Search popularity (Apple Ads)

• It is displayed as a number from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most popular.
• It is designed to help advertisers learn which keywords in search results campaigns might be most important for promoting their app.

Apple does not describe it as a count of searches, and the statements above do not explain how the value is calculated. A 4 therefore means "relatively popular" within Apple's scale, not a specific number of searches.

Search volume is a general term for how many searches a keyword gets. Because no exact count exists for organic App Store search, third-party tools use estimates. LocalASO's volume and difficulty are 0 to 100 estimates derived from the rating counts of the apps ranking for a keyword, not Apple search counts. A 1-to-5 scale is coarse; a 0-100 scale separates more terms but is still an estimate.

A hypothetical habit tracker sees "habit tracker" at 5 and "morning routine checklist" at 2 in Apple Ads. The first is popular but crowded. The second is a long-tail keyword: few searches per term, but those searchers know what they want. Compare the two with keyword difficulty before choosing.

• Reading a low score as a zero. Apple scales relatively, so a 1 can still be a real search.
• Using a paid-search signal as proof of organic ranking potential. Apple states it supports search results campaigns.

Follow the keyword research guide to combine popularity, volume, difficulty and relevance.

Ad placements are described under Apple Ads and search results ads.