Keyword Research
RespectASO provides comprehensive keyword research tools for the iOS App Store.
Searching Keywords
From the Dashboard, enter one or more keywords (up to 20 at a time, separated by commas) and select up to 5 countries. RespectASO queries the iTunes Search API to find which apps rank for each term. Results are displayed with expandable details for each keyword.
Each search returns up to 200 results per keyword, showing you the full competitive landscape including the top 10 ranking apps with their icons, names, ratings, genres, and seller info.
Understanding Difficulty Scores
Every keyword gets a difficulty score from 1 to 100, calculated using a 7-factor weighted algorithm:
| Score | Tier | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 1–15 | Very Easy | Almost no competition. Rank immediately with basic metadata. |
| 16–35 | Easy | Light competition. Achievable with good metadata. |
| 36–55 | Moderate | Meaningful competition. Requires strategic keyword targeting. |
| 56–75 | Hard | Strong competition from established apps. |
| 76–90 | Very Hard | Dominated by major apps. Breaking in requires exceptional execution. |
| 91–100 | Extreme | Category-defining keywords held by the world's largest apps. |
See Methodology for the full algorithm details including all 7 factors and their weights.
Popularity Scores
Popularity (5–100) indicates how often a keyword is searched in the App Store. RespectASO uses a 6-signal model that analyzes result count, leader strength, title match density, market depth, keyword specificity, and exact phrase presence. Higher values mean more potential traffic.
Insight Tags
Keywords are automatically classified with color-coded tags based on their popularity and difficulty combination:
- Sweet Spot — Good popularity, manageable difficulty. Your best targets.
- Hidden Gem — Moderate popularity, very low difficulty. Easy wins.
- Low Volume — Low search popularity. May not be worth targeting.
- Avoid — Low popularity and high difficulty. Poor ROI.
- High Competition — Popular but extremely competitive.
Download Estimates
Expand any keyword to see estimated daily downloads for ranking positions 1 through 20. These estimates help you gauge the traffic potential of each keyword and set realistic growth expectations.
Tracking Rankings
When you add an app (from the Apps page) and search keywords, RespectASO automatically highlights your app's rank in the results. Over time, you can track how your ranking changes by refreshing keywords. Trend indicators (↑↓) show whether your popularity and difficulty have changed since your last search.
- Single refresh: Click the refresh icon next to any keyword
- Bulk refresh: Select multiple keywords and use the bulk refresh action
- Auto-refresh: All tracked keywords are automatically refreshed daily in the background — no configuration needed
Country Opportunity Finder
The Opportunity page lets you scan a single keyword across all 30 supported countries at once. For each country, it calculates an Opportunity Score (0–100) that reflects your realistic ranking potential — combining search volume with a competition gate that increasingly penalizes harder keywords. Results are displayed in a ranked table with the best market highlighted in a "Best Opportunity" card.
This is ideal for developers targeting multiple markets — find where your keywords have the best chance of success.
Exporting Data
Export your keyword research data as CSV from the Dashboard. The export includes keyword, difficulty score, popularity, your app's rank, and the search date — perfect for importing into spreadsheets or sharing with your team.
Country Support
RespectASO supports 30 App Store countries: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, China, Brazil, India, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan. You can search up to 5 countries simultaneously.