The primary way people discover new apps is by searching the app store via "App Store Search". Strategies for effective app store keyword research.
As competition in the app store intensifies, for many new apps, securing growth and standing out in app store search results requires a thorough understanding of target users’ needs.
Continually identifying valuable keywords that reflect users’ search intentions is a crucial step in enhancing your app’s visibility in the app store.
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With over 3 million apps available in the two major app marketplaces, the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the primary way users discover new apps is through the "App Store Search".
Approximately 65% of users find and download apps via app store searches. Nearly half of this search traffic comes from generic searches, meaning these users search using general industry keywords to express their needs, rather than specific brand names.
👉 Related reading >>> Keyword Research: Brand vs Generic Keywords For App Store Search Traffic & App Visibility
To ensure your app or game appears in specific searches, you must include relevant keywords in your app’s metadata. During the App Store Optimisation (ASO) process, incorporating valuable keywords into the title, subtitle, long description, and keyword fields is essential. This helps the app store algorithm rank your app higher.
How do you begin keyword research and compile a "keyword collection"?
After completing market analysis and defining your user persona, the next step is to organise user needs and brainstorm keywords that might reflect their various requirements.
List keywords or phrases you believe your target users might search to find your app. You can also utilise keyword suggestions from tools or review the app names and descriptions on competitors’ app store product pages.
Numerous ASO tools are available today to streamline this process, making it quicker and more comprehensive.
As a starting point for keyword research, examine the keywords targeted by top apps in your category within their metadata. This research can reveal the most relevant keywords identified by the marketing teams behind these apps, providing insights for your own app.
To uncover new keyword ideas, delve into your competitors’ ASO strategies. This can provide a wealth of new keyword opportunities and insights into what works for them and what doesn’t.
You can use third-party platforms or tools to monitor your competitors’ traffic keywords, identifying which keywords achieve high rankings and their contribution to traffic. This helps pinpoint keywords worth investing in.
This can be a major source of inspiration for your keyword list. Competitors running Advanced Apple Search Ads campaigns likely conducted extensive research to identify relevant keywords for their ads. Using an ASO tool, you can uncover this information and build a comprehensive keyword pool quickly.
When building your keyword list, start with the most relevant keywords for your app. However, the most valuable keywords are often those you’ve overlooked. Researching your competitors’ keywords to find those they rank for, but your app does not, can uncover missed opportunities.
Reviewing your app’s ranked keywords is vital for your ASO strategy and can reveal untapped keyword opportunities. This process can identify keywords you haven’t targeted in your metadata but for which your app is ranking. Adding these to your metadata can boost your rankings further.
💡 Expert Tips: ASOWorld offers free ASO tools that provide comprehensive keyword data, greatly aiding your keyword research. For detailed guidance, read the article
>>> How to Conduct Keyword Research & Increase App Visibility at ASOWorld?
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Using Google and Apple’s Auto-Suggest features, you can explore auto-complete keywords directly from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This is a powerful tool for identifying the keywords users most frequently search for in the app store.
Seasonal events or new game launches can significantly influence app store search behaviour. When relevant to your app, these high-volume keywords can drive substantial visibility.
💡 Expert Tips: Take the current excitement around UEFA EURO 2024 as an example. Major sporting events like this can significantly influence search trends. For more insights on capitalising on such opportunities, read our article
>>> Sports Betting App: How to Capitalise on UEFA EURO 2024 in the Gaming Season
To aid content discovery, Apple now ranks curated lists and stories in search results. The keywords chosen for these stories are often closely related to the featured apps, offering inspiration for new ASO ideas and tactics. An advanced ASO tool like FoxData can help uncover these insights.
The aim of keyword research is to identify as many relevant keywords as possible, and your app’s user reviews are a rich source of descriptive words. Users, particularly those who leave positive reviews, often describe your app in their own words. Some may align with your expectations, while others may offer new phrases to optimise for.
Don’t overlook long-tail keyword combinations. These often have lower search volume but also lower difficulty scores, making them easier to rank for.
⚡ More details about How to Choose the Best Keywords for Your App?
Creating a semantic dictionary is a key part of keyword research, but it’s only one step. After compiling a preliminary list of keywords, you need to filter them to identify the most strategic terms and phrases that will maximise organic downloads and improve your ranking through successful ASO.
To select the most relevant keywords for your metadata, consider:
• Keyword Relevance
• Keyword Metrics
The first factor to consider when selecting keywords for your metadata is relevance. Target only keywords that accurately describe your app’s functionality. This leads to higher-quality downloads, more engaged users, and better rankings for relevant keywords compared to generic ones.
This is because both app stores aim to deliver the best user experience by displaying apps that match the user’s search intent.
Once you’ve refined your semantic dictionary and removed irrelevant keywords, ASOWorld’s Keyword Metrics can help you determine which keywords are worth targeting.
• Volume or Search Popularity - an indicator of a keyword’s popularity in searches, rated between 5 and 100. A score closer to 100 indicates frequent use in app store searches.
• Difficulty - a score reflecting the level of competition for a keyword. A high difficulty score means many strong apps rank for that keyword, making it harder to break into the top 10.
• Chance - an indicator estimating how likely your app is to rank in the top 10 for a keyword if included in your metadata.
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