Lazy ASOHow does App Store search work?
Updated 14 November 2026
App Store search first finds apps whose text matches the query: title, subtitle, keyword field and category. Then it orders them by user behavior such as downloads, ratings and reviews. Apple says this itself. In our scan of 350,712 results, a name that starts with the search put new apps in the top 10 far more often than a name without it.
Two steps: match, then order
Apple's wording: "Search results are based on a number of factors, including text relevance (matches for your app's title, subtitle, keywords, and primary category), as well as user behavior (downloads, ratings and reviews, and more)."
- Match. Your app has to contain the search somewhere in the indexed text, or it is not in the list at all.
- Order. Among the matches, behavior decides: downloads, ratings and reviews.
Apple does not publish weights or the formula. Anything beyond the two steps is measurement or guesswork.
What is searched
| Field | In App Store search? | Apple says |
|---|---|---|
| App name | Yes | "Your app is searchable by app name and company name" |
| Subtitle | Yes | Listed as text relevance |
| Keyword field | Yes | "Keywords are limited to 100 characters total, with terms separated by commas and no spaces" |
| Primary and secondary category | Yes | "indexed by our search algorithm" |
| Promotional text | No | "doesn't affect your app's search ranking" |
| Description | Not listed | Used for "web engine search results" |
Limits for every field are on the character limits page. The details of the keyword field are on its own page.
What we measured on the match step
We counted new apps, under six months old, across 350,712 search results in 87 countries. 28% of results had a new app in the top 10. 39% of the new apps there had zero ratings. So the order step does not lock newcomers out.
| Name | Top 10 chance |
|---|---|
| Starts with the search, then more words | 5–10% |
| Search elsewhere in the name | about 3% |
| "Brand: search", after a separator | 1–3% |
| Search not in the name | 2–3% |
Where the search sits in your name matters more than anything else we could count. Full research.
What to do with it
- Pick searches people really type, using Apple's own popularity numbers.
- Put the search at the start of the name when you can.
- Fill the subtitle and the keyword field with other searches, no repeats of words already in the name.
See what else we measured and how to name an iOS app.
Lazy ASO shows Apple's official top-500 searches in 87 countries and the top-10 chance of each name. Try the free name check.