To do App Store keyword research, list the jobs your app does in the words a user would type, search each phrase in the App Store for the country you care about, and keep only the phrases where the top results are apps like yours that you could realistically compete with. Then put the best phrases in your app name and subtitle, and the remaining single words in the keyword field. Popularity scores from tools can help you sort a list, but the search results page is the evidence.
Step 1: Write seeds from what the app does
Start with 10 to 20 short phrases describing what your app does, not what you call it. A habit app's list might be "habit tracker", "daily routine", "streak", "morning routine". Apple's own guidance says to choose keywords "based on words you think people may use to find an app like yours" and to be specific about features (Apple: App Store search).
Step 2: Read the results page for each seed
Search each seed in the store and look at who ranks. Two things matter: relevance (are these apps like yours?) and strength (how established are they?).
Here's what the public iTunes Search API returned for three US searches (iTunes Search API, Oct 13, 2026, `limit=10`; the API returned 9 results each). The API order is close to, but not guaranteed to match, what an iPhone shows.
| US search | Results whose name contains the main word | Lowest rating count among the 9 results |
|---|---|---|
| budget | 9 of 9 contain "budget" | 3,162 |
| habit tracker | 8 of 9 contain "habit" | 2,469 |
| photo editor | 9 of 9 contain "photo" | 47,459 |
Read this as a competition signal. Every result for "photo editor" in the US had tens of thousands of ratings, so a new app is unlikely to break in there soon. "habit tracker" is crowded too, but its weakest result had a few thousand ratings, which leaves room for a longer phrase such as a specific routine or audience.
Step 3: Check the same seed in each country
Results change a lot by storefront. In Germany, only 1 of the 9 "photo editor" results had "photo" in its name; most used German words like "Foto" or "Bildbearbeitung" (iTunes Search API, Oct 13, 2026, `search_photo_editor_de.json`). If Germany matters to you, research in German rather than translating your English list.
Step 4: Shortlist and place the words
Pick a small set of phrases you can win, then place them:
- App name (30 characters) and subtitle (30 characters): your most important phrase, readable for humans (Apple: Creating your product page).
- Keyword field (100 bytes): single words separated by commas. Apple says not to repeat words already in your name, subtitle or category, and not to use other apps' or companies' names (Apple: App Store search; App Store Connect: platform version information).
Step 5: Measure, then change one thing at a time
After the update goes live, record where you rank for each shortlisted phrase in each country, then wait before changing anything else. If you change the name, subtitle and keywords together, you won't know which change helped.
Where keyword data comes from
| Source | What it gives you | Cost (checked Oct 13, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| App Store search on a device | The real results page | Free |
| iTunes Search API | Public results and app metadata as JSON | Free |
| Apple Ads search popularity | Apple's popularity score for a term | Requires an Apple Ads account |
| Astro ASO | Mac app for keyword research and tracking | $108/year, Single Mac License (tryastro.app) |
| ASO Suite | Web tool for keyword research and rank tracking | Free up to 20 keywords, $99/year unlimited (asosuite.com) |
FAQ
How many keywords should an indie app target? There's no official number. A short list you can actually track in every country you care about is more useful than hundreds of terms you never check.
Should I use single words or phrases in the keyword field? Apple's example uses commas with no spaces between entries, and spaces inside a phrase (Apple: App Store search). Many developers use single words so they can be combined with words from the name and subtitle.
Can I use a competitor's name as a keyword? No. App Store Connect says names of other apps or companies aren't allowed in the keywords (Apple).
Are keyword popularity scores accurate? Third-party scores are estimates. Use them to sort a list, and check the results page before you commit.
Do I need to research every country separately? Yes, for the countries that matter to you. The same English query returns different apps in different storefronts, and many storefronts search in their local language.
If you'd like the measuring part done for you, TrackASO checks your App Store keyword ranks in the cloud: every tracked keyword is checked every night.