When people talk about ASO title, subtitle and keyword combinations, they are describing one practical problem: you have three small text fields on the App Store, and every word you want to be found for has to live in one of them. This article gives you a planning method for deciding which word goes where, based on what Apple publishes about how its search works, with a clear line between what Apple documents and what is only common practice.
What Apple says about the three fields
Apple's App Store search guidance states that search results are based on a number of factors, including text relevance, which it defines as matches for your app's title, subtitle, keywords and primary category, as well as user behavior such as downloads and ratings and reviews.
That one sentence gives us the structure for everything below:
| Field | Limit (per Apple) | Read by visitors? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| App name (title) | 30 characters | Yes | Apple says the name plays a critical role in how users discover an app |
| Subtitle | 30 characters | Yes | Appears below the name throughout the App Store |
| Keywords | 100 characters in total | Not as a list; written for matching | Comma-separated, no spaces between terms |
| Primary category | One primary, one optional secondary | Yes | Apple says primary and optional secondary categories are indexed |
Two further points from Apple shape the plan. First, Apple tells publishers not to repeat words that already appear in the app name, subtitle or category when filling in the keyword field. Second, Apple states that promotional text does not affect search ranking, so it is not a place to put keywords.
What Apple does not say
Apple does not publish how its ranking system weighs the name against the subtitle against the keywords, and it does not publish how words from different fields are combined into phrases. A common working assumption in ASO is that a searcher's multi-word query can be matched by words spread across the name, subtitle and keyword field. That assumption is the reason the planning method below puts each word in only one field, but Apple has not confirmed it. Treat it as something to test on your own app rather than a rule.
The planning method
Step 1: Write the target phrases
List the two-to-four-word searches a real person would type to find your app. Work from the task, not the feature name. For a hypothetical budgeting app called Penny Pilot (an invented example used only for illustration), the phrases might be:
- budget planner
- expense tracker
- bill reminder
- track spending
- savings goals
Step 2: Break phrases into single words
Split the phrases into words and count how often each appears:
| Word | Appears in |
|---|---|
| budget | budget planner |
| planner | budget planner |
| expense | expense tracker |
| tracker | expense tracker |
| bill | bill reminder |
| reminder | bill reminder |
| spending | track spending |
| track | track spending |
| savings | savings goals |
| goals | savings goals |
Step 3: Put each word in exactly one field
Because Apple tells you not to repeat words from your name, subtitle or category in the keyword field, each word earns a single slot here. Use these rules of thumb to choose it:
- Name (30 characters): your brand plus, if it fits, one descriptive word that defines the app. Apple says the name plays a critical role in how users discover an app, and it is visible text, so it should read like a name and not like a list.
- Subtitle (30 characters): the clearest short statement of what the app does for a person. Apple describes the subtitle as a concise phrase that summarizes the app and advises avoiding generic descriptions such as "world's best app".
- Keywords (100 characters): everything that is relevant but would look awkward on a product page, such as supporting nouns, alternative words people use for the same thing, and secondary phrases.
Step 4: Draft the allocation
For Penny Pilot, one allocation could be:
| Field | Draft | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Penny Pilot | 11 characters |
| Subtitle | Budget Planner & Tracker | 24 characters |
| Keywords | expense,bill,reminder,track,spending,savings,goals | 50 characters |
Check the result against the rules. The words "budget", "planner" and "tracker" appear once, in the subtitle. The remaining words appear once, in the keyword list. None are repeated. The keyword list uses 50 of 100 characters, so there is room for further relevant terms, and nothing in it repeats the name, subtitle or category. Note that "savings" is used in this draft instead of listing both "saving" and "savings", in line with Apple's advice to avoid plurals of words already included in the singular form.
Step 5: Test the reading of the visible text
The name and subtitle are shown to people, so read them aloud together: "Penny Pilot, Budget Planner & Tracker". It should make sense to someone who has never heard of the app. If the subtitle reads like a pile of search terms, rewrite it as a short phrase and move the loose words into the keyword field.
Choosing between two competing layouts
Often there are two reasonable ways to arrange the same words. Rather than argue about it, write both down and compare them against three questions:
- Does the visible text sell the app? The subtitle and name affect whether a person taps, not just whether the app appears.
- Is every word used once? Repeats waste space.
- Do the important phrases have all their words somewhere in the three text fields or the category? Apple lists the title, subtitle, keywords and primary category as the text it matches against, so a phrase with a missing word has a gap.
If both layouts pass, pick the one whose visible text reads better, since that is the part users actually see.
Changing one thing at a time
Because user behavior (downloads, ratings and reviews) is also part of Apple's stated ranking inputs, a ranking change after an edit might not come from the edit alone. A disciplined approach looks like this:
- Record the current name, subtitle and keyword list, and the date.
- Note the position of your target searches before the change.
- Change one field, not three.
- Look again after the new version is live and keep notes.
- Keep the change if the result is better and the visible text reads well; revert if it is not.
The point of this routine is not to chase a precise number but to avoid losing track of what you changed.
What about Google Play?
Google Play works differently. Its listing has an app name (title) of up to 30 characters, a short description of up to 80 characters and a full description of up to 4,000 characters, according to Google Play Console Help. Google's Play Console Help lists no separate keyword field. Google's metadata policy also says not to use repetitive keywords or deceptive claims such as "best game ever", and not to use special characters or all caps to manipulate search ranking. So the one-word-one-slot discipline in this article carries over, but the places the words go are different: the title and the descriptions.
Mistakes to avoid
- Repeating a word in the name, subtitle and keywords in the hope that it counts more. Apple tells you not to repeat words from the name, subtitle or category in the keyword field.
- Writing a subtitle that is only a keyword list. It is read by people and should be readable.
- Hiding the main descriptor only in the keyword field. If the app type is not in the visible text, visitors have to guess what the app does.
- Using another app's or company's name anywhere in the keyword list. Apple's reference says this is not allowed.
- Treating the planning method as a guarantee. Rankings depend on more than text, so the method improves the chance of being matched, not the outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put the same word in the title and the keyword field? You can, but Apple advises against repeating words that are already in your name, subtitle or category, because the repeat adds nothing.
Does the subtitle count for search? Apple lists the subtitle among the elements of text relevance, together with the title, keywords and primary category.
How many characters can I use in each field? Apple states 30 for the name, 30 for the subtitle and 100 in total for the keywords.
Does promotional text help? No. Apple says promotional text does not affect search ranking.
Related reading on this site
- Master App Store Optimization for keyword research, reviews and competitive analysis.
- How App Store Optimization is Changing in 2026 for the move from keywords to intent.
Sources
- Apple Developer, "App Store search" (text relevance is matches for title, subtitle, keywords and primary category, plus downloads, ratings and reviews; keywords limited to 100 characters, comma-separated with no spaces; do not repeat words; category indexed; promotional text does not affect ranking): https://developer.apple.com/app-store/search/
- Apple Developer, "Product page" guidance (name plays a critical role in discovery; name up to 30 characters; subtitle up to 30 characters and described as a concise summary; avoid generic descriptions): https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/
- Apple Developer, App Store Connect Help, "Platform version information" (names of other apps or companies are not allowed in keywords): https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-information/platform-version-information
- Google Play Console Help, store listing limits (title 30, short description 80, full description 4,000): https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859152
- Google Play Developer Policy Center, metadata rules (no repetitive keywords or deceptive claims; no special characters or all caps to manipulate search): https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9898842