What's the difference between keyword popularity and App Store charts?
Keyword popularity measures search demand for a specific term; App Store charts (Top Free, Top Paid, category rankings) measure an app's overall download and revenue momentum, independent of any single search query.
An app can chart highly in its category from broad marketing, virality, or a feature by Apple, while still being invisible for a specific keyword search if its metadata doesn't target that term. The two measure different things: general momentum versus specific search-term demand.
For keyword research purposes, chart position is a weak proxy at best. Popularity, sourced from Apple Search Ads demand data, is the direct measure of how many people are actually typing a given term into search.
Go deeper
More quick answers
- Does keyword order matter in the App Store keyword field?No. Apple's search algorithm treats the 100-character keyword field as an unordered set of terms separated by commas, not a ranked or read left-to-right list.Read the answer
- How many keywords should I target in one App Store update?Most apps fit 10-20 distinct keyword terms across title, subtitle, and the 100-character keyword field once you account for character limits — there's no fixed 'right number' beyond what those three fields can physically hold.Read the answer
- Does changing my App Store keywords reset my ranking?No. There's no ranking 'reset' penalty for updating keywords — your app simply stops ranking for terms it no longer targets and becomes eligible to rank for the new ones once Apple re-indexes the update.Read the answer
- Can I use a competitor's app name as a keyword?Apple generally allows a competitor's name in your keyword field (not your title or subtitle), though Apple can and does reject specific cases, and it carries real trademark risk you should weigh before doing it.Read the answer
- Should I include both plural and singular versions of the same keyword?Usually no — Apple's search matches singular and plural forms of common English words to each other, so including both in a 100-character field just wastes characters you could spend on a different term.Read the answer
- Does running Apple Search Ads improve my organic App Store ranking?Indirectly, yes — a 2026 academic study found paid installs produce a real positive spillover to organic installs, estimated around 2.2 organic installs per $100 of ad spend, operating through a ranking mechanism rather than direct favoritism.Read the answer
Check it against your own keywords
Paste your candidate list and read real popularity, difficulty, and competing app count in seconds.
Get started