Brand Keywords

What Are Brand Keywords?

Brand keywords are search terms that include a specific app name, company name, or product brand. "Instagram," "Headspace meditation," "Spotify playlist" — these are all brand keywords. They represent searches where the user already has a specific app in mind, as opposed to generic keywords ("photo editor," "meditation app") where the user is browsing for options.

Brand keywords are a distinctive category in ASO because they behave fundamentally differently from generic keywords. They typically have very high popularity (users search for popular brands frequently), very high difficulty (the brand owner almost always holds position #1), and very high conversion rates for the brand owner.

Types of Brand Keywords

Should You Target Competitor Brands?

This is one of the most debated questions in ASO. The short answer: sometimes, but understand the math.

Arguments For

• High search volume: Brand keywords for popular apps can have popularity scores above 60. That's real traffic.
• Intent overlap: A user searching for a competitor might be open to alternatives, especially if your app is differentiated.
• Learning opportunity: Analyzing which competitor brands have high search volume reveals which apps dominate your category.

Arguments Against

• Extremely high difficulty: The brand owner almost always ranks #1 and is nearly impossible to displace. You'll appear in positions 3–10 at best.
• Low conversion for non-owners: Users searching for "Spotify" want Spotify. Even if your music app appears below it, the tap-through rate will be very low.
• Metadata space cost: Using limited keyword field characters on a competitor's brand name means fewer characters for generic keywords where you actually have a chance of ranking well.
• Apple's guidelines: Apple has, in some cases, rejected apps or keyword fields that include trademarked competitor names.

The Verdict

For most indie developers, generic keywords with high opportunity scores produce better results than competitor brand keywords. The exception: if a competitor brand is so dominant in your category that their name has become a generic term ("Uber" for ride-sharing, "Shazam" for music recognition), appearing in their brand search results can capture users exploring alternatives.

Protecting Your Own Brand Keywords

If your app gains traction, your brand name becomes a keyword that others might target. Protect it by:

• Including your brand in the title: This is standard practice and ensures maximum ranking weight for your own name.
• Maintaining high ratings: Strong ratings and reviews reinforce your position for your own brand keyword.
• Monitoring competitors' metadata: Periodically check whether competitors are explicitly targeting your brand name.

Brand Keywords and Localization

Brand keyword dynamics change across markets. A brand that's extremely well-known in the US might be less dominant in Brazil or Indonesia, where local alternatives may dominate. In these markets, the competitive landscape for brand-adjacent terms can be more favorable.

Common Mistakes with Brand Keywords

• Over-investing in competitor brands. Devoting 20+ characters of your keyword field to competitor names is usually a poor use of limited space.
• Not ranking for your own brand. If your app doesn't rank #1 for its own name, something is wrong with your metadata. Fix this first.
• Ignoring "alternative" compound keywords. "Headspace alternative" or "Mint budget alternative" are long-tail brand keywords that capture users actively seeking options — a much better target than the brand name alone.

How RespectASO Helps with Brand Keyword Decisions

RespectASO lets you score brand keywords alongside generic keywords, making the comparison data-driven. Check the difficulty of a competitor's brand name versus generic alternatives — the difficulty gap usually makes the case for generic keywords clearly. The multi-keyword search lets you evaluate both brand and generic terms simultaneously, showing exactly which keywords offer better opportunity scores.