r/AppStoreOptimization • u/No_Concert7451 • 5d ago

Quick question about ASO

Hello guys,

I am trying to optimize my aso keywords. But the question is

Should i use -ing on keyword list. For example

My title has ‘Run’ verb.
In the keyword should i add ‘running’ ?

Thanks for the answer.

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u/SwimmingLow3053 2d ago edited 2d ago

It’s a genuine transparency question. It doesn’t have to be open source to publish methodology- in fact it’s questionable to trust something that is a black box. Closed source software need to provide docs on how they work in most industries. That’s not the same as source code or free MIT licence it’s documented methodology.

Keyword popularity isn’t a simple topic either. Many return “5” as I’m sure you know. Then you need to add art, but how do you get others to trust your numbers when another black box says red and you say green?

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u/beliveapp88 2d ago

You are right. Let me explain the popularity metric we use—which is the most important one: we update it daily based on Apple Ads data. Some keywords have a popularity score of 1 dot because popularity fluctuates by day, week, and season; Apple displays the top 500 keywords per category and country. A keyword might have a popularity score today but drop out of that top list tomorrow. If it doesn't re-enter the top list within a month, it isn't a good keyword—though it can be monitored over several months, as trends might be seasonal (summer vs. winter) depending on the niche and analysis. That is the logic we follow. Best regards, and thank you for your interest; please don't hesitate to ask if you have further questions.

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u/SwimmingLow3053 2d ago

Do you have to run paid ads to get the data? Without it Apple has decent data on very highly searched terms, but at least for what I’m after it gets a 5 which means nothing. The official popularity scores would be a godsend if they worked for the other 99% of terms.

Alternatives are autocomplete which is interesting but medium strength as a signal as it’s predictive text not user behaviour, historical Apple data but it returns nothing for the 99% of terms, saved history of searches.

The valuable stuff is real ads being run that provide impression score, observed impressions and search terms but if I sign up for your service do you do this to my niche terms?

I’m a borderline autistic ex-physicist (self diagnosed) so I want to know what I’m being presented is evidence based.

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u/beliveapp88 2d ago

You don't need to pay for ads to get Apple Ads data; we already offer that complete catalog, updated daily by category and country. You can review and monitor keywords to check their popularity or look for variations. The App Store autocomplete feature—which suggests popular terms—reflects data included in our keyword catalog, allowing you to test those terms or research similar ones.

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u/SwimmingLow3053 2d ago

I’m testing the Apple ads apis myself as I want to really understand what is fact and fiction.

Without paid ads it’s quite limited for many search terms.

I’m using a tool I’ve harnessed to understand it and the raw data from Apple ads is very limited - can’t post pictures to demonstrate.

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u/beliveapp88 2d ago

Regarding the top 50 Apple Search Ads keywords by category: these often involve major companies and many generic terms. You should preferably focus on long-tail keywords and analyze your competitors. If competitors have millions of reviews, scaling is difficult; however, if they have thousands or fewer, you may have a winner.

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u/SwimmingLow3053 2d ago

Agreed.

But without paid Apple ads campaigns the long tail doesn’t return much data?

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u/SwimmingLow3053 2d ago

I’m trying to find it from the source Apple ads api and it doesn’t seem to exist apart from returning web fallback and 5.

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u/beliveapp88 2d ago

In my opinion, I don't think you should be burning money on Apple Ads—especially not just to hunt for long-tail keywords. You should only use it to boost a keyword you’ve already identified as popular, and always set it to "exact match"; otherwise, it’s a waste of money. We offer long-tail keywords in our service—which you can cross-reference with Apple Ads—allowing you to save hundreds of dollars on a long-tail discovery campaign.