How to Fix the App Store Keyword Field

App Store gives 100 characters in a hidden keyword field (not visible to users, only indexed). Google Play has no equivalent — Play indexes from the long description instead. Common mistakes: spaces between keywords (wasted), plurals (Apple already handles), duplication with title/subtitle. The fix is comma-separated efficiency. See title and subtitle guides for the visible fields.

1. The 100-character field rules

Format:   comma-separated, no spaces
          "crm,lead,sales,pipeline,deal,tracker,manager"

Apple algorithm:
  - Single-word indexing (combines title + subtitle + keyword field words)
  - Plurals auto-handled (don't add both "lead" and "leads")
  - Stop words stripped ("a", "and", "the" wasted)
  - Synonyms NOT auto-handled (add "manager" AND "tool" if both relevant)

What NOT to waste characters on:
  - Spaces between keywords (use commas only)
  - Plurals (Apple stems)
  - Words already in title or subtitle
  - Your brand name (always indexed)
  - Category name (auto-indexed via category)

2. Word selection strategy

Pick words that:
  - Have search volume in your category
  - Aren't already covered in title + subtitle
  - Match user intent (informational, transactional)
  - Combine well with title words for multi-word queries

Example:
  Title: "Acme: CRM & Lead Tracker"
  Subtitle: "Sales pipeline manager"
  Already covered: acme, crm, lead, tracker, sales, pipeline, manager
  
  Keyword field (100c):
  "deal,prospect,contact,follow,task,reminder,team,small,business,b2b,saas"
  → New coverage: deal, prospect, contact, follow, task, reminder, etc.
  → Combined with title: "small business CRM", "B2B sales tool", "deal tracker"

3. Localisation = multiplier

Each App Store locale has its OWN 100-character keyword field. You're not limited to 100c global — you have 100c × number of locales. UK English, US English, German, Spanish, French each independent.

Aggressive ASO: research keywords per locale, fill all 100c per locale
This can 3-5x your keyword footprint across markets.

4. Apple algorithm specifics

• Stems plurals: "lead" covers "leads"
• Does NOT stem variations: "manage" doesn't cover "manager", "managing"
• Combines fields: any combination of words from title + subtitle + keyword field matches multi-word queries
• No fuzzy match: "tracking" doesn't cover "tracker"

5. Google Play long description equivalent

Play has no keyword field. Instead Play indexes the long description (4000c). Best practice: use target keywords 2-3 times in long description, in natural prose. Don't keyword stuff — Play's algorithm penalises density above ~3-4%.

6. Iterate based on ranking data

Monthly:
  - Check rank for each target keyword
  - Identify keywords where you're 50+ position (probably won't rank)
  - Replace with higher-potential keywords
  - Track 12-month rank trends

Long-tail keywords often outperform popular ones:
  "small business CRM" (rank 5, decent traffic) beats
  "CRM" (rank 80, no traffic)