Stop Wasting Keywords Like a Rookie

If you're filling your App Store keyword field with every term you can think of and still not seeing movement in the US, you're not alone. Rookies waste keywords on low-volume, irrelevant, or impossible-to-rank terms—pros focus on a smaller set that has real traffic and achievable difficulty. This post shows you how to stop wasting and start winning.

TL;DR — Stop stuffing generic or guess-based keywords. Use search popularity (Apple Search Ads) and Top 10 difficulty to pick high-intent, winnable terms. Put the best in title and subtitle; use the keyword field for the rest. Stellar gives you that data for the US store so you're not wasting slots.

Table of contents

• How Rookies Waste Keywords
• What Pros Do Instead
• The Data You Need in the US
• Step-by-Step: From Waste to Focus
• What to Cut First
• Next Steps

How Rookies Waste Keywords

Common rookie moves in the US App Store:

• Stuffing generic terms — "app," "best," "free" without checking volume or difficulty. They rarely move the needle.
• Copying competitor keywords blindly — Without knowing which terms have volume or are winnable for you.
• Ignoring difficulty — Targeting only high-volume terms that are impossible to rank for.
• No tracking — So you never learn which keywords actually drive rankings or impressions.

Result: a long keyword list that looks busy but doesn't convert into visibility. You're wasting limited metadata space on terms that don't pay off.

What Pros Do Instead

Pros constrain the list and optimize for impact:

1. Start from real data — Reviews, competitor keywords, and search volume (e.g. Apple Search Ads popularity).
2. Filter by difficulty — Use a Top 10 difficulty score so you only keep terms you can realistically rank for.
3. Prioritize — Put the best 1–2 keywords in title and subtitle; use the keyword field for the next tier.
4. Track daily — So you know what's working and what's waste.

Stellar gives you popularity from Apple Search Ads plus Top 10 difficulty for the US store—so you can do the same without guessing.

The Data You Need in the US

To stop wasting keywords, you need two things for the US store:

| Data | Why it matters | |------|----------------| | Search popularity | Tells you which terms have real traffic. No point targeting zero-volume keywords. | | Top 10 difficulty | Tells you which terms you can actually win. No point wasting slots on impossible terms. |

Without these, you're guessing. With them, you can cut the waste and focus on terms that drive rankings and impressions. Try Stellar to get both in one place—unlimited keywords, fixed annual plan, works in the US and 60+ stores.

Step-by-Step: From Waste to Focus

1. Export your current keyword list — Everything in title, subtitle, and keyword field.
2. Run it through a data tool — Get popularity (Apple Search Ads) and Top 10 difficulty for the US. Stellar does this for unlimited keywords.
3. Cut the waste — Drop terms with near-zero volume or difficulty that's out of reach. Keep high-intent, winnable terms.
4. Reorder by impact — Best 1–2 in title and subtitle; next tier in keyword field. Keep total keyword field under the limit and avoid repetition with title/subtitle.
5. Track daily — Use rankings and historical graphs to see what's actually driving results. Prune or add based on data.

What to Cut First

• Generic fillers — "app," "best," "free," "new" unless they're part of a high-volume phrase you can rank for.
• Impossible terms — Huge volume but difficulty 10/10 with no chance to crack the top 10.
• Duplicates — Anything already in title or subtitle doesn't need to repeat in the keyword field.
• Low-intent terms — Words that don't reflect what your app does or what US users search for.

Mid-post reminder: Check your current keywords against real popularity and difficulty on Stellar. You'll see exactly which ones are worth keeping and which are waste.

Next Steps

1. Audit your list — Run your current keywords through a tool that shows popularity and difficulty for the US. Stellar gives you that.
2. Cut and focus — Remove waste; lock the best terms in title and subtitle.
3. Track and iterate — Use daily rankings to see what's working. Revisit every few months.

Stop wasting keywords like a rookie. Use real data, focus on high-impact terms, and track daily—Stellar gives you the data so you can play like a pro in the US store.