Guide
App Store metadata: title, subtitle, and keyword strategy
October 20, 2026 · 4 min read
Your App Store name and subtitle have to work for two readers: someone scanning search results and someone deciding whether the app sounds relevant. A keyword belongs there only when it also helps explain the product.
Give the name one clear job
Use the app name to make the product recognizable. If a short descriptor clarifies what it does, include it only when it still reads naturally and fits the current store rules.
Before editing, write the one sentence you want a new visitor to understand. If the proposed name suggests a different product, the extra term is costing clarity.
Make the subtitle add information
The subtitle is useful when it names a meaningful benefit, audience, or use case that the name does not already cover. Repeating the same phrase in both fields spends space without giving a person another reason to open the listing.
Read the name and subtitle together as one line in a search result. Remove filler words and check that the combined phrase sounds like something a real person would say.
Treat the keyword field as a constraint
Apple provides a separate keyword field in supported storefronts. Use the current App Store Connect guidance for its limits and formatting, and avoid spending room on terms already covered by other metadata unless the current rules make that useful.
Do not add competitor names, unrelated trending terms, or claims the app cannot support. A mismatch between the query and the product can make the listing less useful to the people it reaches.
Plan each localization on its own
A literal translation can sound unnatural or carry a different meaning in another market. Review search language and product terminology with someone familiar with the locale, then check how the name and subtitle look together in the store.
Keep a simple record of the intent behind each localized phrase. That makes later edits easier to evaluate than a spreadsheet of translations without context.
Change one part at a time
Record the existing metadata, the date of the change, and the reason for it. When impressions or downloads move, the record helps separate a metadata change from a release, promotion, or seasonal effect.
Store policies and field limits can change. Confirm the current requirements in App Store Connect before preparing a submission.
A metadata worksheet before you edit
Write the app’s plain-language category, primary audience, main task, and differentiating benefit. Then note which of those ideas already appears in the brand name, subtitle, and other metadata fields.
Use the remaining space for information that adds context rather than repeating the same phrase. Check the current character limits and keyword rules in App Store Connect because metadata fields and indexing behavior are platform-specific.
Review the complete search result
Read the name and subtitle together at the narrow width where they appear in search. Make sure the line still sounds natural, does not truncate the most important word, and gives a person a reason to distinguish the app from similarly named products.
After publishing, compare impressions and product-page visits by storefront where the reporting allows it. A metadata change may affect discovery and visitor quality differently, so do not judge it by one aggregate download number alone.
Keep a change log for metadata updates
Save the previous title, subtitle, and keyword field with the release date and target storefront. This makes it possible to connect a later change in search visibility to the right edit instead of relying on memory.
Avoid changing every field at once when you want to learn what helped. Review current platform rules before submission, since keyword limits and indexing behavior can change.
Prepare screenshots for each locale
Keep the visual promise consistent while adapting captions and layout to each store language.
Open App Snaps