ASO Keywords
Your entire search surface lives in 160 indexed characters per locale: 30 (Name) + 30 (Subtitle) + 100 (Keywords field).
Indexing rules
- Don't repeat words between Name/Subtitle/Keyword field — Apple deduplicates
- Comma-separated, no spaces in Keywords (
fitness,workout,healthnotfitness, workout, health) — every space wasted - No hashtags, no plurals if singular present — Apple stems both
- Promotional Text not indexed but editable any time (use for launches, sales)
- Description not indexed since 2017 (but converts; first 3 lines do 80%)
- Screenshot caption text indexed since mid-2025 (use real keywords)
Free keyword research stack
- Apple Search Ads keyword recommendations — actual search volume from ASA dashboard (most underused free tool)
- App Store autocomplete — type seed word into App Store search, harvest dropdown. KeywordTool.io and AppTweak free suggester automate
- RapidNative — free, no signup, AI-suggested low-competition keywords
- Reddit —
site:reddit.com [your category]reveals user language - X/Twitter search — competitor complaints in user's exact phrases
Paid tiers
| Tool | Entry price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| AppFigures | $9.99/mo | Cheapest serious tool, real-time tracking |
| MobileAction Lite | $15/mo | Strong ASA insights |
| AppTweak | $69/mo | Best keyword volume accuracy + Atlas AI |
| Sensor Tower | Sales-only | Enterprise — skip for indies |
For solo founders: AppFigures + free stack covers 90%.
Distribution example
Bad (repetition wastes slots):
Name: FitTrack: Fitness Workout Logger Subtitle: Workout Tracker for Fitness Goals Keywords: fitness,workout,tracker,gym
17 distinct terms? Actually 6 (heavy repetition).
Good:
Name: FitTrack: Workout Logger Subtitle: Gym Plans & Meal Tracker Keywords: fitness,nutrition,calorie,routine,strength,cardio,health,exercise
~13 distinct terms across 90 chars used.
Reference
references/04-discovery-listing.md


