Should App Store keywords be single words or phrases?

Single words, separated by commas with no spaces. Apple combines words across your title, subtitle and keyword field to build phrases, so "coin,identifier,value,scanner" can rank for "coin identifier" and "coin value scanner" — while writing out full phrases repeats words and wastes characters.

Do words in the title need to be repeated in the keyword field?

No — repeating them is one of the most common wasted-character mistakes. Title and subtitle words are already indexed, and at a higher weight than the keyword field. Every repeated word is characters that could have carried a new term.

Does the App Store description affect keyword rankings?

On the iOS App Store, no — the description has zero ranking effect. It matters for conversion once someone reads your page. What ranks you is the title (30 characters), subtitle (30) and the hidden keyword field (100).

FunnelHound / Guides / Keyword field mistakes

App Store keyword field mistakes that waste your 100 characters

By Emin — indie iOS developer building FunnelHound · Published 11 aug. 2026

Apple gives you a hidden 100-character keyword field — and most developers burn a third of it. The rule that changes everything: Apple combines single words across your title, subtitle and keyword field into phrases. So full phrases, repeated words and title duplicates add zero rank and cost real characters.

How Apple actually reads the field

Three fields rank you in App Store search: title (30 characters), subtitle (30) and the keyword field (100) — title heaviest, keyword field lightest. Apple treats all three as one pool of words and builds search phrases by combining them: title "Focus" plus keyword "timer" ranks you for "focus timer" without that phrase appearing anywhere. Format: single words, separated by commas, no spaces — a space after a comma is a wasted character, and the field is per-locale, one language per field.

The seven mistakes

1. Writing full phrases. "coin identifier, coin value scanner, coin collector" spends "coin" three times. "coin,identifier,value,scanner,collector" ranks for all the same phrases and more, in half the space.
2. Repeating title or subtitle words. They're already indexed — at higher weight. Every duplicate is a free keyword you didn't ship.
3. Spaces after commas. Cosmetic in a text field, expensive in a 100-character budget.
4. Articles, prepositions, "app". "the", "of", "for", "app" — Apple ignores or auto-covers these. Pure padding.
5. Singular and plural of the same word. Apple matches most plurals; pick the version searchers type and keep the characters.
6. Your own app name and category. You already rank for your name, and the category name is the most contested word in your niche doing the least work.
7. Leaving characters unused. The field should be exactly full. 88 of 100 used is 12 characters of reach donated to competitors.

What doesn't rank at all

Save yourself the folklore: on the iOS App Store, the description has zero ranking effect — it's conversion copy for humans, not the index. Promotional text doesn't rank. And the persistent myth that screenshot captions are indexed refuses to die: screenshots move conversion and (in search results) tap-through, never keyword rank. If a listing outranks you, it's winning in title, subtitle and keywords — the whole buffet is those three fields.

Shipping it, and knowing if it worked

Keyword field changes go out with a version submission, and new metadata takes 2–4 weeks to index — so baseline your search impressions before you submit, note the date, and resist re-swapping before week six. The full measurement discipline is in how to tell if your ASO change worked: the short version is that a keyword fix shows up as a step change in search impressions, and nowhere else first.

Watching the after, not just shipping the before

FunnelHound doesn't pick your keywords — it tells you whether the ones you picked did anything. Impressions → installs → purchases from App Store Connect, on your iPhone, with a milestone marked on the day you shipped the new field. The 100 characters are your bet; the funnel is the scoreboard.

See if your keyword changes actually moved impressions

FunnelHound tracks your funnel from App Store Connect and shows what changed since you shipped — no spreadsheet, no vibes.

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Data notes: field character limits and comma formatting per Apple's App Store Connect documentation as of 2026. Word-combining behavior across fields and the zero-ranking description are consistent, widely replicated practitioner findings — Apple does not publish its search algorithm. Indexing windows are directional.