Stop Playing Safe With Keywords

If you've been playing safe with keywords in the US App Store—targeting only generic or low-volume terms—and your rankings aren't moving, you're not alone. Stop playing safe with keywords: target high-intent, high-volume, winnable terms and put the best in title and subtitle. This post shows you how.

TL;DR — Playing safe = targeting only generic or low-volume terms. Stop by using real search data (popularity + difficulty), picking high-intent, winnable terms, and putting the best in title and subtitle. Stellar gives you that data for the US store—so you can stop playing safe and start winning.

Table of contents

• What Playing Safe Means
• Why It Keeps You Invisible
• How to Stop in the US
• What to Do Instead
• What You Need in One Place
• Next Steps

What Playing Safe Means

Playing safe with keywords means targeting only generic or low-volume terms—e.g. "app," "best," "free"—or terms that sound "safe" but have no real traffic in the US. You're not taking risks—but you're also not winning. The algorithm rewards relevance and volume; when you play safe, you're often targeting terms with no traffic or that don't signal intent. Result: flat rankings, low impressions, and no way to move the needle. Stellar gives you popularity and difficulty for the US store—so you can see which terms have real traffic and which you can win, and stop playing safe.

Why It Keeps You Invisible

It keeps you invisible because the US App Store doesn't reward safe. It rewards relevance to what people search—high-intent, high-volume terms. When you play safe, you're often targeting terms with no traffic or that don't match what people type. So the algorithm has no strong signal to show you—and you stay invisible. The fix isn't to "risk more"—it's to use data so you know which high-intent, winnable terms to target. Try Stellar to see popularity and Top 10 difficulty for your seed keywords in the US—then target the high-intent, winnable terms and stop playing safe.

How to Stop in the US

1. List seed keywords — From your app's value proposition, features, benefits, reviews, competitor keywords. US phrasing matters.
2. Get popularity and difficulty — Use a tool that shows Apple Search Ads popularity and Top 10 difficulty for the US store. Stellar gives you unlimited keywords and fixed pricing.
3. Filter to high-intent, winnable — Keep only terms that clearly signal intent and that you can realistically rank for (e.g. Top 10). Drop generic or impossible terms.
4. Put the best 1–2 in title and subtitle — First 30 characters for the strongest; subtitle for the next. Keep it readable.
5. Track daily — Use rankings and historical graphs to see what's working. Stellar gives you daily updates and history for the US and 60+ stores.
6. Revisit every few months — US search behavior shifts. Refresh your list with new data so you don't fall back into playing safe.

Mid-post checkpoint: Stop playing safe on Stellar. Run your seed keywords through popularity and difficulty for the US store—then target the high-intent, winnable terms and put the best in title and subtitle.

What to Do Instead

• Do use real search data — Popularity (Apple Search Ads) and Top 10 difficulty for the US. Stellar gives you that.
• Do target high-intent, winnable terms — Terms that signal intent and that you can rank for.
• Do put the best in title and subtitle — First 30 characters and subtitle. Readable.
• Do track daily — So you know what's working and what's not.

What You Need in One Place

To stop playing safe, you need in one place:

• Search popularity — Which terms have traffic in the US.
• Top 10 difficulty — Which terms you can win.
• Daily rankings — So you know what's working.
• Historical graphs — So you can attribute wins to your keyword choices.

Stellar gives you all of that for the US and 60+ stores. That's what you need to stop playing safe and start winning.

Next Steps

1. Audit your current keywords — Are you playing safe (generic or low-volume)? If yes, get real data on Stellar.
2. Get popularity and difficulty — For your seed keywords in the US. Target high-intent, winnable terms.
3. Put the best in title and subtitle — First 30 characters and subtitle. Track daily.
4. Revisit every few months — Refresh your list with new data. Don't fall back into playing safe.

Stop playing safe with keywords—target high-intent, winnable terms. Stellar gives you the data to do it in the US store.