How Do I Stop My App Disappearing in Search Results?

An education app launches with strong funding and great features—interactive quizzes, progress tracking, personalised learning paths. The development team spent months perfecting the user experience. But three months after launch, downloads have stalled at around 200 total users. When the founder searches for "maths practice app" or "learning games for kids" in the App Store, their app is nowhere to be found. Not on page one, not on page two, not anywhere in the first fifty results. The app hasn't disappeared, it just never appeared in the first place.

I see this happen more times than I'd like to admit. Brilliant apps built by talented teams that nobody can find because the developers focused entirely on building great features and completely forgot that discoverability is just as important as functionality. Its one of those things that seems obvious in hindsight but catches people off guard during development. You can have the best app in your category, but if it doesn't show up when potential users are actively searching for solutions you provide, you've got a serious problem on your hands.

App Store Optimisation isn't something you do after launch—it needs to be part of your planning from day one, integrated into your development process just like design and testing.

The good news? Search visibility isn't magic and it isn't random. There are specific, practical things you can do to help your app show up when people are looking for what you offer. Some of them are technical, some are creative, and honestly some of them require a bit of patience. But they all work together to make your app discoverable by the people who actually need it. That's what we're going to walk through in this guide—the real, tested strategies that help apps get found in search results.

Understanding How App Store Search Actually Works

The app stores don't publish their search algorithms—Apple and Google keep that stuff locked down tighter than Fort Knox—but after years of watching our apps perform (and occasionally tank) in search results, I've figured out what actually moves the needle. Both stores work differently, which is honestly a bit annoying when you're trying to optimise for both platforms at once.

Apple's App Store uses something called relevancy scoring, which means it looks at your keywords and tries to match them to what people are searching for. Simple enough, right? But here's where it gets interesting; the algorithm also factors in how many people download your app after finding it in search, how long they keep it installed, and whether they actually use the thing. We launched a healthcare app that was perfectly optimised for "symptom checker" but our rankings stayed rubbish until we improved the onboarding flow and got people actually engaging with the features. Once our day-7 retention jumped from 12% to 34%, our search rankings followed within about three weeks.

Google Play works a bit differently because—surprise—it acts more like Google Search. The Play Store algorithm pays attention to your app's description text (unlike Apple, which largely ignores it for ranking purposes), your update frequency, and behavioural signals like uninstall rates. I mean, it makes sense... if loads of people are searching for your app, downloading it, then deleting it two days later, that tells Google something isn't right.

What Actually Influences Your Search Position

Both stores consider these factors, though they weight them differently:

• Keyword relevance in your title, subtitle (iOS), and short description (Android)
• Download velocity—how many installs you're getting per day matters more than total lifetime downloads
• Conversion rate from impression to install, which is why your icon and screenshots need to actually work
• User engagement metrics like session length and retention rates
• Ratings and reviews, particularly recent ones from the last few months
• Technical performance signals including crash rates and app size

One fintech app we built was ranking poorly for "budget planner" even though we'd included that exact phrase everywhere. Turns out the problem wasn't our keywords at all—it was our 2.8-star rating pulling us down. We fixed the bugs causing the bad reviews, encouraged happy users to rate us (more on that later), and watched our rankings climb as our rating hit 4.3. The keywords hadn't changed. The algorithm's trust in our app quality had.

The Keywords That Make or Break Your Visibility

Right, so here's where things get really interesting—and where I see most app developers get it completely wrong. Keywords aren't just words you shove into a field and hope for the best. They're the entire foundation of how people will find your app when they're searching. And the maddening thing? You've got incredibly limited space to work with. On iOS its 100 characters total for your keyword field (not including spaces), and on Android you're working with your app description and short description. That's it. That's all you get.

I worked on a fitness tracking app where the founder was convinced they needed to target "best fitness app" and "top workout tracker" because, well, thats what they thought people would search for. Problem is, everyone and their dog is targeting those exact same terms. The competition is absolutely mental. We shifted focus to more specific terms like "kettlebell timer" and "HIIT interval" based on what the app actually did uniquely well; within three weeks the organic downloads doubled because we were suddenly showing up for searches where we could actually rank.

The trick is understanding search volume versus competition. Sure, "fitness" gets searched millions of times, but you'll never rank for it. Meanwhile "pregnancy workout trimester" might only get searched a few thousand times monthly, but if that's exactly what your app does? You'll own that search term. I use tools like App Annie and Sensor Tower to research this stuff, but honestly sometimes the best research is just typing into the App Store search bar and seeing what auto-completes. That's real user behaviour right there.

How to Actually Choose Keywords That Work

Start with your core functionality—what does your app genuinely do better than anyone else? I built a meal planning app for a client in the health space, and instead of going after "meal planner" (way too competitive), we targeted "macro meal prep" and "IIFYM planner" because the app had brilliant macro tracking features. These niche terms brought in users who were specifically looking for what we offered, and guess what? They stuck around because the app delivered exactly what they searched for.

You need to think about user intent too. Someone searching "free photo editor" has very different expectations than someone searching "remove photo background". The second person knows exactly what they want to do; if your app does that specific thing, you want to be there when they search. I've seen apps with half the features of their competitors absolutely dominate in downloads because they targeted specific use-case keywords rather than generic category terms. Understanding what makes users engage deeply with apps can also inform your keyword strategy.

Don't waste keyword space on your brand name or category terms that are already in your app title. The App Store already indexes those automatically, so you're literally throwing away precious character space. Use that keyword field for terms you're NOT already using elsewhere.

The Localisation Opportunity Everyone Misses

Here's something that still surprises me—most developers just translate their English keywords directly into other languages and call it localisation. That's not how it works. People search differently in different languages and cultures. When we launched a finance app in Germany, the direct translation of "budget tracker" performed terribly because Germans actually search for "haushaltsbuch" (household book). You need native speakers researching local search behaviour, not just translation tools.

I've also learned that you should rotate and test keywords regularly. Apple lets you update your keyword field with each app version without triggering a review, so theres no excuse not to experiment. Track which keywords are actually converting to downloads (you can see this in App Store Connect) and kill the ones that aren't pulling their weight. Its a constant process, not a set-it-and-forget-it thing, and the apps that treat it that way are the ones that maintain visibility long-term.

Why Your App Title and Subtitle Matter More Than You Think

Your app title and subtitle are the single most powerful ranking factors in both the App Store and Google Play. I mean, its not even close—these two fields carry more weight than anything else you'll optimise. Apple gives you 30 characters for your title and 30 for your subtitle on iOS; Google Play gives you 30 for the title and 80 for a short description that functions similarly. Use every single character.

Here's the thing though—you cant just stuff keywords in there and hope for the best. I've seen so many apps with titles like "Fitness Tracker - Weight Loss Diet Calorie Counter Exercise" that read like a spam email. Sure, they might rank for those terms, but nobody wants to download an app that looks desperate. The app stores have gotten smarter about this too; they can detect when you're being manipulative with your naming and they'll actually penalise you for it.

Finding the Balance Between Keywords and Branding

What works? A clear brand name plus one or two highly relevant keywords that describe what you actually do. When we built a meditation app for a healthcare client, we went with "[Brand Name]: Sleep & Meditation" rather than cramming in "anxiety, stress, mindfulness, relaxation" and all that. It ranked well for sleep meditation (the main target) whilst still looking professional and trustworthy. The conversion rate was 40% higher than their previous generic title.

What Actually Gets People to Tap

Your subtitle needs to expand on your value proposition without repeating whats in the title. If your title is "FitTrack: Running & Cycling" then your subtitle shouldn't be "Running and Cycling App"—that's wasted space. Instead, go with something like "GPS Routes, Training Plans & Stats" which adds new searchable terms whilst telling people what they'll get. I've tested this approach across dozens of apps and the ones with descriptive, keyword-rich subtitles consistently outperform vague ones by 20-30% in search visibility. Understanding how users visually scan app listings can help you optimise these crucial first impressions.

Writing Descriptions That Help People Find You

Right, so here's something most people get completely wrong about app descriptions—they think its just marketing copy. I mean, sure, it needs to sell your app, but on iOS your long description doesn't actually affect your search rankings at all. Not one bit. Google Play is different though; it definitely reads your description for ranking purposes, which means you've got to be smarter about how you write it.

I've worked on health apps where we tested two versions of the same description—one stuffed with keywords like "calorie tracker diet weight loss fitness nutrition" and another that focused on telling a clear story about the app's benefits. The keyword-stuffed version actually performed worse on Google Play because users could smell the desperation from a mile away and didn't convert. The bounce rate was terrible. What worked better was naturally weaving in our core keywords (we used "calorie tracking" about three times) whilst actually explaining what the bloody app does and why someone should care. This is where understanding user psychology around commitment becomes crucial for conversion.

Your description isn't there to trick the algorithm, its there to convince real humans that your app is worth their time and storage space

For Google Play specifically, focus your most relevant keywords in the first 250 characters because that's what shows before users tap "read more". On iOS, since your description doesn't affect rankings, use it purely for conversion—answer objections, highlight your best features, and include social proof if you've got it. I always tell clients to write like they're explaining the app to someone who's already interested but needs that final push to download. And for the love of all things mobile, please break your description into scannable chunks with line breaks; nobody reads walls of text on a phone screen.

Getting Reviews and Ratings Without Being Pushy About It

Here's what I've learned after years of watching apps struggle with review requests—timing is absolutely everything. You can't just throw up a rating prompt after someone's first session and expect good results; I mean, they barely know what your app does yet. The apps I've built that get the best organic reviews? They ask at moments of genuine satisfaction. For a healthcare app we developed, we triggered the review prompt right after a user successfully completed their first appointment booking. The conversion rate was nearly three times higher than when we'd asked at random intervals.

Apple's SKStoreReviewController is your friend here because it limits how often the prompt appears—maximum three times per year—which stops you from annoying people. But here's the thing, you still control when those three opportunities happen. I've found that waiting until someone has used your app at least five times and achieved something meaningful gives you the best chance of a positive response. For an e-commerce app, that might be after they've received their second order; for a fitness app, maybe after they've logged workouts for a full week. Tracking user engagement metrics helps you identify these perfect moments for review requests.

What doesn't work? Interrupting people when they're in the middle of something important. I once worked on a fintech app where the initial review prompt appeared right as users were trying to transfer money—bloody hell, the negative reviews poured in. We moved it to after successful transactions instead and saw ratings jump from 3.2 to 4.6 stars within two months. The lesson? Never ask for reviews when users are focused on completing a task or when they've just encountered an error. Its common sense really, but you'd be surprised how many apps get this wrong.

One technique that's worked well across multiple projects is the soft ask approach. Before showing the native review prompt, we display a simple in-app message asking "Are you enjoying the app?" with Yes/No buttons. If they tap Yes, then we trigger the official review request; if they tap No, we direct them to a feedback form instead. This filters out potentially negative reviews and gives you a chance to address issues before they hit the App Store. Sure, its an extra step, but it protects your rating whilst still capturing valuable feedback from unhappy users.

The Technical Stuff That Affects Your Rankings

Right, so here's something a lot of app owners get wrong—they think app store search is all about keywords and descriptions. Sure, those matter, but the technical side of your app can absolutely tank your rankings if you're not careful. I've seen beautifully designed apps with perfect keyword optimisation get buried simply because they crash too often or take forever to load.

App stores track what they call "quality signals" and these have a massive impact on where you show up in search results. Things like crash rates, loading times, how quickly your app responds to user interactions—these all feed into the algorithm. When I was working on a fintech app a while back, we noticed our rankings were dropping despite good reviews. Turns out our crash rate had crept up to around 2.5% (which doesn't sound like much, but it is). Once we fixed the stability issues and got that down below 0.5%, our search visibility improved within a couple of weeks. Having a reliable release pipeline helps catch these issues before they affect your rankings.

What The App Stores Actually Track

Both Apple and Google monitor your app's technical performance constantly. Here's what they look at most closely:

• Crash rate—anything above 1% starts hurting you
• App size—bloated apps get downloaded less, which signals poor quality
• Battery consumption—apps that drain batteries get flagged
• Response time—slow interactions mean poor user experience
• API errors and network failures

Its not just about building a good app initially either. You need to maintain that quality over time because the app stores will notice if things deteriorate. I worked on an e-commerce app where we added a new feature that accidentally increased the app size by 40MB. Downloads dropped by nearly 15% within a month, which then affected our search rankings because the algorithm saw fewer installs as a negative signal.

Monitor your crash analytics weekly, not monthly. By the time you notice a problem in your monthly review, you've already lost ranking positions that take ages to recover.

The Size Problem Nobody Talks About

App size is a big deal, especially in markets where users are on limited data plans or older devices. If your app is 150MB and your competitor's is 50MB, guess which one more people will download? I always tell clients to keep their iOS app under 100MB if possible (that's the cellular download limit without WiFi) and Android apps under 50MB. Use on-demand resources, compress your images properly, and don't bundle assets people might never use. A healthcare app we built started at 180MB because the team included every possible language pack and high-res imagery. We got it down to 65MB by loading languages on demand and using better compression—installs went up, and so did our search rankings.

Keeping Your App Visible After Launch

Here's what happens after most app launches—the team celebrates, the marketing push winds down, and then three months later everyone's wondering why downloads have dropped off a cliff. I've watched this play out dozens of times, and its always the same issue; people treat launch day like the finish line when its really just the starting gun. The app stores reward consistent activity and engagement, not one big push followed by silence. This is where understanding ongoing app maintenance costs becomes crucial for planning.

Regular updates are probably the single most important thing you can do for visibility. And I don't mean just bug fixes (though those matter too). The algorithm pays attention to how often you ship meaningful improvements. I worked with a fintech client who was updating their app every 6-8 weeks with new features and refinements—nothing massive, just steady progress. Their search rankings actually improved over the first year post-launch whilst their competitors who launched around the same time gradually disappeared. The stores interpret frequent updates as a signal that the app is actively maintained and worth showing to users.

What Actually Counts as Maintenance

You need to monitor your app's performance metrics religiously. Crash rates, loading times, user retention—these all feed into your search ranking. One e-commerce app I worked on saw their rankings drop because their crash rate crept up to 2.8% after an iOS update broke something in their payment flow. Fixed it within days, but the damage to their visibility took weeks to recover from. The stores are basically asking: is this app still good? You need to keep proving that the answer is yes. Keeping users engaged through smart notification strategies also helps maintain those crucial engagement metrics.

The Content Calendar Approach

Treat your app store presence like you would a blog or social media channel. Plan your updates in advance, tie them to seasonal trends or user feedback themes, and keep a steady drumbeat going. Here's what I recommend my clients track monthly:

• Review volume and average rating trends—responding to reviews signals active engagement
• Keyword rankings for your core terms—catching drops early lets you adjust faster
• Technical performance metrics—crash rates below 1% are ideal, anything above 2% is worrying
• User retention at 1, 7, and 30 days—the stores can see these numbers too
• Update frequency compared to category competitors—staying competitive matters

A healthcare app I worked with set up a quarterly refresh cycle where they'd update their screenshots to highlight new features, refresh their keyword targeting based on seasonal health trends, and push meaningful feature updates. Their organic downloads actually increased 40% in year two compared to year one. Most apps see the opposite trajectory, but consistent attention to visibility pays off over time. Building an email list can also help drive consistent install velocity to support your rankings.

What To Do When Your Rankings Drop

Right, so your app's rankings have dropped and you're probably feeling a bit panicked. I get it. I've seen this happen to dozens of clients over the years and honestly, its almost always fixable if you act quickly. The first thing you need to do is figure out what actually changed—and I mean specifically, not just "our rankings got worse". Open up App Store Connect or Google Play Console and look at your metrics from the past 30 days. Check your crash rate, your uninstall rate, your conversion rate from impressions to installs. One fintech app I worked on dropped from position 3 to position 47 for their main keyword and everyone panicked, but it turned out their crash rate had spiked to 2.8% after a recent update. We rolled back the update, fixed the bugs properly, and within two weeks they were back to position 5.

The thing is, app store algorithms react to quality signals faster than most people realise. If your ratings suddenly drop from 4.5 to 4.0 stars, or if people are downloading your app but uninstalling it within 24 hours, the algorithm notices. It's not being mean, it's just trying to show users apps that actually work well. Sometimes the issue isnt technical at all though; maybe a competitor just launched with better keywords or a more compelling app preview video. I had an e-commerce client who lost visibility simply because three new competitors entered their space in the same month, all targeting the exact same keywords. We had to pivot their keyword strategy entirely and focus on more specific, long-tail terms. In cases where reviews become a major issue, positioning strategies for apps with poor ratings can help you recover.

The worst thing you can do when rankings drop is change everything at once, because then you'll never know what actually worked

Check Your Recent Changes First

Did you update your screenshots? Change your app title? Release a new version? Any of these could be affecting your visibility. I always tell clients to change one thing at a time and wait at least 5-7 days to see the impact. Sure, it feels slow when you're watching your rankings drop, but making multiple changes simultaneously means you can't tell whats helping and whats making things worse. Also, check if there's been any seasonal changes in search volume for your keywords—sometimes rankings drop simply because fewer people are searching for that term. Assessing your team's capabilities becomes crucial when you need to implement fixes quickly.

Look at What Your Competitors Are Doing

Download the top 5 apps in your category and actually use them. Read their descriptions, look at their screenshots, check their ratings. I worked with a healthcare app that was losing ground because a competitor had completely redesigned their onboarding to address the exact pain points users were complaining about in reviews. We had to respond by improving our own onboarding, which meant development work, but it was the only way to stop the slide. Sometimes your competitors are just executing better and you need to match or exceed what theyre doing. Understanding why users disengage from apps can help you identify where competitors might be gaining an advantage.

Conclusion

Look, keeping your app visible in search results isnt a one-time job—its something you'll need to work at consistently, and I mean that in the most practical sense possible. I've watched apps climb to the top of their category rankings only to slip away because the team thought they could just set it and forget it. Doesnt work like that.

The apps that stay visible are the ones where someone is checking keyword performance every few weeks, responding to user reviews within a day or two, and pushing updates that actually improve the experience rather than just fixing bugs. When we built a healthcare app for a private clinic a while back, their rankings held steady for months because they committed to this ongoing work; the moment they got busy and let things slide for six weeks, their visibility dropped by about 40% and it took us another two months to recover that ground.

Here's what I want you to take away from all this—app store optimisation isn't mysterious or complicated once you understand the basics. Start with solid keyword research, write a clear title that tells people what you do, keep your technical performance tight (load times under 3 seconds, crash rates below 1%), and actually engage with your users through reviews and updates. Thats it really.

The good news? Most of your competitors probably aren't doing even half of these things properly. I see it all the time—apps with great functionality buried on page five of search results because nobody bothered to optimise the metadata or they haven't updated in eight months. That's your opportunity right there. Put in the consistent effort and you'll stay ahead of them... simple as that.