ASO Keyword Research: How to Find Keywords That Bring Installs
A step-by-step ASO keyword research process: score terms by relevance, popularity and competition, use Apple Ads data and map keywords to every store field.
ScreenShipper team · · 7 min read
Quick answer: ASO keyword research means finding the search terms your future users type in the App Store and Google Play, then judging each one by relevance, popularity and competition. Start from how users describe their problem, expand the list with store autocomplete and Apple Ads search popularity, study the apps already ranking, and prioritize relevant, specific phrases you can realistically rank for.
The Three Things Every Keyword Is Judged On
Every candidate keyword gets the same three questions. Most bad keyword choices come from answering only one of them.
| Factor | The question | How to judge it |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | Would someone searching this be glad to find your app? | Your judgment, plus the words users use in reviews and support emails |
| Popularity | How many people search for it? | Apple Ads search popularity, store autocomplete, tool estimates |
| Competition | How hard is it to reach the top results? | Who ranks there now and how established they are |
Relevance is a filter, not a score. An irrelevant term wastes limited characters, can break Apple's keyword rules, and brings visitors who won't install. Popularity and competition are the trade-off. Apple's own search documentation puts it plainly: popular terms can drive a lot of traffic but are highly competitive, especially for newer or smaller apps, while less common terms drive less traffic and face less competition.
Keyword research is one part of a bigger system. For how it fits with screenshots, ratings and testing, see our complete guide to app store optimization.
Step 1: Build a Seed List from Your Users' Words
Start with words, not tools. Write down every way someone might describe what your app does. For a hypothetical meal-planning app, a seed list might look like this:
| Source | Example seed terms |
|---|---|
| The job the app does | meal planner, plan meals, weekly menu |
| Features | grocery list, recipe saver, pantry tracker |
| Category words | recipes, cooking, food |
| Problems users have | what to cook, dinner ideas, eat healthy |
| Audiences | family meals, meal prep, vegetarian meals |
| Synonyms and variants | menu planner, meal organizer, shopping list |
The richest source is your users' own language. Read your reviews, support emails and the reviews of similar apps, and note the phrases people use. They often describe the problem differently than you do: you say "nutrition planning", they say "eat healthy".
Leave competitor brand names off the list. Apple's guidance doesn't allow competing app names in your keywords, and Google's Metadata policy rules out misleading references to other brands.
Step 2: Expand the List and Check Popularity
Now grow the list and get a sense of demand for each term.
- Store autocomplete. Type each seed into App Store and Google Play search and note the suggestions. They're a useful signal of what people type, though neither store documents exactly how suggestions are generated. Check the countries you care about, not just your own.
- Apple Ads search popularity. The Apple Ads keyword tool shows popularity based on App Store searches on a small five-step scale, plus keyword suggestions for your app. It's the closest thing to first-party popularity data on iOS. If you run ads, broad match and Search Match campaigns can also surface new terms; our Apple Ads and ASO guide explains how.
- Play Console data. Google doesn't offer a public popularity tool for Play. For an existing app, store performance reports show how much traffic comes from Google Play search.
- Third-party ASO tools. They estimate popularity and difficulty for both stores. Treat the numbers as estimates and use them to compare terms with each other, not as absolute search volumes. See ASO tools for what to look for.
By the end of this step, you should have a long list with a rough popularity signal next to each term.
Step 3: Size Up the Competition
Popularity tells you how big the prize is. Competition tells you whether you can win it. For each promising term, search it in the store, in the target country, and study the top results.
| What you see in the top results | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Household-name apps with huge rating counts | Very hard to break into soon | Target a longer, more specific variant |
| Apps that only loosely match the term | Relevance gap you could fill | Prioritize the term if it fits your app |
| Exact-match phrases in many names and subtitles | Established, competitive term | Use it only if it's central to your app |
| Results of a different type than your app | The searcher's intent doesn't match | Drop the term |
| Few results or odd results | Little demand, or a new trend | Check popularity again before using it |
This is where long-tail phrases earn their place. "Meal planner" may be dominated by established apps, while "meal prep planner for families" has fewer searches but a far better chance of putting you in front of exactly the right people. Our guide to ASO for new apps explains why new apps should start there.
Step 4: Prioritize and Map Keywords to Fields
Shortlist the terms that are highly relevant and have a realistic popularity-to-competition balance. Then decide where each one goes. Each store gives you different fields:
| Field | Store | What goes there |
|---|---|---|
| App name (30 characters) | App Store | Brand plus your primary term |
| Subtitle (30 characters) | App Store | A benefit with one or two secondary terms |
| Keywords field (100 characters) | App Store | Remaining single words, comma separated, no repeats |
| App name (30 characters) | Google Play | Brand plus your primary term |
| Short description (80 characters) | Google Play | Your primary phrase once, in a benefit sentence |
| Full description (4,000 characters) | Google Play | Secondary and long-tail phrases in natural sentences |
For the hypothetical meal planner, that could mean a name like "Brand: Meal Planner", a subtitle like "Recipes and Grocery Lists", and a keywords field that adds words such as menu, prep, pantry, family, healthy and dinner. The App Store keywords field guide shows how to fit the most into 100 characters, and Google Play ASO covers the description-driven approach on Android.
Step 5: Track, Iterate and Localize
Keyword research isn't finished when you ship.
- Track rankings for your chosen terms in each country after every release, using an ASO tool or manual checks.
- Connect rankings to installs. App Store Connect analytics and Play Console show how much traffic comes from search, which tells you whether better rankings actually turned into installs.
- Swap underperformers gradually. Replace a few terms per release so you can see what changed.
- Research each market separately. Translation misses how people really search: Americans plan a "vacation" while British users plan a "holiday". Every App Store localization has its own name, subtitle and keywords field, so use them.
Common Keyword Research Mistakes
- Choosing keywords by popularity alone
- Targeting broad head terms with a brand-new app
- Translating an English keyword list word for word
- Repeating the same words across name, subtitle and keywords field
- Using competitor names or trademarks
- Never revisiting the list after launch
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good keyword popularity score?
There's no universal good number. Apple Ads shows popularity on a relative five-step scale; use it to compare terms with each other, and always weigh it against relevance and competition.
How many keywords should an app target?
Your fields set the limit. Most apps do best with one primary term, a handful of secondary terms and as many relevant single words as fit in the App Store keywords field.
Should new apps target the most popular keywords?
Usually not at first. Apple notes that popular terms are highly competitive, especially for newer apps, so specific long-tail phrases are a more realistic starting point.
Is keyword research different for Google Play?
The thinking is the same, but Google Play has no keyword field. Your phrases go into the title, short description and full description, written naturally, because Google warns against keyword stuffing.
How often should I redo ASO keyword research?
Revisit it with every significant release, when you add a major feature, or when your search traffic shifts. How people search changes over time, and so does the competition.
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