ASO Diagnostic
Keywords not indexing on the App Store: a focused diagnostic
If a keyword you put in your iOS metadata doesn't seem to be indexed at all, the cause is almost always one of five things. Run through this checklist before assuming the issue is on Apple's side.
60-second triage
- 1Open App Store Connect for the locale you actually targeted (not always en-US).
- 2Copy the title, subtitle, and the 100-character keyword field for that locale.
- 3Confirm the missing keyword is in one of those three fields, not in the description.
- 4Paste the keyword field into the keyword field counter and check for over-budget, duplicate, empty, and spacing issues.
- 5Confirm the new metadata went out with a released version, not just saved in App Store Connect.
The five causes
| # | Cause | Quickest check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Field isn't indexed | Is the keyword in title, subtitle, or the 100-char keyword field — not the description? |
| 2 | Field is over budget or malformed | Is the field over 100 characters, with spaces after commas or empty entries? |
| 3 | Duplicates with title, subtitle, category | Are you repeating words Apple already indexes from elsewhere? |
| 4 | Hasn't propagated yet | Did the metadata go out with a real release? |
| 5 | Wrong storefront / locale | Are you checking indexing in the locale you actually targeted? |
Cause 1: Field isn't indexed
Apple's App Store search only looks at a small set of fields. If your keyword is in the description or the promotional text, it won't be indexed for search no matter how prominent it is.
| Field | Limit | Indexed for search? |
|---|---|---|
| App name (title) | 30 chars | Yes |
| Subtitle | 30 chars | Yes |
| Keyword field | 100 chars | Yes (not user-visible) |
| Description | 4,000 chars | No |
| Promotional text | 170 chars | No |
Action: if the keyword is only in the description, move it to the title, subtitle, or keyword field in the next release.
Cause 2: Field is over budget or malformed
The 100-character keyword field is unforgiving. If you're over budget, terms past the limit don't get indexed. Spaces after commas, double commas, and empty entries all eat into the budget without giving you any ranking signal.
Action: paste the field into the App Store keyword field counter and fix every flagged issue: over-limit characters, spaces after commas, empty entries, and duplicates. Aim for a clean, comma-separated list with no spaces.
Cause 3: Duplicates with title, subtitle, or category
Apple recommends not repeating in the keyword field anything already in your app name, subtitle, or category. Repeats waste characters and don't strengthen ranking. The fix is to remove any keyword field entries that duplicate words present in the title, subtitle, or your selected category, then refill with new variants.
Action: list every word in your title and subtitle. Remove those exact words from the keyword field. Use the freed budget for genuinely new terms surfaced from a fresh keyword research pass.
Cause 4: The change hasn't propagated yet
Saving metadata in App Store Connect doesn't index it. Indexing happens when the version goes live in the App Store. If you only saved metadata in App Store Connect without releasing, the new keyword field isn't out there yet.
Action: confirm the metadata change shipped with a released version. After release, give it a couple of days before concluding the keyword isn't being picked up.
Cause 5: Wrong storefront / locale
Indexing is per-storefront and per-locale. The English-US keyword field doesn't index in a Japanese storefront unless you provide localized metadata for it. The English-UK locale uses its own metadata if you've added one. The keyword you think isn't being indexed may be perfectly indexed — just not in the locale you're checking.
Action: confirm you're looking at the storefront whose locale you actually populated. Use the Localization Hub to plan country-specific keyword fields properly instead of copy-pasting one field everywhere.
Where to go next
- Diagnose: app not ranking for the broader ranking diagnostic.
- Glossary: App Store keyword field for the field's mechanics.
- Keyword research hub for finding replacement terms after you've cleared the budget.
- App Store keyword field counter to validate the cleaned-up field before shipping.
Validate the field, then research replacements
Use the keyword field counter to fix mechanical issues, then use RespectASO to research stronger replacement terms before your next release.