Apple gives you 30 characters for your app title. Google gives you 30 characters for your short title. In both stores, this field carries more ranking weight than any other metadata field — and yet most apps waste it.

The two jobs of your title

Your title needs to do two things simultaneously: rank for keywords, and convince a human to tap. These goals are in tension. A title optimized purely for keywords looks spammy and reduces conversion. A title optimized purely for brand recall leaves ranking potential untapped.

The formula that works: [Brand name] – [Primary keyword phrase]. The dash or em-dash creates a natural visual separator that improves readability while cramming a keyword into a visible, high-weight field.

Character budget allocation

  • Brand name: 8–14 characters (keep it short if possible — every saved character is an opportunity)
  • Separator: 3 characters ( – )
  • Keyword phrase: 13–19 characters remaining

With 17 characters of keyword space, you can fit one strong 2–3 word phrase. Don't try to fit two — it reads as keyword stuffing and Apple has been rejecting apps with titles like "App Name – Keyword1 Keyword2 Keyword3."

Apple's review team now flags titles with more than 3 keyword-like terms after the dash. Stick to one clear, natural-sounding phrase.

Picking the right keyword for your title

Your title keyword should be your single best growth-tier keyword: high enough volume to matter, low enough competition that you can realistically break into the top 15. Don't waste the title on an anchor keyword you'll never rank for.

Check your current rankings first. If you're already in the top 5 for a keyword from your subtitle, it may make sense to elevate that keyword to your title to capture even more ranking weight.

What to avoid

  • Category descriptors as your only keyword ("Productivity App", "Fitness Tracker") — too broad to rank for
  • Superlatives ("Best", "#1", "Ultimate") — Apple rejects these
  • Version numbers in titles ("v2.0", "Pro 2026") — wastes characters
  • Your company name if it's different from the app name — use the subtitle for that

Test before you commit

A title change is a high-stakes update — it affects both ranking and conversion simultaneously. Use Marteso's keyword simulator to forecast rank impact before submitting. Then track your conversion rate for 14 days after the change to catch any negative conversion effects before they compound.