App store keywords convert when the search intent matches what the app actually delivers. For international ASO, research terms for each store and language. Check the wording with intended users, then measure who finds and installs the app. Translating a popular English phrase does not establish demand for its translated version.
This guide covers regional wording, language structure, app naming, research tools and testing. It uses illustrative examples to show how to make decisions; they are not customer case studies or measured keyword-volume comparisons.
Start With the Task Behind the Query
Write down the app’s supported jobs before collecting keywords. Describe the main task, who needs it, where they use it and any important limits. A focus timer for study may be relevant to “study timer”; it is not necessarily relevant to “workout timer” or “kitchen timer” just because all three involve a countdown.
For every candidate, ask what the searcher expects after installation. A high-volume term that implies a missing feature can create installs that immediately abandon the app. Choose phrases that describe the experience people will actually get.
| Candidate type | Illustrative question | Evidence to collect |
|---|---|---|
| Task | Does “expense tracker” describe the main workflow? | Actual product flow and user language. |
| Audience | Is this truly designed for freelancers? | Supported needs, onboarding and existing feedback. |
| Constraint | Does “offline” apply to the important task? | A tested offline experience and clear limitations. |
| Regional wording | Do intended users say “takeout” or “takeaway”? | Local research, store results and fluent review. |
| Feature expectation | Would “AI planner” imply capabilities we lack? | The real feature scope, output and requirements. |
Research Regions Without Turning Them Into Stereotypes
People sharing a language do not necessarily use identical terminology, but country-wide claims such as “Asian users prefer price” or “European users prefer quality” are too broad to select keywords. Narrow the audience to the task, app category and intended market.
Keep locale and territory separate. A locale controls a language version; a country defines a distribution or reporting context. One country can include several language audiences, and one language can serve several countries.
Use regional terms as candidates
“Takeout” and “takeaway,” or “soccer” and “football,” illustrate why literal reuse needs review. They do not prove which term has more searches for your app. Verify the exact meaning, competing results and relevance in the selected store before choosing.
Record the source for each candidate: customer wording, a support request, a store suggestion, competitor metadata or a tool estimate. These sources answer different questions. An autocomplete suggestion is a useful clue, not a public exact search-volume count.
Handle sensitive categories accurately
Ask a qualified reviewer to check ambiguous or inappropriate wording for the actual audience. Do not hide a medical, financial or gambling feature behind a softer phrase to evade requirements. A mood journal, therapy service and daily affirmation app are different products; localization must preserve that distinction.
Distribution requirements vary by jurisdiction and product. Use the store’s current policies and relevant country guidance, including Google’s country-specific requirements. A language review cannot replace those requirements.
Build a Local Keyword Worksheet
- Define the store and audience. Record the target country, language, app category and supported use case.
- List seed concepts. Start with the app’s main tasks, rather than a machine-translated list of unrelated high-volume words.
- Collect natural variants. Ask how users would describe the task and what they would expect from each phrase.
- Inspect the result set. Check whether the visible apps solve a similar problem. A phrase can be linguistically correct but carry the wrong store intent.
- Review tool metrics. Record provider, date and definition. Estimated popularity or difficulty is not an observed conversion rate.
- Select a small relevant set. Map candidates to the fields that support them and retain a reason for each choice.
- Save the baseline. Record current copy and positions before changing the listing.
A practical worksheet can contain: candidate, meaning, intended task, locale, evidence, reviewer decision, selected field, observed rank and review date. Keep rejected candidates too; their rejection reason prevents repeated work next month.
Account for Language Structure
Japanese spelling and script
Japanese can use kanji, hiragana, katakana and Latin characters. Choose forms people actually use for the task; do not mechanically insert every possible spelling. For example, ゲーム uses katakana, while げーむ is hiragana. A script change does not by itself create a separately indexed language.
Have a fluent reviewer evaluate the candidate in the complete title or sentence, then check the final field in App Store Connect or Play Console. Character count, byte count, segmentation and display width are different issues.
German and other longer phrases
Compare the real natural phrase with any relevant borrowed English term. Do not assume all German speakers prefer English technology words. Shorten the sentence around a clear benefit rather than sacrificing meaning to fit a generic expansion percentage.
The same principle applies to French, Spanish and other locales: validate actual final text. No language-wide density target tells you whether a phrase belongs in the listing.
Transliteration, Transcreation and the App Name
Transliteration adapts a name across writing systems, usually aiming to preserve pronunciation. Transcreation adapts the expression to preserve the intended message or effect. Keeping the original brand can also be a valid choice when recognition matters.
- Can intended users read, pronounce and find the existing name?
- Does a proposed local name introduce an unintended meaning?
- Will existing customers recognize the same app across countries?
- Have naming rights, brand consistency and actual store limits been checked?
Document the decision and use the approved form consistently in metadata, screenshots, support and the product. Do not rename solely because a general guide says one region prefers local brands.
Place Keywords in the Right Store Fields
Apple’s search guidance covers the name, subtitle and keywords. Use relevant words and avoid competitor names or unnecessary repetition. The hidden keyword field is constrained; Apple’s current references use both character and byte wording, so validate the final value in the destination rather than assume a translation has identical capacity.
Google Play uses the visible listing rather than an Apple-style hidden keyword field. Describe the task naturally in the name, short description and full description. Google’s guidance rejects irrelevant or repetitive keywords; it does not publish a universal ideal density percentage.
Do not rely on a fixed cross-locale indexing map or promise that adding an extra language doubles keyword capacity. Maintain the languages you can actually review and support. The field-limit reference explains the current allowances and validation distinctions.
Use Tools for the Evidence They Actually Provide
Specialist ASO tools can help collect candidate terms and observe rankings. Evaluate AppTweak or Sensor Tower against your required countries, data definitions, history and budget. Do not infer a feature limitation or lower cost from a competitor’s comparison page alone.
AppDrift keyword tracking helps follow selected keyword positions for a store and country. Use it to see where your app appears for those queries. Popularity and difficulty estimates are not exact search volumes or proof that a keyword converts.
AppDrift metadata translation can prepare contextual drafts in 60+ languages. Review the proposed terminology with a fluent person and independent local evidence; generated wording is not verified demand. Translation uses tokens and does not translate the app’s source code.
Measure Discovery and Conversion Separately
Changing keywords can change who sees the app. A broader audience may increase downloads while reducing the aggregate conversion percentage. Keep search visibility, acquisition and post-install success separate so the decision is not driven by one number.
Use native randomized experiments where the platform supports the changed field. Apple Product Page Optimization tests eligible creative assets, not arbitrary title or keyword variants. Google’s Store Listing Experiments support specified text and graphics. Check the experiment setup before treating it as a keyword test.
For successive metadata versions, log dates, the precise change, paid activity, release changes and country. AppDrift metadata comparisons are observations across periods; they do not randomly switch live store listings or establish a statistically verified conversion winner.
- Write down whom you expect the change to reach and what result would make it worthwhile.
- Save the baseline and prepare one deliberate change.
- Review and publish through the supported process.
- Collect enough relevant traffic and cover ordinary demand cycles.
- Inspect positions, acquisition and first-use quality together.
- Keep, revise or revert based on the evidence and record uncertainty.
Seven days is not a universal test duration. With little traffic, qualitative feedback and factual clarity can justify an edit while the performance effect remains unknown.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes an app store keyword high converting?
It matches a real user need the app can fulfill. Search popularity alone does not establish conversion; inspect the result intent and measure acquisition and useful first-use outcomes for the relevant audience.
Should I translate my English keyword list directly?
Use it as a list of concepts, then research natural local terms. Ask a fluent reviewer about meaning and expectations, and check the selected store’s results before choosing the final wording.
Do all countries sharing a language need different keywords?
Not necessarily. Keep shared wording when it is accurate and natural, and introduce a regional variant when relevant evidence supports it. Avoid creating differences simply to fill a locale list.
Can I A/B test the Apple keyword field with PPO?
No. Apple PPO tests eligible icons, screenshots and previews. Successive keyword-field changes are observations across time, so other releases, campaigns or audience changes can affect the result.
Can AI prove a local keyword has demand?
No. AI can suggest wording and draft metadata, but a plausible phrase is not a measured search-volume or conversion result. Combine the draft with local review, store observations and clearly defined tool data.
