Keyword (App Store)

A search query is what a person types, such as "habit tracker". A keyword entry is a term you give Apple in metadata. The goal is to make your entries cover the queries you want.

Apple states an app is searchable by its app name, subtitle, keywords and company name. The primary category is also part of text relevance. Only the keyword field is hidden from customers. Rules for entries: separate terms with commas and no spaces, make each longer than two characters, and stay inside 100 bytes.

1. Relevant. It describes what your app really does. Irrelevant terms are prohibited.
2. Searched. Enough people type it; see search volume.
3. Winnable. The top 10 is not out of reach; see keyword difficulty.
4. Not already covered. It does not repeat a word in the name, subtitle or category.

For a hypothetical habit tracker, "streak" and "routine" are short entries that may be queried alone or inside longer phrases such as "morning routine". Both are three or more characters, so they are valid entries.

LocalASO's volume and difficulty for a keyword are 0 to 100 estimates from rating counts, not Apple search counts. Use them to compare terms, not as precise numbers.

Follow the keyword research guide and use long-tail keywords when head terms are too competitive.