App Store Keyword Research: Build a Useful Keyword Map

By Gabriel Machuret · Editorial methodology

Start with the job your app performs

Write the problem the app solves in the words a potential user would use before knowing its name. Gather candidates from support questions, interviews, reviews and relevant competing listings. Record where each candidate came from. A keyword map is a decision record, not a spreadsheet made impressive by its size. A term only belongs on the shortlist if the current product can fulfill its promise.

Inspect intent in the target storefront

Look at the apps shown for a candidate query in the market you care about. Are they solving the same problem? If the results are dominated by a different use case, investigate before using the term. Keep brand and generic searches separate. Your own brand can behave very differently from a category term. Do not assume that a term popular on the web has the same demand inside either store.

Label your evidence

Record the store, language, market, observation date, current position if measured, competing results and business relevance. If a provider supplies demand or difficulty scores, keep the provider name and label those values as estimates. Missing data is not zero demand. A public competitor listing also does not expose its private keyword field or conversion performance.

Prioritize before writing

Reject irrelevant candidates first. Then compare business relevance, evidence of demand and the practical strength of competing apps. A focused term serving a valuable use case can be more useful than a broad aspirational phrase. Keep the rationale: why this term, for this app, in this market, now? Revisit assumptions when product capabilities or search results change.

Map terms into readable metadata

Draft the name and supporting fields as customer-facing communication. Use the keyword-field builder for formatting and overlap checks on iOS, not for automated strategy. It cannot tell you which candidate will convert. After publishing, record the exact changes and review performance alongside source mix and other releases. A position change alone does not prove incremental business value.

A worked example

Illustrative example: Trail Notes is a private hiking journal, not a navigation app. “Hiking journal” describes the product; “offline trail navigation” would mislead people unless routing exists. Rejecting that second term is a better decision than targeting it because a tool shows a large demand score.

Your next steps

• Create columns for query, intent, relevance, source, date, market and next action.
• Reject at least one attractive but irrelevant term.
• Draft a shortlist with a written reason for every inclusion.
• Map the shortlist to fields and keep a copy of the old listing.

Explore the full ASO guide library, including a plain explanation of what ASO services really are, reviews of every named agency, and the country-by-country guide.

Sources and platform guidance

Platform documentation checked 29 September 2026. Console features and requirements can change; verify the applicable settings before publishing.

• Apple: app discovery and search
• Apple: platform version information