Apple Ads Keyword Research: Finding Profitable Keywords for Your App

Keyword research is the foundation of every successful Apple Search Ads campaign. Without the right keywords, you are either overpaying for irrelevant traffic or missing out on profitable searches entirely. Yet most advertisers approach it haphazardly - they brainstorm a few obvious terms, plug them in, and hope for the best.

In this guide, I will walk you through a systematic keyword research process covering every major source of keyword ideas, explain what popularity levels to target, tackle the "free" keywords debate with real data, and break down how to use competitor keywords as one of the most powerful levers in Apple Ads.

Where to Find Keywords: The 5 Sources

There is no single magic tool that gives you every profitable keyword. The best keyword lists come from combining multiple sources, each offering a different angle on how users search for apps like yours. Here are the five sources you should be pulling from.

1. Your Own Ideas and Brainstorming

Start with what you know. You built the app, you understand the problem it solves, and you know how people talk about that problem. Write down every term a user might type into the App Store when looking for what your app does. Think about features, use cases, pain points, and categories.

If your app is a calorie counter, you might start with "calorie counter," "calorie tracker," "food diary," "nutrition tracker," "macro tracker," "diet app," and "weight loss app." Don't filter at this stage - just get everything down.

2. ChatGPT-Assisted Brainstorming

Take your initial list and feed it to ChatGPT (or any capable LLM). Ask it to expand your keyword list with synonyms, related terms, long-tail variations, and terms from adjacent categories. AI is remarkably good at this because it understands semantic relationships between concepts.

Prompt something like: "I have an app that does X. Here are my current keywords: [list]. Give me 50 more keyword ideas including long-tail phrases, alternative wordings, and terms people use when they don't know the exact name for what they need." You will consistently get 10-15 keywords you would never have thought of on your own.

3. Apple's Suggested Keywords

When you set up a campaign in Apple Search Ads, Apple suggests keywords based on your app's metadata and category. These suggestions are gold because they come directly from Apple's understanding of the App Store search ecosystem. Apple knows what people actually search for, and these suggestions reflect real search volume.

Don't ignore these. Even if some seem off-target, add them to your master list for testing. Apple often surfaces terms you would not have considered but that drive real installs.

4. ASO Tool Recommendations

Tools like Astro, ASOSuite, AppTweak, or Sensor Tower provide keyword suggestions based on competitor data, search volume estimates, and ranking difficulty scores. They can also show you which keywords your competitors rank for organically.

5. Competitor Keyword Analysis

ASO tools let you see which keywords your competitors rank for and bid on. This is invaluable because your competitors have already done their own keyword research - you get to benefit from their work. Look at the top 5-10 competitors in your category and pull their keyword lists.

Pay special attention to keywords where competitors rank well but you don't yet. These represent gaps in your coverage and potential opportunities for expansion.

The Keyword Research Algorithm

Here is the exact order I follow when building a keyword list for a new campaign. The sequence matters because each step builds on the previous one.

1. Start with your own ideas - Brain dump everything you can think of. Aim for 30-50 terms.
2. Expand with ChatGPT - Feed your list to AI and ask for 50+ more ideas. Expect to keep 15-20 good ones.
3. Check Apple's recommendations - Set up a draft campaign and review every suggestion Apple provides.
4. Run through your ASO tool - Use the keyword explorer and competitor analysis features to find additional terms.
5. Analyze competitor keywords - Pull keyword lists from your top 5-10 competitors and add anything relevant.

By the end of this process, you will typically have 200-500 keywords for a single market. That is your starting point for testing.

Two Peculiarities of Apple Ads Keywords

Before you start optimizing your keyword list, understand two important characteristics that make Apple Ads keyword management different from other paid search platforms.

You Can Collect Keywords Endlessly

Unlike Google Ads where the keyword universe is relatively finite, App Store keyword discovery is ongoing. New apps launch daily, seasonal trends shift search behavior, and Apple's algorithm evolves. A keyword that did not exist six months ago might be a top performer today because a competitor launched a viral TikTok campaign creating new brand search volume.

Make keyword research a recurring monthly task, not a one-time project.

More Keywords Is Not Always Better

There is a temptation to add every keyword you find. Resist it. Every keyword needs budget to test properly. If you spread your daily budget across 500 keywords, most will never get enough impressions to generate meaningful data. You end up with keywords showing zero conversions - not because they don't work, but because you never gave them a fair test.

What Popularity to Target

"Should I target high-popularity or low-popularity keywords?" There is no single right answer. It depends on your budget, your app's conversion rate, and your tolerance for experimentation.

My recommendation: test everything. The conventional wisdom says to avoid high-competition keywords because CPTs are too expensive, and to skip low-popularity keywords because volume is too low. Both rules have exceptions that can become your most profitable keywords.

Test across these dimensions:

• High-competition keywords - Yes, CPTs are higher. But if your app converts well on these terms, the economics can still work. A $3 CPT with a 60% conversion rate gives you a $5 CPA - that might be excellent for your unit economics.
• Low-competition keywords - These are often long-tail phrases with lower volume but much cheaper CPTs and higher conversion rates. A keyword with 10 downloads per day at a $0.50 CPA is worth more than a keyword with 100 downloads per day at a $4 CPA.
• Single words vs. phrases - Single words ("timer," "calculator") have massive volume but lower intent. Phrases ("interval timer for gym," "tip calculator app") have less volume but much higher purchase intent.
• Typos and misspellings - People misspell things constantly. "Calander" instead of "calendar," "recipies" instead of "recipes." These typos often have zero competition and can drive surprisingly cheap installs.
• Keywords with "free" - More on this in the next section, but don't skip them automatically.

The "Free" Keywords Debate

Common advice says: "Never bid on keywords containing 'free.' Users who search for free apps won't pay for subscriptions." This sounds logical. It is also frequently wrong.

In my experience across dozens of campaigns, keywords containing "free" are consistently among the most profitable. Here is why:

• Lower competition - Because everyone avoids "free" keywords, CPTs are significantly lower. You are paying $0.30 per tap instead of $1.50.
• Trial users convert - Most subscription apps offer a free trial. A user searching for "free calorie counter" downloads your app, starts the free trial, and converts to a weekly subscription at the same rate as users from other keywords. The word "free" in their search query does not predict their willingness to pay after experiencing the app.
• Volume is massive - A huge percentage of App Store searches include the word "free." By excluding these terms, you are ignoring a significant portion of the addressable market.

Does this mean every "free" keyword will be profitable? No. But the same is true of any keyword category. Let data drive the decision, not assumptions. Add "free" variants of your top keywords to your testing list.

Competitor Keywords: The Ultimate Advantage

Apple Ads is the only mobile advertising channel that allows you to systematically capture competitor traffic at scale. You cannot do this on Meta, TikTok, or Google UAC with any precision. Apple Search Ads is unique in this regard.

When someone types your competitor's name into the App Store, you can bid on that keyword and show your ad above their organic listing. This represents roughly half of all Apple Ads revenue for Apple itself. Competitor targeting is not a gray area - it is a core part of the platform.

Keyword Variants to Test

For each competitor you want to target, create keyword variants across these categories:

• Exact brand name - "MyFitnessPal," "Headspace," "Calm"
• Brand + app/pro/plus - "Calm app," "Headspace pro," "Noom plus"
• Common typos - "MyFitnessPall," "Headpsace," "Calmm"
• Abbreviations - "MFP" for MyFitnessPal

When Competitor Keywords Work (and When They Don't)

Competitor keywords are not universally effective. Understanding when they work - and when they don't - will save you significant budget.

When Competitor Keywords Work Best

Confusable apps: When your app and the competitor's app serve the same function and look similar enough that a user might switch. Think Cal AI vs. Calz AI, or Settlemate vs. PayMe. If someone is searching for one debt-splitting app, they are open to another debt-splitting app. The switching cost is low and the user's need is generic.

Competitors running heavy marketing campaigns: This is the sweet spot. When a competitor is investing heavily in influencer campaigns, TikTok ads, or YouTube sponsorships, they generate massive brand search volume. Users hear about "Calm" on a podcast and search for it. If your meditation app shows up as an ad, you intercept that demand at a fraction of what the competitor spent to create it. You are essentially getting a free ride on their awareness spending.

When Competitor Keywords Don't Work

Highly distinctive products: If the competitor's product is fundamentally different from yours, bidding on their brand is a waste. For example, bidding on "Character AI" when your app is a simple chatbot is unlikely to convert. Users searching for Character AI want that specific product's persona-based chat experience. Your generic chatbot will not satisfy that intent, and you will pay for taps that never convert.

The rule of thumb: Ask yourself, "If a user downloaded my app instead of the competitor's, would they be satisfied?" If the answer is yes, bid on the keyword. If the answer is no, save your budget.

Brand Defense: Protecting Your Own Name

While you are bidding on competitors, they are doing the same to you. If you have any meaningful brand presence, competitors are almost certainly bidding on your app name right now.

You need a brand defense campaign if:

• You have significant marketing investment - Every dollar you spend on awareness (influencer deals, TikTok campaigns, PR) generates brand searches. If a competitor's ad appears when someone searches your name, you just paid for their install.
• You run influencer or TikTok campaigns - These channels are especially vulnerable because the user flow goes: see video, search App Store, install. If a competitor intercepts at the search step, your entire influencer spend is subsidizing their growth.
• You invest in any awareness channels - TV, podcasts, social media, word-of-mouth - anything that drives users to search your name.

The Cannibalization Question

Yes, brand campaigns cannibalize organic installs. Some users who would have installed organically will now come through a paid click. But without brand defense, a competitor captures 20-40% of your brand search traffic. The math almost always favors running the brand campaign.

Brand defense protects the ROI of every other marketing channel you run. It is insurance on your entire marketing investment. The CPA on brand keywords is typically $0.50-$1.50, making it one of the cheapest ways to protect your growth.

Keyword Source Comparison

Final Thoughts

Apple Ads keyword research is not a one-time task. It is an ongoing process of discovery, testing, and refinement. The five-source algorithm gives you a systematic way to build comprehensive keyword lists, but the real work happens after launch: monitoring performance, cutting losers, scaling winners, and continuously adding new keywords.

The biggest mistakes are (a) stopping research after initial setup, or (b) adding hundreds of keywords without enough budget to test properly. Build a robust initial list, test methodically, and make keyword research a monthly recurring task.

Don't let conventional wisdom override your data. Test "free" keywords. Test competitor keywords aggressively. Test both high and low popularity terms. The advertisers who win are the ones willing to test things others assume won't work - then double down when data proves them right.

For more on structuring your campaigns to test keywords effectively, read our guide on Apple Ads campaign structure. And if you want to understand how match types affect your keyword strategy, check out Apple Search Ads keyword match types explained.

For the complete picture on running profitable Apple Search Ads, head back to our comprehensive Apple Search Ads guide.