GuideApr 7, 20265 min read

App Store keywords: how to spend the 100-byte field

Apple's keyword field is 100 bytes, not a dumping ground. Remove repeated names, competitor names, and low-intent filler.

The App Store keyword field is small and easy to waste. Apple gives you up to 100 bytes of keyword content, so every repeated or irrelevant word costs useful discovery space.

What Apple says

  • Each keyword should be longer than two characters.
  • The field can contain up to 100 bytes.
  • Your app is already searchable by app name and company name.
  • You should not duplicate app or company names in the keyword list.
  • Names of other apps or companies are not allowed.

Practical keyword workflow

Start with category terms, user intent, and feature nouns. Remove brand repeats. Then localize the field per market instead of translating the English list word for word.

Bytes, not just characters

The 100-byte wording matters for languages where characters can use more than one byte. Keep a byte counter in your localization workflow before pasting metadata into App Store Connect.

Source notes

Apple's platform version information reference documents the 100-byte keyword field and the restrictions on duplicated names and other company or app names.

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Written by Yassine

Indie dev. Built lokal because translating App Store screenshots by hand was eating my launches. Reach out at hi@lokall.app.

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