The App Store's search algorithm cares about keyword placement and ratings very much, and uses both to rank apps. In this Teardown I have an example of what that means in the wild.
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.
Fitness and dieting are pretty big on the App Store. At the core of many diets is calorie counting, which is really best done by app, so it's no surprise that the keyword has fairly high popularity and competitiveness scores.
If you recall from previous teardowns, the more popular a keyword is, the more likely we are to see the top results using similar keyword layouts, forcing the algorithm to decide based on ratings. That's half true here.
MyFitnessPal is the top result for this search mainly because of its high rate of new ratings. Oh, and that it has the keyword fully in the subtitle. Normally a subtitle alone wouldn't be enough to rank well for a popular keyword like this one, but the lack of competition (as measured by ratings) leaves the algorithm no choice. Not having any keywords in the name also helps in this case because it puts all the focus on the subtitle.
Ideal? Not really. But it works in this case.
Get actionable insights in minutes!
Lose It! (which I analyzed in season 1 of App Teardowns - check it out) does a great job with its keywords, but at roughly half the ratings, it's hard for the algorithm to push it up. I looked at the trend, and it seems to be going up over the last few months. If that trend continues, I expect to see it overtaking 1st place here because it's using its keyword better.
Copy and paste what I just said about Lose It! for #3 MyNetDiary. But, divide the ratings by three. And repeat that for Calorie Counter + at #4, but again slash those ratings.
Until you're left with #5, ControlMyWeight, which follows MyFitnessPal's template but with a very small handful of ratings.
Getting more ratings isn't easy but is well worth the effort.
Where you place your keyword counts, but it's a balancing act that includes ratings. Apps with lots of ratings can get away with using an important keyword in the subtitle. Apps with fewer keywords can't.
But that's also an opportunity – Use your most important keywords in your app's (or game's) name to make sure you give the algorithm the most reason to catch it.
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.
Trends change in the App Store very quickly. Here's what you need to do to be ready with ASO.
How do branded keywords behave on the App Store and how to optimize for them.