Keyphrases In The App Store Search: How The Search Engine Looks For Them?

This article was originally published on the WordData blog.

It’s rather common to find developers still struggling to figure out how the App Metadata fields relate to the App Store Search Engine.

It’s not their fault, it is indeed confusing. There are several fields to place a keyword once you’re on the app submit process: the App Name, the Description, the Keywords, In-App Purchases (IAP) display names and descriptions…

Eventually, every developer will face the keyphrase breaking dilemma: there are two keyphrases to focus on, but they share a word and one of them should be in the App Name. Should the developer repeat the keyword? Or place it only in the App Name or only in the Keywords field?

If you find yourself asking these questions every now and then, here’s a quick FAQ to understand what works and what doesn’t on the iOS App Store.

1. Which fields does the App Store Search Engine look for keywords?

The App Store Search Engine will look for keywords in the following fields:

App Name

Keywords

In-App Purchase Display Name

Publisher Name

2. How does the App Store Search Engine look for keyphrases?

The Search Engine will combine keywords from the App Name, Keywords, and Publisher name fields ONLY.

3. How does the Description influence the App Store Search Engine?

It doesn’t. Descriptions should be made keeping only download conversion in mind, with a compelling copy and call to action.

4. How does the In-App Purchase Display Name influence the search engine?

Words in the In-App Purchase Display Names are searchable if the search query is an exact match. Therefore, a search for “red car turbo” will display your app as a search result if it has an IAP called “Red Car Turbo,” but not if the IAP is called “Turbo Red Car.”

IAP Display names won’t be combined with other fields or other IAP Display Names.

5. Does it matter which field I place the keyword?

Yes, it does. Keywords placed on the App Name will receive more weight in the Search Results ranking algorithm, because Apple considers an app with the keyword in the App Name to be more relevant to the search than an app with the same keyword on the Keywords, IAP Display Name, or Publisher fields.

6. Does it matter what order I place the keywords on the fields?

It does. Exact matches on the App Name and Publisher Name will have more weight in the Search Results page algorithm. If the user is searching for “Red Car,” an app named “Red Car” will, not considering other ranking factors, appear above an app called “Car Red.”

For IAP Display Names, the app will ONLY appear as a result of exact matches.

Conclusion

It isn’t that hard once you learn it, but for first timers, filling in keywords is a confusing experience. Pay attention to how you distribute your keywords in the fields, since they will directly affect your app’s discoverability. When your app is published, look for blacklisted keywords.

If you want to learn more about Keyword Optimization (KWO) and App Store Optimization (ASO), keep tuned to the WordData blog!

Learn more about App Store Optimization (ASO) on the WordData blog.

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