App name, subtitle, and keywords review checklist
Search fields can drive discovery, but they are still App Store claims. The fastest keyword win can become a rejection or low-quality traffic source.
Build a search-metadata claim ledger before editing name, subtitle, or keywords. Apple documents app name, subtitle, privacy-policy fields, and keyword management in App Store Connect. AppReviewReady interpretation: metadata should describe the app's real job and evidence, not borrow demand from unrelated brands or features.
Define the search promise
For each name, subtitle, and keyword phrase, identify the user intent it targets and the app screen that satisfies that intent. If there is no matching screen, the term is probably a growth shortcut rather than a product truth.
Do not use competitor names, protected marks, celebrity names, platform terms, medical claims, finance claims, or category claims unless the app has clear rights and functionality.
Check each metadata field separately
- The name should identify the app, not read like a keyword list.
- The subtitle should sharpen the core job without promising unsupported outcomes.
- Keywords should support discovery without stuffing, repetition, or unrelated demand capture.
- Localized fields should avoid accidental trademark or regulated-claim issues.
- Screenshots and description should prove the same promise.
Separate SEO opportunity from review risk
A high-volume term is not automatically a good term. If it brings users expecting a different product, conversion quality and review trust both suffer.
AppReviewReady interpretation: search metadata should be iterated from evidence. Change one meaningful positioning hypothesis at a time once impressions and conversion data exist.
Run a metadata release gate
- Review name, subtitle, keywords, description, screenshots, and category together.
- Check rights and misleading claims before localization.
- Confirm paid, gated, region-only, or hardware-only features are not overpromised.
- Keep old and new metadata with the release record.
- Monitor search terms and conversion quality after approval.
Search metadata ledger
The ledger prevents keyword experimentation from becoming metadata drift. It also gives growth work a defensible link to product value.
After launch, keep terms that attract qualified users and remove terms that create support confusion. Better traffic matters more than broader but irrelevant discovery.
When a keyword targets a rejection problem or compliance need, make sure the landing page and in-app product can support that urgency. High-intent users searching for a fix will leave quickly if the app only offers a generic tool.
Review search metadata after adding ads, subscriptions, or new regions. A phrase that was harmless for a free utility can become misleading when the same app starts selling paid access or regulated outcomes.
For branded terms, keep evidence of permission or remove the term. Even if the keyword field is not visible like a title, it is still an App Store metadata field with rights and relevance risk.
Metadata term: Field: [name/subtitle/keyword] Target intent: [query] In-app proof: [screen] Rights risk: [none/list] Locale: [language] Expected user: [who] Review concern: [none/list]
Primary references checked for this guide
Policy statements above are grounded in the linked Apple documentation. Operational recommendations are AppReviewReady's interpretation and should be tested against your app and the current guideline text.
Check search metadata
Review name, subtitle, keywords, rights, and in-app proof before submission.
Open the tool