How to Avoid Keyword Stuffing and Metadata Rejection

Apple's product page guidance lists what not to use in keywords (Apple: product page):

• Unauthorized trademarked terms, celebrity names and other protected words and phrases
• Terms that are not relevant to the app
• Competing app names
• Irrelevant, inappropriate, offensive or objectionable terms

Guideline 2.3.7 adds that developers should choose a unique name and not pack metadata with trademarked terms, popular app names, pricing information or other irrelevant phrases, and that Apple may modify inappropriate keywords at any time or take other steps to prevent abuse (Apple: App Review Guidelines).

Dense is fine when each word is a distinct, accurate description of your app. Stuffing repeats the same word or reaches for terms that do not describe the app.

1. Keyword field. No competitor names, trademarks, celebrity names or irrelevant terms; see competitor names in keywords.
2. Name. Unique, within 30 characters, with no pricing and no popular app names.
3. Subtitle. Accurate, with no references to other apps and no unverifiable claims.
4. Description. Apple advises against adding unnecessary keywords to try to improve search; see does the description affect search.
5. Promotional text. It does not affect search ranking, so do not use it for keywords (answer).
6. Platform words. Guideline 2.3.10 prohibits names, icons or imagery of other mobile platforms or alternative app marketplaces in metadata unless approved functionality is involved.
7. Kids terms. "For Kids" and "For Children" are reserved for the Kids Category (Guideline 2.3.8).

1. Read the rejection message for the exact field and guideline number.
2. Remove the named terms and anything similar, not only the one example Apple quoted.
3. Respond through App Store Connect the way the rejection message asks, saying what you changed.
4. Keep a copy of the old and new text with the date, so you can read the rank effect later; see tracking rankings.

A field full of terms that do not match your app wastes bytes, and users who arrive by the wrong term do not convert. Apple lists user behavior with text relevance as search factors, so stuffing works against you even before review. See spotting dead keywords.

Most metadata problems are not deliberate. A competitor name pasted from a keyword tool, a trademark inside a longer phrase, a year or price left in the name, or a keyword list copied from another app are typical. Before each submission, read the final text as the reviewer would: does every word describe this app, and does anything point to another company? Ten minutes of reading is cheaper than a rejection cycle.

Check bytes and repeats with the free keyword field checker. LocalASO prepares drafts for App Store Connect upload and never submits an app for review, so you read and approve every field yourself. See the App Store Connect docs and the keyword stuffing glossary entry.