# ASO Keyword Optimization in Practice: Part 2

- Link: https://phiture.com/asostack/aso-keyword-optimization-in-practice-part-2-504ccc15b531/
- Published: 2019-07-04T14:04:53+01:00
- Author: Mathew Parry

#### How to organize the Keyword Optimization process into a concrete step-by-step action plan.

![ASO Keyword Optimization in Practice- Part 2 ](https://phiture.com/wp-content/
uploads/2019/07/ASO-Keyword-Optimization-in-Practice-Part-2-min.jpeg)

Now that you’ve had the time to develop your keyword backlog through researching
and setting the relevancy in [_ASO Keyword Optimization in Practice: Part 1_](https://asostack.com/aso-keyword-optimization-in-practice-part-1-e43e8eb9a6f),
we will be moving on to how you can review and build up your keyword recommendations
within the backlog itself.

### **Step 2.C: Review individual keywords**

You’ve now set your relevancy for each search term — these are broken down into 
single short heads on the following tab and are assigned an individual score in 
our spreadsheet. The **length of each keyword** can serve as a strategic factor,
especially if you see relevant keywords with the same score: Shorter keywords will
consume_ less space_ in the metadata character allowance (e.g. 30 characters are
allowed for the App Store title) and should be prioritized over their longer counterparts
for a similar keyword score.

![review individual keywords](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/individual-
keywords-min.png)

Our tool divides each short head’s score by the number of its characters, resulting
in the **score per character.** The purpose of this calculation is to reflect a 
more realistic value of each short head keyword based not only on its **benefits**(
high search volume, relevancy, etc.) but also its costs (how many characters it 
would take in your app’s metadata). This is an important factor to consider as metadata
assets come with character limitations, and you would want to make sure **every 
character** is optimized.

### **Step 3.A: Selecting keywords & building metadata for the app store**

After the scoring stage is completed and reviewed, it’s time to start targeting 
specific keywords for each of the app’s metadata assets. This is divided into 2 
separate processes for the App store and the Play store, as they entail slightly
different criteria & requirements.

We start with the Apple App Store first in the spreadsheet — in the tab **“Step 
3.0: App Store Metadata”.** The screenshot below is an example of how this sheet
looks when you get started.

![app store metadata](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/app-store-metadata-
min.png)

Now we’ll look at how you can navigate this sheet with ease:

 1. **Localization**

Before you start, it’s important to know that Apple sometimes indexes keywords from
multiple locales to one storefront. For example, an app will rank for keywords inserted
in the Spanish (MX) metadata in the US store. This means if your app is _not localized_
for Mexico, you can use the Spanish (MX) locale to store more keywords for the US
store. This hack applies to more languages, and more details can be found[ here](https://asostack.com/increasing-the-number-of-keywords-in-app-store-optimization-by-localization-daa02ffd8946).

![localization](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/localization-min.
png)

Because most storefronts allow apps to rank for keywords in 2 locales simultaneously,
we have made this tool a default template to leave space for 2 locales in iOS keyword
optimization. We recommend using your focus keywords in “_Locale 1_”, and keeping“
_Locale 2_” for extra keywords.

 2. ** How to target keywords per asset in the sheet**

Below the localized metadata boxes, there is a list of short-head keywords ranked
in order of their score, based on the prioritization levels of the tracked keywords
in the previous steps. In the same section containing these keywords, there are “
_drop-down boxes_” that allow you to select the preferred asset to target per keyword.

Keep in mind that it’s important to look at the number of search terms that a keyword
appears in, and to match the different keywords together to be able to target these
search terms.

![search terms](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/search-terms-min.
png)

Simply clicking on the locale drop-down box will provide you with a list of options
to choose the field of metadata you what to target — **title, subtitle, or the keywords**
field.

![title, subtitle and keywords field](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/
07/title-subtitle-and-keywords-field-min.png)

This step should be complete until the app’s metadata assets have reached or got
close to the character limits.

 3. ** Metadata before & after keyword optimization**

In the metadata box for each locale, apart from the specific type of asset, there
is also additional information for the length of each asset before and after keywords
are targeted:

![metadata before and after keyword optimization](https://phiture.com/wp-content/
uploads/2019/07/metadata-before-and-after-keyword-optimization-min.png)

 * The **“current”** row shows what the existing metadata looks like and how many
   characters they take — except for the keywords field as access to App Store Connect
   is required to get this data. Thanks to an earlier step **(Scrapped data)**, 
   publicly available metadata is already loaded in the sheet — such as title and
   subtitle — and they are automatically generated here.
 * The **“new”** row shows an overview of all targeted keywords with an estimated
   length without editing.
 * The **“final”** row shows what the actual metadata asset would look like with
   editorial adjustments such as capitalizing first letters.

**\*note**: While it’s important to maximize the number of keywords in each metadata
asset, the structure, and tone of your copy is also crucial for your conversion 
rates! Keyword stuffing in the title and subtitle should, therefore, be avoided 
because it would make an app’s metadata look clunky, could decrease users’ motivation
to download and might even be rejected upon submission.

### **Step 3.B: Selecting keywords & building metadata for the Play Store**

Much like the App Store metadata, for the Play Store, all metadata assets are also
listed along with their lengths. They are compared before and after the keyword 
targeting process is done.

One main difference, however, is that on Google Play, repeated keywords aren’t ignored
by the algorithm. Instead, repeating keywords in the metadata (up to an acceptable
degree) will increase the density and **add weight** to search terms, increasing
the chance that an app ranks higher for them.

![selecting keywords and building metadata for the play store](https://phiture.com/
wp-content/uploads/2019/07/selecting-keywords-and-building-metadata-for-the-play-
store-min-1.png)

As seen in the example above, a list of the most important (top 50) search terms
is created in the sheet. They are also ranked in order of priority or keyword score
and displayed with the metadata assets they are inserted to, as well as the number
of times they occur. These elements are taken into the calculation of a **Weight**
score per search term on the right and will highlight green when you have a suitable
density in your metadata.

In the example above, some keywords have been added to the metadata assets to make
use of the total character count.

While the list of highest-score search terms shows and counts exact matches, Google
Play metadata **doesn’t differentiate exact matches** **from broad matches** — as
opposed to the App Store. Which means sometimes the tool will show a slightly different
number of keyword occurrences in the metadata than the actual number (for plurals
for instance). Additionally, to improve search rankings of Tasty for search term“
_food videos_”, you may target “_food_” in the title, and “_videos_” in the subtitle,
but the sheet will show 0 occurrences of “_food videos_”. It would be good to keep
an eye on this aspect during the keyword optimization process for the Play Store.

### **Step 4: Review tracked keywords**

After metadata has been created with **Step 3**, they can be updated in the App 
and Play stores.

In order to efficiently measure the impact of the new metadata, it’s important to
start tracking the keywords that matter by adding them to a keyword tool and tracking
any changes that happen to your keyword ranking afterward. It also helps greatly
in preparing for the **next iteration** of keyword optimization — by starting with
only prioritized keywords.

This process can be made more efficient with our tool, in the tab **“Step 4.0: Tracking”**,
which shows you the list of prioritized keywords that **Step 2.1** produced earlier,
along with their relevancy labels, search volume, number of search results, and 
final keyword score.

![review tracked keywords](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/review-
tracked-keywords-min.png)

In the same row as the **Total terms** box you’ll see your search terms have been
generated into a comma spaced list — just copy and paste them into any ASO keyword
tool and they will start being tracked ready for further analysis going forward.

![the keyword optimization cycle aso stack](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/
2019/07/the-keyword-optimization-cycle-aso-stack-min.png)

The **Keyword Optimization Cycle** should always be considered in spiral form — 
as it never fully stops, so you’ll be looking to repeat the cycle on a regular basis
to continue improving your keyword ranking and visibility. Ensuring each subsequent
iteration is more informed than the previous. _It’s important to always keep an 
eye out for new data points, changes in the search algorithm in either store and
even seasonal events happening outside the stores (such as the World Cup which made
football-related keywords grow in search volume briefly)._

With Phiture’s KWO tool, we hope to make make your keyword optimization more efficient,
saving you time to gather more data and work on additional improvements for your
app store presence. Happy optimizing folks!

If you liked this post, leave a 👏 and share it on your social media. If you have
suggestions or questions about the[ Keyword Optimization Cycle](https://asostack.com/keyword-optimization-cycle-5f47388c2b5),
please do let us know in the comments below 👇. Also, check out our[ ASO Monthly](https://medium.com/app-store-optimization-monthly)
which covers ASO highlights of the previous month.

Discover our **[ASO eBook](https://www.asoebook.com/)** and**[ join our Slack channel](https://asostack.com/aso-stack-slack-group-3757fc2aff0f)**
to learn even more about ASO.