at all.
The 100-Character Keyword Field: How to Use It
Apple gives you 100 characters in the keyword field. They're comma-separated, no spaces needed around commas, and not visible to users.
The most common mistakes:
- Repeating words already in your app name or subtitle — these are already indexed; including them in keywords wastes characters
- Using spaces instead of commas as separators — "task manager productivity" counts as one keyword phrase, not two
- Using broad single words — "productivity" ranks you against apps with millions of downloads and reviews. Specificity beats breadth for new apps
- Using competitor brand names — Apple prohibits this and will reject submissions that include trademarked competitor names in the keyword field
- Leaving the field partially empty — 100 characters is not much; use every character strategically
What works: two-to-four-word phrases that describe your specific value with lower competition. "anxiety habit tracker" outranks "habit tracker" for a new app targeting a specific audience, because competition is lower and intent is more aligned.
Finding Keywords Worth Using
The fastest practical method for a new app:
- Search for your core use case in the App Store on your phone. Note which apps appear at the top and what words they use in their names and subtitles.
- Search for your app's secondary use cases the same way. The searches that produce weaker top results are opportunities — there's demand but lower competition.
- Use a tool like AppFollow, AppTweak, or Sensor Tower to see estimated search volume for specific terms. You're looking for medium-volume terms with weak competition, not the highest-volume terms in your category.
- Check what keywords your closest competitors are ranking for. If a similar app ranks for a term adjacent to your core use case, that search behaviour exists and is findable.
Name and Subtitle: Where the Real Work Is
The app name and subtitle carry the most search weight and are the first thing users read. Both decisions deserve more thought than most founders give them.
Your app name should contain your primary keyword — the term that best describes what your app does. Not keyword-stuffed to the point of being unreadable, but intentional about including the word that most users would search for.
Your subtitle on iOS (30 characters) and short description on Android (80 characters) are the second-highest-weight search fields. Treat them as keyword-optimised benefit statements, not taglines. "The beautiful productivity app" wastes three high-weight characters on adjectives. "Daily habit tracker with streaks" uses the same space to index three meaningful terms.
Conversion Is Downstream of Keywords
Finding the right keywords gets users to your page. Your screenshots convert them into downloads.
The first screenshot is your highest-leverage conversion element. It's what most users see in a search result before they even tap through to the full listing. If the first screenshot communicates your core value clearly — not just shows your UI, but communicates the benefit — your conversion rate from impression to download improves significantly.
Running an A/B test on screenshots through Apple's Product Page Optimisation is the most direct way to measure this. Test one variable at a time: different first screenshots, different messaging overlays, different visual compositions. The winning variant can improve install rate by 15 to 30 percent for apps with meaningful traffic — which compounds into substantially more users over time.
What to Avoid
- Keyword stuffing in the name — "TaskMaster: Productivity Manager Todo List Planner" reads as spam and hurts conversion even if it ranks
- Changing keywords constantly — the algorithm needs time to evaluate your position for new terms; changing every two weeks prevents you from learning what's working
- Optimising for keywords before your conversion rate is reasonable — getting more users to a page that converts at 5% is less valuable than improving that page to 15% first
- Ignoring ratings — apps with low average ratings rank lower for competitive terms regardless of keyword quality; the product has to back up the discoverability
