Should brand come first or last?

Brand first when brand is well-known (people search for it). Keyword first when brand is unknown (you need keyword exposure). For most apps starting out, keyword first works better; established apps lead with brand.

Can I change my app title?

Yes, both stores allow it. Apple reviews changes; Google approves automatically. Plan for 24-72h review on Apple. Don't change too often — store algorithms penalise instability.

Does the title affect organic search?

Yes — highest-weighted ASO factor. A relevant keyword in the title can lift category rank 5-20 positions. Conversely, removing the keyword can drop rankings sharply.

What about title length on App Store?

30 characters hard limit. Apple truncates with ellipsis in search results around 25 characters depending on device. Front-load the most important keyword.

How to Fix Your App Store Title

App title is the highest-weighted ASO factor. App Store gives 30 characters; Google Play gives 50. Bad patterns: brand alone (loses keyword opportunity), keyword stacking (Apple rejection risk), generic descriptors (no differentiation). The fix is brand + one primary keyword pattern, properly localised, A/B tested. See the App Audit hub for the full ASO program.

1. Character limits by store

App Store:    30 characters
Google Play:  50 characters
Both:         brand + benefit keyword pattern works
              symbols (• – :) eat characters; use sparingly

2. The brand + keyword formula

Bad:        "Acme"                              (brand only, no keyword)
Bad:        "Acme - Best CRM Sales Pipeline Lead Tracker Tool" (stacking, rejection risk)
Good (iOS): "Acme: CRM & Lead Tracker"          (30c)
Good (Play): "Acme: CRM, Lead Tracker & Sales Pipeline" (50c)

Pattern: Brand : Primary Keyword + Secondary
The primary keyword is what users search for your category.

3. Find your primary keyword

Tools to research (varies by region):
  - App Store Connect (Apple) — search popularity
  - Google Play Console — keyword reports
  - Third-party: Sensor Tower, Data.ai, AppTweak, AppFollow

For each candidate:
  - Search popularity (volume)
  - Chance you rank (your authority vs competitors)
  - Conversion intent (does the keyword match what your app does)

Pick the keyword that maximises (volume × chance × intent).

4. Avoid Apple rejection patterns

Don't use competitor brand names (trademark risk)
Don't stack 5+ keywords with dashes
Don't claim "#1" or "Best" without evidence
Don't use platform names ("for iPhone") unless required
Don't reuse same keyword in title and subtitle (waste)
Don't include pricing ("Free", "Premium")

5. Localisation

Each locale gets its own title (App Store / Play both support).
Don't use machine translation — keyword research differs per market:
  US:    "Lead Tracker"        common, high-volume
  UK:    "Lead Tracker"        common but lower volume
  DE:    "Vertriebs-Tracker"   would research locally
  ES:    "Gestor de leads"     would research locally

Per-locale ASO drives non-English market growth 2-4x.

6. A/B test title changes

App Store Connect (iOS 15+) and Google Play Console both support title experiments. Run for minimum 7 days to clear weekly variance. Look at install-per-impression conversion, not just downloads. Title changes can have negative impact even when the change "looks better".

💡 Title carries the highest keyword weight in both stores. One well-researched keyword in the title beats 5 in the keyword field. Pick the one keyword you most need to rank for; build the title around it; localise; test.

📱 Run App Store Audit

Get full ASO recommendations across title, subtitle, screenshots.

Run App Audit →