Most apps pick their keywords by guessing, and it quietly costs them most of their downloads. About 60% of App Store installs start with a search, so if you don’t show up for the words people type, you’re invisible to the exact people most likely to install. The good news is that the right keywords are findable, not something you have to guess.
Short answer: to find the right keywords for your app, list the words people would use to describe it, add more using app store autocomplete and your competitors’ listings, then keep the ones with decent search volume and low competition. Put your single best keyword in your title, because that field carries the most weight.
Why keywords decide who finds you
Search is the front door to the app stores. Most people don’t browse categories or click ads. They type what they want, install one of the top results, and move on. If your app ranks for those words, you get a steady stream of free, high-intent installs. If it doesn’t, the best app in your niche can still sit at zero.
Keywords are how the stores understand what your app is for. Get them right and you show up when it matters. Get them wrong, or leave them to chance, and you’re relying on luck.
Where your keywords actually go
The two stores read keywords differently, so the same list gets placed in different spots.
Where iOS App Store Google Play What it reads App name, subtitle, and a hidden keyword field Title, short description, and long description Title 30 characters, your #1 keyword goes here Your #1 keyword, plus branding Second spot Subtitle, 30 characters, keywords #2 and #3 Short description, high-value terms Extra room Keyword field, 100 characters, comma-separated Long description, use each key term a few times naturally Repeat words? No, never repeat a word already in your title or subtitle Yes, reasonable repetition builds relevance Plurals Use singular only, Apple handles plurals Cover natural variations in the text
The one rule that matters most on both stores: your best keyword belongs in your title. That field carries the most ranking weight, so don’t waste it on a clever brand name nobody searches.
How to find keyword ideas
Start by building a big, messy list. You’ll narrow it later. Four sources cover almost everything.
- Describe your app to a friend. Write down the plain words you’d use. Those are the words normal people search too, and they’re easy to forget when you’re close to the product.
- Use store autocomplete. Start typing a word into the App Store or Google Play search and watch the suggestions. That dropdown is a live list of what real people actually search, ranked by popularity.
- Mine your competitors. Look at the titles, subtitles, and descriptions of the apps that already rank where you want to be. The words they lead with are the words worth targeting.
- Add categories and features. List the category you sit in and every core thing your app does. People search by problem and feature, not by your brand.
How to pick the winners
A long list is not the goal. The goal is the handful of keywords you can actually rank for. Two numbers decide it: search volume and difficulty.
Search volume tells you how many people look for a term. Difficulty tells you how hard it is to rank against the apps already there. The sweet spot is a keyword with enough volume to matter and low enough difficulty that a new app can break in. A good rule of thumb is volume above 30 and difficulty below 50. High volume with sky-high difficulty is a trap for a new app; you’ll never crack the top results.
The fast way: checking volume and difficulty by hand for every term is slow. ReachFront’s Keyword Research tool does it for you. Paste your app or a seed keyword and it returns the search volume, difficulty, and the terms your competitors already rank for, so you can see the winnable keywords at a glance instead of guessing.
Don’t ignore long-tail keywords either. “Budget app” is huge and impossible. “Budget app for couples” is smaller, far easier, and the people searching it know exactly what they want. A few well-chosen long-tail terms often beat one head term you can’t rank for.
Where to put them once you’ve picked
Finding keywords is half the job. Placing them is the other half.
On iOS: put your #1 keyword in the app name, your #2 and #3 in the subtitle, and fill the 100-character keyword field with single words separated by commas and no spaces. Never repeat a word across these fields, and use singular forms only.
On Google Play: lead the title with your main keyword, work your top terms into the short description, and use each important keyword a few times across the long description so it reads naturally. Google Play rewards reasonable repetition; stuffing gets you nowhere and reads badly to users.
Once your keywords are in place, check that the rest of your listing is pulling its weight too. You can run the whole thing through the free ReachFront ASO Score check to see where you stand.
Common questions
How do I find the best keywords for my app?
Build a list from how you’d describe your app, store autocomplete, and competitor listings, then keep the terms with decent search volume and low difficulty. Put your strongest keyword in your title, since that field carries the most ranking weight.
What is a good keyword difficulty for a new app?
Aim for difficulty below 50 and search volume above 30. That range has enough demand to be worth targeting but isn’t so competitive that a new app can’t break into the top results. Long-tail keywords usually sit comfortably in this range.
How many keywords should an app target?
Focus on a small set you can realistically rank for rather than a huge list. On iOS you have roughly 160 characters of keyword real estate across the title, subtitle, and keyword field, so every word has to earn its place.
What is the easiest way to do app store keyword research?
Use a tool that pulls search volume, difficulty, and competitor keywords automatically. ReachFront’s Keyword Research tool does this from your app or a seed keyword, so you skip the manual checking and go straight to the terms you can win.
Start with words people actually search
The right keywords are not the ones you like the sound of. They’re the ones real people type, that you can realistically rank for, placed where the stores weight them most. Build your list, check the volume and difficulty, and put your best word in your title. Do that and you’ve done more for your downloads than most apps ever do. When you’re ready to find your winnable keywords in minutes instead of an afternoon, ReachFront’s Keyword Research tool is the fastest place to start.