ASOGrade
Storefront Localization Playbook

Localize App Store Keywords: United States to Canada

Playbook for expanding App Store keywords from United States to Canada. Covers secondary indexing rules, script expansion (1x), and metadata tips.

Cross-Storefront Blueprint & Indexing Rules

Expanding from United States to Canada shifts your primary keyword language from English to English. Text length maintains similar character length.

  • •Origin Market: United States (US)
  • •Destination Market: Canada (CA)
  • •Script Expansion Factor: 1x
  • •Secondary Indexing: Canada indexes English (Canada) and French (Canada). Notably, French (Canada) also indexes in the US App Store, giving US apps an extra 160 characters of indexing space!

Metadata Translation & Character Strategy

Title (30 chars)

Place the primary English high-demand search term in your 30-character App Title.

Subtitle (30 chars)

Reinforce secondary intent and benefits in English within 30 characters.

Keyword Field (100 chars)

Fill the 100-character keyword field with comma-separated, single root words in English without spaces after commas.

Localization Checklist

  • ✓Check Apple's secondary language indexing rules for Canada.
  • ✓Account for script expansion: Maintains similar character length when translating from English to English.
  • ✓Verify Apple Search Ads popularity for target keywords directly in the Canada storefront.
  • ✓Audit top-ranking local competitor subtitles in Canada before finalizing your 100-character field.

Cross-Market Indexing Rules & Script Density

When taking an app successful in United States into Canada, the biggest mistake is direct literal translation. Search intent is cultural, not purely grammatical.

Canada indexes English (Canada) and French (Canada). Notably, French (Canada) also indexes in the US App Store, giving US apps an extra 160 characters of indexing space!

Script expansion factor is 1x (Maintains similar character length). In a 30-character title limit, every character counts.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Canada

Take advantage of Canadian French to index supplementary English keywords for US users.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Apple automatically translate my keywords from United States for Canada?
No. Apple does not translate metadata across languages. If you do not provide dedicated English metadata, users searching in Canada will only find you if they type in English or if secondary indexing applies.
How do I verify search volume in Canada?
Use ASOGrade's Canada storefront selector. It reads Apple Search Ads demand scores calibrated directly to local search behavior in Canada.

Other Localization Playbooks

Score keywords for Canada

Analyze Apple Search Ads demand and difficulty for Canada directly in your browser.

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