Keyword research: which words to play for

Keyword research rests on one question: what word does a person type when looking for your app? Note — not the word you use, the word they use. The two are often different.

You say "transcription", the student types "voice to text". You say "productivity", the user types "to do list". Half of keyword research is finding that translation.

Every keyword is judged on three dimensions:

• Relevance — will someone typing this word be happy with your app? This is the most important one
• Volume — how many people search the word
• Difficulty — who is already there and how strong they are

For a new app the rule is simple: relevance first, difficulty second, volume third. Ranking 200th for a high-volume word is zero traffic; ranking 3rd for a low-volume word is real users.

Where to find keywords. Sources that work without paid tools:

• The store's own autocomplete. Type the beginning of a word into search and see what it suggests. Those suggestions come from real searches — the cheapest and most reliable source there is
• Competitors' names and subtitles. They have already done the research; the result is out in the open
• Competitors' reviews. Users describe the problem in their own words — their vocabulary, not yours
• Your own customer interviews. The answer to "what do you call this?"
• Wherever your ICP gathers — Reddit threads, Telegram groups, TikTok comments

Apple's documentation also gives concrete advice on keyword choice: avoid plurals ("climb" and "climbs" count as duplicates), avoid overly broad terms like "app", do not write filler words like "the" and "to". All of these waste part of the limited 100 characters.