ASO
without the folklore.

Where the two stores index text

Apple and Google build their search indexes from different fields, and knowing which is which stops you wasting your best words.

Apple indexes the app name, the subtitle, and a hidden 100 character keyword field. It does not index the description. Anything you write in the description is for humans only, and putting keywords there does nothing for ranking.

Google indexes the app title, the short description, and the full description. It works more like web search, so repetition across those fields carries weight, and the description genuinely matters for ranking.

That single difference explains most bad advice you will read. Guidance written for Play told to an iOS developer produces a keyword-stuffed description that changes nothing.

Using Apple's 100 characters properly

The keyword field is the most misused box in App Store Connect. The rules that actually help:

• Comma separated, no spaces. A space after a comma wastes a character, and you only get 100.
• Never repeat a word already in your app name or subtitle. Apple combines the fields, so repetition is a wasted slot.
• Singular only. Apple handles simple plurals, so "task" covers "tasks".
• Skip your category name and the word "app". You are already in the category and every app is an app.
• Skip competitor brand names. It is a rejection risk and increasingly filtered.

Apple also builds phrases across your fields, so individual words combine into multi-word searches without you spending characters on the phrase itself.

Naming the app

Thirty characters, and it is the strongest ranking signal you control. The common pattern is Brand: primary keyword, for example "Streaks: Habit Tracker". It keeps the brand first for people searching by name and puts your highest-value term where it counts.

Resist stuffing. "Habit Tracker Daily Routine Goal Planner Checklist" ranks worse than it looks like it should, reads as spam to a human deciding whether to tap, and risks a metadata rejection. One strong term is enough.

Picking terms worth ranking for

The instinct is to chase the biggest search term in your category. For a small app that is usually the one term you cannot win, and ranking eleventh for a huge keyword sends less traffic than ranking second for a specific one.

Look for terms where the intent is narrow and the wording is how a person would actually phrase it. "Habit tracker" is contested. "Habit tracker for couples" is not, and someone typing it knows precisely what they want. Specific terms also convert far better, because the visitor already believes your app might be the answer.

Check what you already rank for before adding anything. Both consoles report the search terms bringing you impressions, and that data beats any keyword tool because it is about your app.

Ratings are part of ranking

Both stores factor rating and review volume into search placement, which makes review prompts an ASO lever and not just a support one. Ask after a success moment inside the app rather than on launch, and use the native prompt so it respects the platform limits.

Volume matters as much as average. An app with 4.5 stars from 800 reviews generally outranks one with 5.0 from 12.

What to do first

1. Fix the app name. One brand term, one keyword.
2. Write the subtitle or short description as a benefit, not a feature list.
3. Fill Apple's keyword field with no repeats and no wasted spaces.
4. Write a Play description a person would read, with your terms in the first two lines.
5. Then go and work on the screenshots, which is where conversion is won.