Most Popular Keywords on the App Store 2024

The most popular keywords on the App Store 2024 - what are they, branded or not, new trends or old patterns? The answers are in our new article.

We are about to take a look at common search queries in 2024, compare them with keywords from previous periods, and evaluate their dynamics together. The editors' choice focused on four countries - the USA (USA), Great Britain (UK), Germany (DE) and France (FR). The choice of countries is not accidental. We wanted to reach the most diverse target audiences, and for this one continent is clearly not enough. But two continents separated by an ocean, two neighboring countries in a single union and a separate island are just right.

Spoiler alert, there is almost no dynamics, as well as no difference, because demand creates supply, and demand is created by people. And what do people need even in such different geographical settings? Read about it below.

Popular keywords - trends

Let's move from words to action, so we immediately start with the common keys of past years. For convenience, all key queries are presented in visual tables by year and popularity indicators. By the way, with the Top Keywords statistical tool in ASOMobile, searching for information for this summary table took no more than half an hour. We do recommend it.

As we can see, despite such different geographies, people are interested in almost the same things:

• social networks (Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter, Truth Social, Pinterest). By the way, on 07/23/23 a major update of Twitter was released and it evolved to X, and Truth Social was released in 2022 and made a lot of noise.
• communication, interaction and communication (Whatsapp, Snapchat, Zoom, Messenger, Telegram, Signal, Discord, Skype, Gmail)
• dating (Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, Badoo)
• entertainment and games (Youtube, Faceapp, Fortnite, Mario Kart, Among Us, Minecraft, Netflix, Spotify, Roblox, Fifa 19, Pokemon Masters, Free Fire, Candy Crush, Guitar Tuner, Piano Keyboard, free games). The world saw Faceapp in 2017 and only by 2019 it gained momentum and became very popular among users.
• Disney and Disney Plus categories are also in demand
• financial apps (Cash App, Google Pay, Phone Pay)
• online shopping (Amazon, Aliexpress)
• social news resources (Reddit)
• brand queries (Zara, Pandora)
• other noteworthy positions (Widgetsmith, sleep sounds, vpn, voice translator, Google, Google Classroom, Google Maps, Chrome, Uber, Shazam, Glovo). Basically, the apps from this list are aimed at improving the quality, comfort and convenience of life.

Popular Keywords 2024

We have collected the basic information in a table, and you can view a more detailed list of keys through the same Top Keywords tool - you can find all popular keywords.

You will be surprised, but the situation as of March 2024 has not changed much.

Here we see the same leaders of the charts of popular keywords in almost all sectors of the mobile market, so we will only note new items and noticeable progress:

1. The social networking segment has not undergone significant changes. Threads for Insta appeared, which is mainly popular in the German market. You can only register through an Instagram account.
2. The use of Telegram has become more frequent in the communications environment.
3. The dating market has expanded with Hinge (in demand in the UK).
4. Brawl Stars (Germany) has risen in gaming. The French are interested in the Widgetable app (something similar was once known as Tamagotchi).
5. Worth noting is Vinted in France, an app for buying, selling or exchanging used items (mostly clothes and accessories).
6. Reddit, a social news forum, confidently holds its position from 2018 to 2023 inclusive. And in the UK in 2023 it has become more popular than in the other countries of our four.
7. Since TikTok does not lose its relevance, the appearance of a new application for video processing in August 2023 is not surprising - meet Capcut.
8. What's really new and fresh is artificial intelligence. In this regard, ChatGpt deserves attention, along with the latest Microsoft Copilot. The mobile application market saw ChatGpt on November 30, 2022, and just two months later, in 2023, it became widely used, especially among Germans.

Let's take a closer look at the fresh trends of 2024.

Let's start, of course, with artificial intelligence and its accessibility to a wide range of users. The November 2022 release of ChatGpt offered writing codes and texts, translation, and a question-answer option. In March 2023, a new version was released, which, in addition to the above functionality, was already able to process images. As of February 2023, the number of active users reached 100 million.

ChatGPT appeared on stores on May 19, 2023 for IOS and July 26, 2023 for Android.

Interesting fact: Development of the latest version of ChatGPT-5 has been paused due to public concerns about the rapid growth of AI technology.

It seems that in the world of social networks they have already come up with everything that was possible.

For text lovers - Facebook and Twitter, for teenagers and visual learners - TikTok and Instagram. But 2023 surprised with a new social network - Threads for Insta, with the classic Instagram interface and Twitter functionality. After the release, 100 million users registered in Threads for Insta, but subsequently the asset decreased by 70%. Therefore, it is premature to draw any conclusions. Let's see, 2024 has just begun.

There are two favorites in games: Brawl Stars and Widgetable.

Everything new is well forgotten old. This catchphrase is confirmed by Widgetable - a mobile analogue of Tamagotchi. In the game, the user will have to care for the pet - feed, clean, walk. There is an option to care for the hero together with a friend.

The global release of Brawl Stars took place in December 2018. It is a MOVA and a hero shooter in one package. You can play alone or in teams of 2-5 people. A variety of scenarios, a variety of modes, special events and positive reviews from critics included.

CapCut is a tool for creating trending videos. It will help you add music, trim videos, set up filters, and add subtitles. In general, everything you need for a perfect video in one application.

What about branded and non-branded popular keywords?

First, let's define the terms:

1. branded traffic - search queries containing the naming of the brand or company itself, the site domain, contacts or its details. Here it is appropriate to talk about vital requests or requests consisting only of the brand name without any clarification. For example, Instagram, Threads, Among Us.
2. non-branded, as is already obvious, does not include specifics by name. For example, fitness at home, food delivery, shopping online.

Please note that the summary tables of popular keywords above were specific to branded queries. Because collecting statistics on them is easier and more convenient, due to their specificity and uniqueness, but with non-brand queries the situation is larger. In this connection, it immediately becomes clear why it is worth investing in a brand - to name it competently, tell brand stories and in every possible way help to remember and strengthen the brand name in the minds of the audience. All these actions increase user loyalty and brand awareness. And then, for example, instead of the non-branded general query “AI app”, they will most likely enter the vital search query “Snapchat”.

Let's add some specifics - here you can find more specific information.

The share of branded queries on the App Store is approximately 70%. The remaining 30% of non-branded searches seem insignificant, but don't rush to conclusions.

There are guidelines that prohibit the use of third-party branded words in your app metadata. For example, you have a cool application with filters for Instagram. If there is no direct cooperation with Instagram, then using their brand name in the icon, Title or Subtitle is prohibited, but it is possible in the general description in the context of functionality. But even if there is a partnership with Instagram, using the brand will still not bring the desired result. Because for a key query with the name Instagram, the social network itself will first be shown, its products, then its main competitors, and somewhere in the back of the search results our example application with filters.

This is where 30% of total non-brand queries come into play. Because without a unique and recognizable name there is nowhere, it is necessary like air for the success of the application, and 30% will help to implement 70% more effectively.

The App Store has three main pieces of metadata that interact with users - icon, title, and subtitle. These three fields should be used to the maximum and preferably using an ASO strategy at the application development stage.

• Ideally, the icon should contain a logo or branding of the product. This is an investment in future recognition beyond the text.
• The title and subtitle are a great opportunity to supplement your logo with relevant keywords.

The better the graphics are related to the text, the more effective the search results will be.

Instead of conclusions, let's have a moment of philosophy.

1. Our world is accelerating rapidly. We are getting catastrophically short of time, because in our century there are more and more opportunities for everything - work, study, leisure, life. And I want to have time and try everything, go everywhere and see everything. There is always not enough time - this phrase is heard more and more often. Therefore, products that save the user time and increase the comfort and quality of his life come to the fore.
2. Due to the same lack of time, no one will search in long phrases or search search results for a long time and thoughtfully. I quickly entered a short search query, quickly clicked on the first few links, quickly got what I was looking for, and just as quickly moved on.
3. But an analysis of popular keywords over the considerable period 2018-2023 shows that the sphere of people’s interests remains, plus or minus, the same - sociality, communication, communications, dating, entertainment, children, new technologies, news.

Based on these three points, ASO for your apps will always be successful!