How to Optimize Your Keywords List in App Store Connect

Here are some practical tips to optimize your keyword list effectively.

Last updated：10/18/2024

What you'll learn?

Tips for Optimizing Keywords

1. Split Search Terms into Single Words and Eliminate Duplication

2. Remove All Spaces

3. Don't Pluralize Words

4. Eliminate Stop Words

5. Don't Include App or Company Name or Category Name

6. Simplify Complicated Words

7. Use All 100 Characters

8. Bonus: Put Your Most Important Keywords Early

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When submitting your iOS or Mac app to the App Store, Apple requests a list of keywords to help determine when and where your app appears in search results. While this isn't the only factor in search visibility, it's crucial to maximize the impact of these keywords within the 100-character limit Apple provides. Here are some practical tips to optimize your keyword list effectively.

Tips for Optimizing Keywords

1. Split Search Terms into Single Words and Eliminate Duplication

Apple's algorithm can create combinations of search terms from individual keywords. Instead of entering full phrases like "buy sneakers," break them down into "buy" and "sneakers." This allows you to remove duplicates, as repeated words don't carry extra weight.

Example:

Original: shopping, sneakers, sneaker, shop, shopping app, buy sneakers, buy accessories, shoes, shop sneakers
Optimized: shopping, sneakers, shop, buy, accessories, shoes

2. Remove All Spaces

To save characters, eliminate spaces between keywords. Use commas to separate them, which Apple recognizes as distinct keywords.

Example:

Before: shopping, sneakers, shop, buy, accessories, shoes
After: shopping,sneakers,shop,buy,accessories,shoes

3. Don't Pluralize Words

Apple's algorithm understands plural forms, so avoid including them in your list, saving valuable character space.

Example:

Remove: sneakers
Result: shopping,sneaker,shop,buy,accessories,shoes

4. Eliminate Stop Words

Apple ignores certain generic words, known as "stop words," such as "app," "the," and "most." Removing them saves space without affecting search results.

Example:

Remove: app
Result: shopping,sneaker,shop,buy,accessories,shoes

5. Don't Include App or Company Name or Category Name

Apple already considers your app's name, developer's name, and category when generating keywords, so exclude these to conserve characters.

6. Simplify Complicated Words

Opt for simpler, shorter alternatives to complex words, as users prefer straightforward search terms.

7. Use All 100 Characters

After optimization, fill the remaining character space with additional relevant or similar keywords to increase your app's visibility.

8. Bonus: Put Your Most Important Keywords Early

Prioritize important keywords at the beginning of your list, as they carry more weight in Apple's algorithm compared to those at the end.

Optimizing your keyword list in App Store Connect is essential for enhancing your app's visibility. By following these tips, you can make the most of the limited character space and improve your app's chances of being discovered by users.

English Stop Words for ASO

Avoid using the following stop words in your keyword list, as they are ignored by Apple:

<a, about, above, after, again, against, all, am, an, and, any, app, are, aren't, as, at, be, because, been, before, being, below, between, both, but, by, can't, cannot, could, couldn't, did, didn't, do, does, doesn't, doing, don't, down, during, each, few, for, from, further, had, hadn't, has, hasn't, have, haven't, having, he, he'd, he'll, he's, her, here, here's, hers, herself, him, himself, his, how, how's, i, i'd, i'll, i'm, i've, if, in, into, is, isn't, it, it's, its, itself, let's, me, more, most, mustn't, my, myself, no, nor, not, of, off, on, once, only, or, other, ought, our, ours, ourselves, out, over, own, same, shan't, she, she'd, she'll, she's, should, shouldn't, so, some, such, than, that, that's, the, their, theirs, them, themselves, then, there, there's, these, they, they'd, they'll, they're, they've, this, those, through, to, too, under, until, up, very, was, wasn't, we, we'd, we'll, we're, we've, were, weren't, what, what's, when, when's, where, where's, which, while, who, who's, whom, why, why's, with, won't, would, wouldn't, you, you'd, you'll, you're, you've, your, yours, yourself, yourselves>

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