How to write an App Store title and subtitle that rank and convert

The app name and subtitle are the most valuable 60 characters on the App Store. They're indexed for search, they appear in every search result, and they're the first words a potential user reads. Getting them right is the highest-leverage ASO work you can do.

This guide gives you a repeatable pattern, real-world examples, and the mistakes to avoid. For the bigger picture of how search works, see the complete ASO guide.

Why the title and subtitle matter so much

Apple's search guidance lists the app name and subtitle among the text used to decide relevance, next to the keyword field and category. Unlike the keyword field, though, these two are visible. That gives them a double job:

• Discovery: the words in them help decide which searches you appear for.
• Conversion: they explain, in a glance, what the app does and why it's worth a tap.

Many ASO practitioners also observe that words in the name tend to carry more weight than the same words in the subtitle or keyword field. Apple doesn't publish weights, so use this as a working assumption: put the phrase you most want to rank for in the name.

Limits and rules

Per Apple's App information reference and the App Review Guidelines:

The brand + keyword pattern

The most reliable structure for a new or small app is a short brand followed by a descriptive phrase:

Why this works:

• The brand makes you memorable and protects you from looking like a generic clone. It also lets returning users find you.
• The phrase tells search and humans what the app does. "Driftly" alone means nothing to a stranger; "Rain & Sleep Sounds" does.
• The separator (a colon, a dash or "–") keeps it readable. Pick one and stay consistent across languages.

Choosing the phrase for your name

The phrase after your brand is the single most important keyword decision you'll make. Run every candidate through three questions:

• Is it what people type? "Budget Planner" and "Money Organizer" describe the same app, but one is likely searched far more. Check search volume rather than trusting your own vocabulary.
• Can you compete for it? If the top results all have tens of thousands of ratings, a more specific phrase ("Budget Planner for Couples") may bring more downloads in your first months.
• Does it describe the whole app? The name is permanent-feeling to users. Pick the phrase that matches your core use case, not a single feature you might drop.

When two phrases are close, put the one with the clearer intent in the name and the other in the subtitle. Both fields are indexed, and words across them can still match combined searches.

Once you have a well-known brand, the balance can shift. Big apps often keep just the brand in the name and let downloads and brand searches do the work. For an indie app without that recognition, the descriptive phrase is doing most of the selling.

Writing the subtitle

The subtitle sits right under the name in search results and on the product page. Treat it as your second keyword slot and your one-line pitch at the same time.

1. Don't repeat the nameEvery word in the name is already indexed. Use the subtitle for your second most important set of terms.
2. Lead with a benefit or use case"White noise for deep sleep" says what you get. "The ultimate experience" says nothing.
3. Weave in keywords naturallyPick one or two terms that people search and that read well together. A subtitle that reads like a keyword list hurts conversion.
4. Use the space, but not at any costA clear 24-character subtitle beats a cluttered 30-character one. Readability is part of the job.

Any terms that don't fit naturally go in the keyword field. Our keyword field guide covers how to fill those 100 bytes without repeating anything from the name and subtitle.

Weak vs strong: side by side

Here's the same fictional habit tracker written two ways. Imagine both appearing in a search for "habit tracker":

Examples by category

All of these are fictional, written to show the pattern. Character counts include spaces and punctuation.

Notice what each pair does: the name carries the core phrase ("Running Tracker", "Budget Planner"), the subtitle adds a second cluster of terms ("GPS", "pace", "5K") and none of the words repeat. Words like "game" are fine in a subtitle when they read naturally, but don't add them to the keyword field.

A note on games

Games follow the same pattern, but the descriptive phrase usually names the genre or core mechanic rather than a utility: "Block Puzzle", "Word Search", "Idle Tycoon", "Solitaire". People search for games by what they play, so a genre phrase in the name does a lot of work for a new title. Use the subtitle for the feeling or hook ("Relaxing brain teaser game", "Offline, no timers") and to pick up secondary terms.

Because the Games category has many subcategories, check which words are already covered by the subcategories you choose. Apple advises against repeating category words in the keyword field, and the same logic applies when you're deciding whether a word deserves space in a visible field.

Mistakes that cost downloads

Localizing your name and subtitle

Each localization in App Store Connect has its own name and subtitle, which means each market gets its own 60 characters of indexed, visible text. This is one of the most underused opportunities in ASO.

• Keep the brand, localize the phrase. "Driftly: Rain & Sleep Sounds" can become a German name with the German phrase people search for sleep sounds, while "Driftly" stays the same everywhere.
• Research, don't translate. The most-searched phrase in another language is often not the literal translation of your English one. Look at what the top local apps call themselves.
• Watch the length. German, French and many other languages run longer than English. A phrase that fits in 30 characters in English may need a shorter synonym elsewhere.
• Mind cultural fit in the subtitle. A playful English benefit line may read oddly in Japanese. Have a native speaker check the tone, not just the grammar.

For a full process covering market choice and screenshots, see the localization guide.

Testing and changing your title

You can't A/B test text with Product Page Optimization; it only covers icons, screenshots and app previews. Name and subtitle changes go live with a new version, so test them as before/after experiments:

• Record a baseline: rankings for your target terms, plus impressions, product page views and conversion rate from App Analytics
• Change one field per release: name or subtitle, not both
• Avoid changing screenshots in the same release so you can attribute the result
• Wait a few weeks for rankings and conversion to settle
• Compare to the baseline, and keep or roll back in the next version
• Keep a dated log of every change in every localization

If you rebrand, keep the old brand name searchable for a while by placing it in the keyword field, since you own it. That way existing users and press links still lead people to you.

Ready to put it all together for a new app? The ASO launch checklist covers every step from research to post-launch iteration.

Frequently asked questions