A fitness app launches with generic keywords like "workout tracker" and "health app" but struggles to gain visibility in the crowded app stores. Meanwhile, their competitor focuses on "HIIT timer workouts" and "bodyweight exercises at home"—category-specific terms that match exactly what their target users are searching for. Six months later, the competitor dominates their niche while the generic approach gets lost among thousands of similar apps.
This scenario plays out every day across app stores worldwide. The difference between success and obscurity often comes down to understanding how people search for apps within your specific category. ASO isn't just about stuffing popular keywords into your app title; it's about speaking the language your potential users actually use when they're looking for solutions.
The most downloaded apps aren't always the best apps—they're the ones that best match what users are actively searching for
Every app category has its own search behaviour patterns. Gaming apps compete on different terms than productivity apps. Social media platforms face different challenges than e-commerce mobile apps. What works for a meditation app won't work for a food delivery service. Understanding these nuances is what separates successful search optimisation from wasted effort. This guide will walk you through the specific strategies needed to identify, target, and rank for the search terms that matter most in your app's category. We'll cover everything from research techniques to implementation tactics that actually move the needle on downloads.
Understanding Category-Specific Search Behaviour
People search for apps differently depending on what category they're looking in—and this matters more than most developers realise. When someone's hunting for a fitness app, they'll type things like "calorie tracker" or "workout plans"; but when they want a gaming app, they're searching for "puzzle games" or "action adventure". The search terms are completely different, and your app needs to speak the right language.
I've spent years analysing app store data, and the patterns are clear. Users in productivity categories tend to search with problem-focused keywords—they want solutions. Finance app users search for specific features like "budgeting" or "expense tracking". Entertainment app seekers are more emotion-driven; they search for "fun games" or "comedy podcasts". Understanding this difference changes everything about how you position your app.
Search Intent Varies by Category
Health and fitness users often search during specific times—Monday mornings for workout apps, January for diet trackers. Shopping app searches spike during sales periods and lunch breaks. Educational app searches follow school calendars and exam periods. This timing affects not just when people find your app, but what they're actually looking for when they search.
Category Competition Shapes Search Behaviour
Saturated categories like games force users to be more specific in their searches—they can't just search "game" and expect to find what they want. Less crowded categories might see broader search terms work better. Your category's competition level directly impacts which keywords will actually get your app discovered. The trick is matching your optimisation strategy to your category's unique search patterns, not copying what works in completely different spaces.
Researching Your App Category's Search Patterns
Right, let's get into the meat of how people actually search for apps in your category. This is where things get interesting—and where many developers make their biggest mistakes. You can't just assume you know what people are typing into that search bar.
Start with the App Store itself. Type in broad terms related to your app category and see what suggestions pop up. Those auto-complete suggestions? They're gold dust. Apple and Google show these based on real search data, so pay attention to what appears. If you're building a fitness app, don't just search for "fitness"—try "workout", "exercise", "gym", "training" and see what comes up.
Tools That Actually Help
App Annie and Sensor Tower are the big players here, but they cost money. If you're just starting out, try AppTweak's free tier or even good old Google Trends. Set it to mobile app searches and compare different keyword variations. You'll be surprised how differently people search for the same thing.
Look at your competitors' keywords too—but don't copy them blindly. Download the top apps in your category and study their titles, descriptions, and what terms they're targeting. Sometimes the best keywords are the ones your competitors have missed. Understanding which app categories are most competitive can help you identify opportunities where your approach might have better success.
Real User Language vs Marketing Speak
Here's something I see all the time: developers use fancy marketing language whilst users search with simple, everyday words. If you're making a "revolutionary fitness optimisation platform", people are probably searching for "workout app" or "exercise tracker". Keep it simple and speak their language, not yours.
Set up Google Alerts for your main category keywords. You'll get a weekly digest of how people are talking about apps like yours across the web—and spot emerging search trends before your competitors do.
Optimising App Store Listings for Category Keywords
Your app store listing is your shop window—and getting the keywords right for your specific category can make or break your visibility. After working on hundreds of app launches, I've learnt that generic keywords simply don't cut it anymore. You need to speak the language of your category, and that means understanding exactly how people search within your space.
The app title is where you'll want to place your most powerful category keyword. If you're building a fitness app, don't just say "FitTracker"—consider "FitTracker: Weight Loss Workouts" because people search for specific fitness outcomes. Your subtitle gives you another 30 characters to work with, so use them wisely. Think about secondary category terms that your target users actually type into search.
Crafting Your Keyword Strategy
The keyword field (on iOS) or short description (on Android) needs careful planning. Here's where most developers go wrong—they stuff it with obvious terms instead of researching what their category users genuinely search for. A photography app shouldn't just target "photo" and "camera"; users might be searching for "vintage filters" or "portrait editing" instead.
- Research competitor apps in your exact category and note their keyword choices
- Use tools like App Annie or Sensor Tower to find category-specific search terms
- Test different keyword combinations and monitor their performance monthly
- Include long-tail keywords that match user intent within your category
- Avoid keyword repetition—each word should serve a purpose
Description Optimisation That Works
Your app description should read naturally whilst incorporating category keywords throughout the first 250 characters—this is what users see before clicking "read more". Don't make it obvious you're keyword stuffing; instead, weave terms naturally into benefit-focused sentences that explain why someone in your category would choose your app over alternatives. Remember that choosing the wrong category can undermine all your optimisation efforts, so ensure your keywords align with your chosen category placement.
Using Category-Relevant Screenshots and Visual Assets
Your app's screenshots are doing most of the heavy lifting when it comes to convincing people to download. Most users spend less than seven seconds looking at your app store listing before they decide whether to install or move on—that's not much time to make an impression. The trick is making sure your visual assets speak directly to what people in your category are actually searching for.
Think about it this way: if someone's browsing fitness apps, they want to see workout screens, progress tracking, and maybe some motivational elements. Show them a generic login screen as your first screenshot and you've already lost them. Your visuals need to demonstrate the core functionality that users in your category expect to find.
Screenshot Strategy That Actually Works
Start with your most compelling feature in the first screenshot—this is what appears in search results before users even tap through to your full listing. For productivity apps, show the main dashboard or task management interface. For games, lead with gameplay footage rather than character selection screens.
The biggest mistake I see developers make is treating their screenshots like a tutorial instead of a sales pitch
Beyond Just Screenshots
Your app icon needs to fit category conventions whilst still standing out. Social media apps often use speech bubbles or connection imagery; finance apps lean towards charts and currency symbols. Don't reinvent the wheel completely—users rely on visual cues to quickly identify what type of app yours is. App preview videos can be powerful too, but only if they focus on real user scenarios rather than fancy animations. Show people accomplishing the tasks they came to your category to solve.
Building Category-Specific App Features That Users Search For
Once you've done your research and understand what people in your category are looking for, it's time to build the features they actually want. This isn't just about having a great app—it's about having the right app for your specific audience.
Every app category has its own set of expected features. Fitness apps need workout tracking and progress charts; food delivery apps need real-time tracking and payment options; meditation apps need timers and offline content. Missing these core features is like opening a restaurant without tables—people will notice straight away.
Core Features vs Nice-to-Have Features
Start with what users absolutely expect, then add your unique twist. Look at the top-performing apps in your category and make a list of their main features. These are your baseline requirements. But don't just copy everything—that's boring and won't help you stand out.
- Study competitor feature sets and user reviews
- Identify gaps where users are complaining about missing functionality
- Build the expected features first, then innovate on top
- Test new features with real users before full development
- Keep track of which features users actually engage with
Making Features Discoverable
Having great features means nothing if users can't find them. Your app's navigation and onboarding should highlight the features that matter most to your category. If you're building a productivity app, don't hide the task management behind three menu taps.
Remember, users often download apps looking for specific functionality. If they can't find what they're looking for within the first few minutes, they'll delete your app and find another one that makes it obvious. For entertainment apps specifically, understanding which features are essential to compete effectively can make the difference between user retention and immediate deletion.
Monitoring and Measuring Your Category Search Performance
Right, so you've optimised your mobile app for category-specific searches—but how do you know if it's actually working? This is where things get interesting. Most developers I meet skip this bit entirely, which is like driving with your eyes closed. You need proper tracking to understand whether your ASO efforts are paying off.
The good news is that both Apple and Google provide decent analytics tools. App Store Connect and Google Play Console show you exactly which search terms are bringing people to your app. Look for the search performance reports—these tell you which keywords are driving impressions and downloads. But here's what many people miss: you want to focus specifically on category-related terms, not just your brand name searches.
Key Metrics to Track
- Category keyword rankings—where you appear for terms like "fitness tracker" or "photo editor"
- Impression-to-download conversion rates for category searches
- Organic download percentage from category-specific queries
- Competitor keyword overlap—what terms you're both targeting
- Long-tail category keyword performance
Set up weekly keyword ranking reports for your top 10 category terms. Small ranking changes can have massive impacts on your visibility and downloads.
When to Adjust Your Strategy
Don't panic if you don't see immediate results. Search optimisation takes time—usually 4-6 weeks before you see meaningful movement. However, if your category keyword rankings haven't improved after two months, it's time to revisit your approach. Maybe your chosen keywords are too competitive, or perhaps your app's core features don't align well with what searchers expect.
The secret is treating this as an ongoing process, not a one-time fix. Keep monitoring, keep adjusting, and keep improving. Understanding the difference between primary and secondary categories can also help you identify additional keyword opportunities you might be missing.
Conclusion
After years of helping clients optimise their apps, I've learnt that category-specific search optimisation isn't something you do once and forget about. It's an ongoing process that requires patience, testing, and constant refinement. The apps that succeed in their categories are the ones that truly understand what their users are searching for—not what they think users should be searching for.
The strategies we've covered in this guide work best when they're used together. You can't just optimise your keywords and ignore your screenshots, or build brilliant features but fail to monitor how they're performing in search results. Each element supports the others, creating a stronger overall presence in your app category.
What I find most rewarding about this approach is how it forces you to really understand your users. When you start researching category-specific search patterns, you begin to see your app through your users' eyes. You discover the problems they're trying to solve, the language they use, and the features they value most. This insight doesn't just improve your search visibility—it makes your entire app better.
The mobile app market keeps evolving, and search behaviours change as new trends emerge. But the core principle remains the same: give users exactly what they're looking for in the way they expect to find it. Do that consistently, measure your results, and adjust based on what the data tells you. Your app's search performance will improve, and more importantly, you'll attract users who genuinely need what your app offers.
