Practitioner pattern · Ariel Michaeli (Co-founder and CEO of Appfigures, which sells the ASO tools (Keyword Inspector, Competitors Keywords) he recommends)
If you're new to a crowded keyword, name the app around just that keyword
Guest says fewer name keywords concentrate ranking weight; broaden once ratings grow
Workedaso
What they did
Don't leave the name as the brand only, but when you are new to a category, the keyword is very competitive, or the app is weak/hasn't done ASO for a long time, keep the name focused on one core keyword (plus brand) instead of filling all 30 characters. Later, with more ratings and downloads, expand to other keyword combinations. Watch the ranking afterwards: if you move the keyword out of the name, learned rank fades faster in keywords competitors actively optimize.
What happened
Algorithm favors apps for the fewer things they signal; an exact name match still gives a boost.
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · Maximizing Organic Growth with App Store Optimization — Ariel Michaeli, Appfigures“you want to focus when you are either very new to a category, and the keyword is very competitive, and you just want to take all the algorithm juice and focus it on this one keyword, and later on with more ratings, with more downloads, you will be able to attack those other keyword combinations.”
“And the fewer things you do, the more it likes you for those fewer things.”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- Put your most important keywords first in the app name and subtitleGuest says early positions get the most ranking weight; seen weekly in teardowns
- Never repeat a keyword between your app name, subtitle and keyword listGuest calls duplicates the worst ASO mistake: the word only counts at its weakest spot
- Keep your app name to 26-27 characters if it has an ampersand or special dashAvoids the last word being cut; one recipe app ranked only for a half-word
- Promote an in-app purchase with your keyword in its name to boost search rankImmediate rank boost; keyword-in-name part works about half the time
- Count how many downloads competitors need per rating, then out-rate themGuest says more ratings beat more downloads in App Store search
- Pick keywords where your rating count matches the top 5, using competitors' keywords and reviewsGuest says new apps can reach top 5 on big keywords when rivals optimize badly
- Fill the Spanish (Mexico) listing with extra keywords to rank in the US storeDoubles keyword space; guest sees the same ranking weight as the main listing
- Show your target search words on your App Store screenshotsGuest says matching the searcher's words cuts 'is this for me?' doubt; no numbers
- Mirror: Name your app exactly the popular search word, like 'Mirror'4,000-5,000 downloads a day; guest says the exact-match boost still works, but weaker
- BBC: Check which words competitors rank for and use the phrasings you missedSaw results right away, per the guest; no numbers
- Dropbox: Put 'photo backup' words before a famous brand name in the app titleUndone after a few weeks; guest thinks that was a mistake. No numbers
- Pick launch keywords carefully, then try 4-5 keyword versions before judgingGuest says most who quit ASO stopped after 1-2 tries; results come later