How to research App Store keywords
Start with relevance, then compare the search results and your ability to compete.
1. Write down the user's problem.
List the words someone would use when they need your app—not only the words in your current title. Include a few specific phrases as well as broader category terms.
2. Compare demand and competition.
Look at estimated popularity and difficulty together. A high-popularity term may be hard to win, while a narrow phrase with less competition may be more useful to a new app.
These scores are estimates. They do not reveal exact search volume or guarantee a ranking.
3. Open the results.
Check the apps ranking for each term. Ask whether your app solves the same problem and whether the results are dominated by established brands. Repeat this for the storefronts that matter to you.
4. Track a small shortlist.
Save the most relevant candidates and watch your position over time. Compare the same country and term after a metadata update, but remember that rankings can move for reasons outside your edit.
A quick example
Suppose you make a focus timer. Start with terms that describe its core job, such as “focus timer” and “pomodoro timer,” then add narrower phrases that match a real feature. Open the results for each term and note how closely the leading apps match yours. A term is not a good target just because its estimated popularity is high; it also needs the right intent and a result set where your app belongs.
Keep a short list with the keyword, country, current rank, and reason you chose it. After an App Store listing change, check that same list again over several observations rather than judging the change from one search.