How to Choose Keywords for Your App

The right keywords can drive thousands of organic installs monthly. The wrong keywords consume your character limit while delivering zero traffic.

Keyword selection is a balancing act: relevance to your app, achievable difficulty given your competition, and sufficient search volume to matter.

Most apps choose keywords based on what they want to rank for. Apps that succeed choose keywords based on what they can actually rank for.

Here's the framework for strategic keyword selection.

The Three-Factor Framework

Every keyword decision should evaluate three metrics:

1. Relevance: Does This Keyword Describe Your App?

Relevance determines whether users who find your app through this keyword will install it.

High relevance:

• Keyword directly describes your core function
• Users searching this term need what your app does
• Your app solves the exact problem implied by the search

Low relevance:

• Keyword is tangentially related to one minor feature
• Users searching this term want something else
• Your app only partially addresses the search intent

Example for a meditation app:

High relevance: meditation app, mindfulness, guided meditation, stress relief

Medium relevance: sleep sounds, breathing exercises, wellness tracker

Low relevance: healthcare, therapy, yoga (unless your app specifically covers these)

Low-relevance keywords might drive impressions, but they won't drive conversions. Worse, they hurt your conversion rate metrics, which can reduce your rankings for all keywords.

2. Difficulty: Can You Realistically Rank Top 10?

Keyword difficulty measures how hard it is to reach page 1 (top 10) results.

Difficulty factors:

• Number of apps targeting this keyword
• Quality and download velocity of competing apps
• How established competitors are for this term

Difficulty scoring (varies by tool):

• 0-30: Low difficulty (achievable for new apps)
• 31-60: Medium difficulty (achievable with optimization)
• 61-85: High difficulty (requires strong metrics or time)
• 86-100: Very high difficulty (dominated by major apps)

Strategic principle: Target keywords where you can rank in top 10 within 30-90 days. Rankings below position 10 drive minimal traffic.

3. Traffic Potential: Does This Keyword Have Search Volume?

Search volume indicates how many users search this term monthly.

Volume assessment:

• High volume: 10,000+ searches/month
• Medium volume: 1,000-10,000 searches/month
• Low volume: 100-1,000 searches/month
• Very low volume: <100 searches/month

The paradox: High-volume keywords are almost always high-difficulty. You need to find the sweet spot: keywords with meaningful volume that you can actually rank for.

The Keyword Selection Matrix

Plot potential keywords on this matrix:

High Volume, Low Difficulty → PRIORITY (rare but valuable)
High Volume, High Difficulty → ASPIRATIONAL (long-term targets)
Low Volume, Low Difficulty → TACTICAL (quick wins, less impact)
Low Volume, High Difficulty → AVOID (not worth pursuing)

Your keyword strategy should include keywords from all three valuable quadrants.

The Research Process

Step 1: Brainstorm Seed Keywords

Start with obvious, direct descriptors of your app:

Categories: productivity, fitness, meditation, budgeting

Functions: task manager, workout tracker, expense tracker

Use cases: project management, weight loss, debt payoff

Benefits: focus, stress relief, save money

Generate 20-30 seed keywords that directly relate to what your app does.

Step 2: Competitive Keyword Analysis

Identify your top 5 competitors and analyze their keywords:

Tools: App Radar, Sensor Tower, AppTweak, Mobile Action

What to extract:

• Keywords they rank top 5 for
• Keywords they target in title/subtitle
• Keywords in their description (Google Play)

Look for:

• Keywords you hadn't considered
• Keyword combinations that work (e.g., "budget tracker for couples")
• Long-tail variations of head terms

Critical filter: Don't copy all competitor keywords. Only add those relevant to your app.

Step 3: Long-Tail Expansion

For each seed keyword, generate long-tail variations:

Head term: meditation

Long-tail variations:

• meditation for anxiety
• meditation for beginners
• guided meditation for sleep
• 5 minute meditation
• meditation timer
• meditation tracker

Long-tail keywords typically have:

• Lower difficulty (less competition)
• Higher intent (more specific user need)
• Better conversion (users know exactly what they want)

Example: "meditation app" (difficulty: 85, volume: high, hard to rank) vs. "meditation timer for beginners" (difficulty: 30, volume: medium, achievable ranking)

Step 4: Categorize and Prioritize

Organize keywords into tiers:

Tier 1: Primary Keywords (Title/Subtitle)

• Highest relevance
• Medium to high volume
• Medium difficulty (achievable but valuable)
• Usually 1-3 keywords

Tier 2: Supporting Keywords (Keyword Field/Description)

• High relevance
• Medium volume
• Low to medium difficulty
• 10-15 keywords

Tier 3: Long-Tail Keywords (Description)

• Specific, targeted terms
• Lower volume but high intent
• Low difficulty
• 15-30 keywords

Step 5: Validate with Tools

Use ASO keyword tools to validate your selections:

Free tools:

• App Store Connect (search popularity hints)
• Apple Search Ads (keyword suggestions)
• Google Play autocomplete

Paid tools ($50-500/month):

• App Radar (AI-powered suggestions)
• Sensor Tower (keyword research, difficulty scores)
• AppTweak (keyword tracking, competitor analysis)
• Mobile Action (keyword intelligence)

Key metrics to check:

• Search volume estimates
• Difficulty scores
• Current ranking positions
• Trending data (growing vs. declining search interest)

Platform-Specific Keyword Strategy

iOS Keyword Strategy

Available fields:

• App name (30 characters)
• Subtitle (30 characters)
• Keyword field (100 characters, not visible to users)

Optimization tactics:

App name: Include 1-2 highest-value keywords naturally

Example: "Calm: Meditation & Sleep" (brand + primary keywords)

Subtitle: Include 2-3 supporting keywords that expand category

Example: "Mindfulness, Relaxation & Focus" (related benefits)

Keyword field: 100 characters of comma-separated keywords

• No spaces after commas (maximizes character use)
• No repeated keywords (appears once anywhere = indexed everywhere)
• Avoid keywords already in name/subtitle (redundant)
• Prioritize medium-difficulty, medium-volume terms

Example keyword field: anxiety,stress,breathing,timer,tracker,beginner,guided,sleep sounds,mindful,zen

Google Play Keyword Strategy

Available fields:

• App title (50 characters)
• Short description (80 characters)
• Long description (4,000 characters)

Optimization tactics:

Title: Include 1-3 primary keywords naturally

Example: "Headspace: Meditation & Sleep App" (50 characters)

Short description: Include primary value proposition with keywords

Example: "Learn meditation and mindfulness to reduce stress and improve sleep quality"

Long description: Strategic keyword placement throughout

• Include primary keywords 3-5 times naturally
• Include supporting keywords 1-2 times each
• Use long-tail variations in feature descriptions
• Maintain natural readability (keyword stuffing is penalized)

Keyword density target: 2-4% for primary keywords

Category-Specific Keyword Strategies

Productivity Apps

Strong keyword categories:

• Function keywords: task manager, to-do list, project planner
• Workflow keywords: collaboration, team management, scheduling
• Outcome keywords: productivity, organization, efficiency
• Integration keywords: calendar sync, email integration, Slack

Avoid: Generic terms like "work" or "business" (too broad, too competitive)

Fitness Apps

Strong keyword categories:

• Activity keywords: workout, exercise, training, HIIT, yoga
• Goal keywords: weight loss, muscle gain, flexibility, strength
• Level keywords: beginner workouts, advanced training, home fitness
• Equipment keywords: no equipment, dumbbell, bodyweight

Avoid: Overly specific exercises unless you specialize (e.g., "Bulgarian split squats")

Finance Apps

Strong keyword categories:

• Function keywords: budget, expense tracker, money manager
• Goal keywords: save money, debt payoff, financial planning
• Method keywords: envelope budgeting, zero-based budget, 50/30/20
• User type keywords: budget for couples, student budgeting

Avoid: Regulated terms like "investment advice" or "financial advisor" (compliance issues)

Social Apps

Strong keyword categories:

• Activity keywords: chat, messaging, video call, share
• Audience keywords: friends, family, community, dating
• Content keywords: photos, videos, stories, live streaming
• Privacy keywords: secure messaging, private chat, encrypted

Avoid: Generic social terms dominated by major platforms

The 100-Character Challenge (iOS)

iOS limits keyword field to 100 characters. Maximizing this requires strategy:

Tactics:

Remove spaces after commas: "keyword1,keyword2,keyword3" vs. "keyword1, keyword2, keyword3" (saves 2 characters per keyword)

Avoid keyword repetition: If "meditation timer" and "meditation app" are both targets, just include "meditation,timer,app" (algorithm combines them)

Skip keywords already in name/subtitle: They're already indexed, no need to repeat

Use singular or plural, not both: iOS indexes both forms from one entry

Avoid articles and prepositions: "for," "the," "of" waste characters

Example inefficient keyword field (115 characters): meditation app, mindfulness app, stress relief, anxiety help, sleep meditation, guided meditation, meditation timer

Example optimized keyword field (98 characters): meditation,mindfulness,stress,anxiety,sleep,guided,timer,breathing,relax,calm,focus,zen,beginner,tracker

The second version covers more concepts in fewer characters.

Monitoring and Iteration

Keyword selection isn't one-time:

Weekly: Monitor ranking positions for target keywords

Monthly: Identify keywords moving up or down significantly

Quarterly: Reassess keyword strategy

• Add emerging keywords gaining search volume
• Remove keywords you can't break top 20 for
• Shift focus to better opportunities

Annually: Complete keyword refresh based on

• App evolution (new features, repositioning)
• Market changes (new competitors, category trends)
• Search behavior shifts (new terminology, seasonal patterns)

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Effective keyword selection balances aspiration with realism. Target keywords you can actually rank for, not just keywords you wish you ranked for.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Three-Factor Framework?

Every keyword decision should evaluate three metrics:

The Keyword Selection Matrix?

Plot potential keywords on this matrix: High Volume, Low Difficulty → PRIORITY (rare but valuable) High Volume, High Difficulty → ASPIRATIONAL (long-term targets) Low Volume, Low Difficulty → TACTICAL (quick wins, less impact) Low Volume, High Difficulty → AVOID (not worth pursuing)

What Is the Research Process?

Start with obvious, direct descriptors of your app:

What Is the Platform-Specific Keyword Strategy?

Available fields:

• App name (30 characters)
• Subtitle (30 characters)
• Keyword field (100 characters, not visible to users)

Category-Specific Keyword Strategies?

Strong keyword categories:

• Function keywords: task manager, to-do list, project planner
• Workflow keywords: collaboration, team management, scheduling
• Outcome keywords: productivity, organization, efficiency
• Integration keywords: calendar sync, email integration, Slack