---
title: Where to put keywords in App Store and Google Play metadata
slug: aso-metadata-fields-and-keyword-placement
summary: Which metadata fields carry ranking weight on iOS and Google Play, why target keywords belong in title and subtitle, and the one-title-change case that turned a dead app into an exit.
domain: mobile-apps
tags: [aso, metadata, title, subtitle, keywords-field]
related: [aso-ranking-factors, aso-keyword-selection-criteria, aso-us-storefront-extra-localizations, app-store-screenshot-copy-best-practices]
sources: [yt:ytAKZDh5eHU, yt:bV5_OwDB35o, yt:x41YQ11Regg]
updated: 2026-10-23
---

# Where to put keywords in App Store and Google Play metadata

## TL;DR
- iOS ranking fields: **title, subtitle, keyword field**. Google Play: **title, short description, description**.[^1]
- Put your most important keywords in the **title and subtitle** — that is where Steve targets them.[^2]
- Plan for **6–10 target keywords**: that is roughly what fits across title + subtitle of the US *and* Spanish (Mexico) localizations.[^3]
- A single title change can unlock an app: one App Masters app earned almost nothing for years until two found keywords went into the title, hit #1, and the app was later sold.[^4]
- Mirror the title keyword in the first screenshot so searchers know they are in the right place.[^5]
- General knowledge (not from these sources, verify current limits): iOS title and subtitle are 30 characters each and the keyword field 100; Google Play title 30, short description 80, full description 4,000.

## Details
Steve calls metadata "probably most important" of all ASO factors in 2026.[^1] His placement rules:

1. **Title + subtitle carry the target keywords.** Go after relevant keywords in title and subtitle; if you have no paid channel, prefer longer-tail phrases.[^2]
2. **Double the space with a second localization.** On the US App Store, also fill the Spanish (Mexico) title/subtitle with English keywords — see [[aso-us-storefront-extra-localizations]].[^3]
3. **Being in the title is not enough on competitive terms.** Cal AI has "calorie tracker" in its title yet ranked only #4 for it (Nov 2025) — pick terms you can actually win ([[aso-keyword-selection-criteria]]).[^6]
4. **Match the listing to the query.** The first screenshot should repeat the high-traffic keyword from the title (the CBT case in [[app-store-screenshot-copy-best-practices]]).[^5]

**Case: one title change.** An app launched around 2022 did "pretty much nothing" in sales for years. After finding two keywords with real traffic, the team changed only the app title, reached #1 for both, began earning, and eventually exited (the video description puts it at $0 → $2K/month → five-figure exit).[^4]

## Disagreements / caveats
- Google Play indexes the long description; iOS does not use it for ranking in Steve's field list (he lists only title, subtitle, keywords for iOS).[^1]
- Character limits change occasionally; check Apple/Google docs before writing metadata.

## See also
- [[aso-keyword-selection-criteria]]
- [[aso-ranking-factors]]

[^1]: yt:ytAKZDh5eHU @ 01:33 — Steve P. Young
[^2]: yt:ytAKZDh5eHU @ 08:50 — Steve P. Young
[^3]: yt:ytAKZDh5eHU @ 07:37 — Steve P. Young
[^4]: yt:ytAKZDh5eHU @ 06:43 — Steve P. Young
[^5]: yt:x41YQ11Regg @ 02:43 — Steve P. Young
[^6]: yt:bV5_OwDB35o @ 02:23 — Steve P. Young