#23 - Beware the Subtitle Trap

Keyword Teardowns

Ariel

3 minute read 9/30/21

Have you ever looked at search results in the App Store and wondered why they're ranked the way they are? In this series of Keyword Teardowns we analyze how the algorithm works and highlight tips and tricks to help you rank higher.

Many developers think the best place for keywords is in the subtitle. It's what Apple says to do, but... It's 100% wrong for ASO.

Apple's and Google's search algorithms are black boxes and completely undocumented, but when you look at enough data, patterns start to emerge. I actively analyze search results to reverse engineer how the stores decide which apps to rank and how to rank them, and share what I find, including tips, tricks, and secrets, here for you to learn from.

Now, on to a popular niche in the App Store that's gotten much more visibility over the last year and a half.

Search results for "meditation" in the U.S App Store · Check with Inspector

At first glance, I see something anyone who's ASOing should be aware of—the difference between the name and subtitle.

We can see it with the first two results, which also happen to be the most popular names in meditation app these days. First place Headspace has fewer downloads and ratings than rival Calm. And Clam has fewer overall words in its name and subtitle. Yet, Headspace is the #1 result. How, you ask?

This one's very easy. Headspace includes the keyword in its name. The algorithm puts the most emphasis (aka weight) on keywords in the name.

I know some companies prefer the "clean" name for branding purposes. If you're Calm, maybe enough people search for you by name, so it matters less. And by that, I mean, if giving up downloads to a rival is okay, then a "clean" name is okay.

At #3 we have Mesmerize, which is doing everything keyword-related correctly (keyword in the name, no repetition) but can't get ahead because it just doesn't get enough new ratings to show the algorithm it deserves moving up.

Insight Timer, in 4th place, has the ratings but makes the cardinal sin of repetition between the name and subtitle, effectively making the one in the name invisible to the algorithm, so all it sees is the one in the subtitle. And we talked about what that means just a couple of ranks ago.

The last one we'll look at, BetterMe, is a good one to learn from. The app does not have the keyword in its name or subtitle. At all. I repeat, the keyword isn't in the name or subtitle. So, how does it rank?

The keyword list.

This is a rare occurrence that we don't see often. Not for a keyword so competitive. But it all comes down to performance. BetterMe edges out its competition by having slightly more ratings. If you're any of the apps below it and want to do better for this search, follow the basics: ask for ratings, focus on the keyword, and include it in the name. You're welcome!

But really, ratings play such an important role and give the algorithm the "knowledge" it needs to sort apps that have very similar keyword weight. So, doing your keyword properly is the most important task of any ASO, but getting those ratings is right behind it in terms of priority.

FYI - Buying fake ratings can get you kicked out of the store, so don't go that route even though it's easy. Instead, get your existing users to rate the app and do that with every version, not just once.

Keywords that matter, be it when targeting single or multi-term ones, should always go into the name. The subtitle gets much less weight. Much.

App Store Optimization is part art and part science. I say it a lot, and I mean it. The art part is what I've been talking about in this Keyword Teardown and in my App Teardowns. The science part is where our simple and intuitive ASO tools come into play. See where your apps are ranked, track trends, snoop on competitors, get suggestions, here.