App Store and Google Play Listing Keyword Optimization

We regularly encounter a situation: the app is technically flawless, but it's hardly found in search. The reason — unused or incorrectly distributed keywords. The Keywords field in App Store is exactly 100 characters including commas. Not words, not key phrases — characters. A space after a comma is already a lost character. The difference between "tasks,planner" and "tasks, planner" is one wasted space per separator. Over years of working with ASO (more than 50 projects, including apps with 100k+ installs), we've developed a proven methodology that guarantees a 20–40% increase in positions within the first two months.

App Store: anatomy of 100 characters

Apple indexes words, not phrases. "GTD task planner" in Keywords gives indexing for "GTD", "task", "planner" — each word individually and in combinations. You don't need to enter whole phrases; the algorithm builds combinations from words in different fields.

Apple Developer Documentation emphasizes that reusing words from Name and Subtitle in the Keywords field provides no benefit — they are ignored.

Which words should not be added to Keywords?

• Words already present in Name and Subtitle — Apple ignores duplicates.
• App name or brand.
• App category (App Store adds this automatically).
• Words with spelling mistakes — the algorithm handles typos well without special duplication.
• Stop words: "app", "for", "iOS", "App".

Example of Keywords optimization for a task planner:

Before: tasks,planner,to do list,gtd,productivity,lists (56 characters, inefficient — "tasks" and "planner" duplicate meaning) After: gtd,kanban,pomodoro,organizer,reminders,habits,focus,inbox (62 characters, covers related queries without duplication) 

How to distribute keywords in Google Play?

Google Play has no separate Keywords field. Keywords are distributed across Title (50 characters), Short Description (80 characters), and Full Description (4000 characters). Google indexes everything. Recommended density for Full Description: target cluster appears 3–5 times per 2000–3000 characters. Not "task" exactly 5 times in a row, but organically: "task management", "task list", "daily tasks", "team tasks". Google Play understands Russian morphology well: "task", "tasks", "task's" — one semantic cluster.

How to analyze competitor keywords?

The fastest way to find underutilized keywords is to check which words direct competitors rank for that you don't. Use specialized tools.

AppTweak shows top keywords of competitors with volume estimates (Volume, 1–100). Keywords with Volume 20–50 and low difficulty (Difficulty < 50) are priority for new apps. Sensor Tower provides Download Estimates by keyword, allowing you to estimate actual traffic. AppFollow tracks position changes over time and shows what changed in competitor metadata. A practical tip: enter a competitor in AppTweak, go to "Keywords not in your app", sort by Volume, and select relevant keywords with reasonable difficulty.

Once we worked with a diary app. Competitors ranked for the keyword "achievement diary", but the client didn't use it. After adding it to Keywords, the app rose from 50th to 5th position in a month — boosting installs by 30%.

Compare approaches: AppTweak focuses on difficulty and volume, useful for competition assessment. Sensor Tower offers more precise traffic data but is more expensive. AppFollow is a budget option with change history, ideal for regular monitoring.

Why is keyword seasonality important?

Keyword demand changes over time. "New Year habits", "year planning" — January peak. "Study", "schedule" — August-September. Adding seasonal keywords 2–3 weeks before the peak and removing them after is a simple way to capture traffic without changing the product. App Store allows updating Keywords without a new release. Google Play — Short Description and Full Description — also update independently of version (see Google Play Console documentation). This enables keyword iterations every 2–4 weeks.

How to track the effect of changes?

After each metadata update, record baseline positions for target keywords in AppFollow or AppTweak. Measurable effect appears within 1–3 weeks for App Store, faster for Google Play (indexing updates takes hours, not days).

Metrics to track:

• Positions for key queries (rank tracking).
• Install Rate (conversion from view to install) — in App Store Connect / Play Console.
• Impression Volume — total organic search traffic.

Work process and timelines

1. Audit current metadata: identify used keywords, actual rankings.
2. Keyword research: competitor analysis, related clusters, long-tail, seasonality.
3. Compose optimized fields for App Store and Google Play.
4. Set up position tracking, record baseline.
5. Iterations: check effect after 2–4 weeks, adjust strategy.
6. Provide a report with recommendations and keyword documentation.

A one-time keyword optimization (App Store + Google Play, one language) takes 1–2 days. With competitive analysis and an iteration plan — up to 3 days. Cost is calculated individually and pays off through 20–40% organic traffic growth within two months.

Common mistakes in keyword selection

Here's what we often see in projects:

• Using the same keywords for App Store and Google Play (different algorithms, different semantics).
• Adding branded queries to App Store Keywords (useless, Apple ignores).
• Trying to cram maximum words into 100 characters without considering combinations — the algorithm values combinations.
• Ignoring seasonality: keywords with peak demand in January work poorly in July.
• No baseline: without recording initial positions, you can't measure effect.
• Rare updates: updating once every six months is almost the same as not updating at all.

Character limits by platform

Want a consultation on optimizing your app's listing? Contact us — we'll evaluate your project and propose an action plan. Order a keyword audit today to see first results in two weeks.