App Store Metadata Fields That Actually Affect Search Ranking

The four fields that matter for search

Apple indexes four main text fields for App Store search: the App Name (30 characters), the Subtitle (30 characters), the Keyword Field (100 characters), and the Developer Name (variable). The Long Description, Promotional Text, and What's New sections are visible on the product page but are not indexed for keyword search on iOS.

This is different from Google Play, where the full description is indexed and often a major driver of keyword coverage. App Store keyword strategy must work within the 160 combined characters of name, subtitle, and keyword field — everything else is product page conversion copy, not ranking fuel.

Understanding this constraint is the foundation of App Store keyword strategy. Every character in the name, subtitle, and keyword field is a deliberate choice. There is no equivalent of 'write a long article and naturally include your keywords' — the field limits force explicit prioritization.

App Name: highest weight, most visible

The app name is the highest-weight metadata field for keyword ranking. A keyword in the app name ranks better for that term than the same keyword appearing only in the subtitle or keyword field. The app name is also the most visible element in search results — it's the largest text users see when deciding whether to tap.

The name has 30 characters. For most apps, the brand name alone takes 5-15 characters, leaving room for one keyword or short phrase. The common format is 'Brand Name: Category Keyword' or 'Brand Name – Keyword Phrase'. Examples: 'Headspace: Mindfulness & Sleep', 'Calm: Sleep & Meditation', 'Things 3: Personal Task Manager'.

What to put in the name: your single most important keyword — the term that best describes your app's function and has the highest popularity you can reasonably include without damaging brand legibility. Don't keyword-stuff the name; a name that reads as spam converts poorly regardless of how well it ranks.

Subtitle: second-weight, user-visible

The subtitle appears below the app name in search results and on the product page. It is indexed for search at the second-highest weight, below the name but above the keyword field. It is also user-visible, which means it serves both ranking (keyword coverage) and conversion (explaining the app's value).

The subtitle's dual role — algorithm food and human pitch — makes it the most strategically nuanced field. A subtitle that is legible and compelling to human readers while also including 2-3 high-value keywords delivers the best combined outcome. A subtitle that is just a list of keywords ranks for those terms but may reduce conversion because it reads as noise.

Best approach: write the subtitle as a value proposition sentence that naturally includes your second and third most important keywords. 'Daily Habit Tracker & Streak Counter' includes 'daily', 'habit', 'tracker', 'streak', and 'counter' without reading as a keyword list.

Keyword Field: volume coverage, algorithm only

The keyword field is 100 characters of comma-separated words that only the algorithm sees — users never read it. This makes it the right place for pure keyword coverage: terms that extend your search footprint but that you wouldn't put in the visible name or subtitle for legibility reasons.

Key rules for the keyword field: (1) No spaces between words in a phrase — 'habit,tracker' not 'habit tracker'. Each word is indexed individually; the comma separates entries. (2) No words already in your name or subtitle — they're already indexed. (3) No brand names of specific apps or companies you're not affiliated with — this is against Apple's guidelines. (4) No stop words (a, the, for, of) — they're not indexed.

Use the 100 characters for: competitor category terms, use-case synonyms, alternate phrasings of your core function, secondary features, and relevant adjacent terms. For an international app, the keyword field can contain terms in multiple languages (the languages of the storefronts you're targeting) — Apple indexes each separately.

Developer Name: minor but real

The developer name (the name shown under the app name in search results) is indexed for search, though at lower weight than the other fields. Some developers choose a developer name that includes category keywords: 'Budget Apps Studio' rather than a person's name.

This is a minor optimization compared to the name, subtitle, and keyword field, and the developer name is shared across all your apps — changing it to optimize for one app's keywords may hurt the others. For most developers, focusing the optimization effort on the three primary fields is the right priority.