The Complete iOS Keyword Field Guide: 100 Characters That Make or Break Your App
The iOS keyword field is exactly 100 characters. No more, no less. Every character counts — literally. Yet most developers waste 30-40% of this space on duplicate terms or poor formatting. Let's fix that.
Rule #1: No Spaces After Commas
Apple uses commas as separators. Spaces after commas are wasted characters. Write game,puzzle,brain not game, puzzle, brain. Those 2 extra spaces could fit another keyword.
Rule #2: Never Repeat Title or Subtitle Words
Apple already indexes your title and subtitle. Repeating those words in the keyword field wastes characters. If your title is "Chess Master," don't put "chess" in keywords — it's already indexed.
Pro Tip: Apple combines words from title + subtitle + keyword field. "Chess" in title + "online" in keywords = indexed for "chess online" searches.
Rule #3: Use Singular Forms Only
Apple indexes both singular and plural from a single form. Write "game" not "games." Write "puzzle" not "puzzles." This saves 1 character per word — across 15 keywords, that's huge.
Rule #4: Leverage Localization
The US App Store indexes keywords from English (US) AND Spanish (Mexico) locale. That gives you 200 characters total. Put your primary English keywords in the main field, and additional English keywords in the Spanish locale. Read our full localization guide.
The 100-Character Checklist
Before submitting: (1) No spaces after commas (2) No words duplicated from title/subtitle (3) All singular forms (4) No brand names (Apple rejects these) (5) No filler words like "the," "a," "best" (6) Use our free rank checker to verify your target keywords.
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