Keyword popularity
What the 1-to-5 dot scale means, where the data comes from, and why only some keywords are scored
Keyword popularity
Next to each tracked keyword on the Keywords & ASO page, MySigner shows a row of 1 to 5 dots. That's the popularity score — roughly, how often people actually search that term on the App Store.
The dot scale
Apple returns an integer between 5 and 100. We bucket it into 5 tiers so it's easy to scan:
| Dots | Raw score | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 dot | 5 – 20 | Rarely searched — niche or long-tail |
| 2 dots | 21 – 40 | Low search volume |
| 3 dots | 41 – 60 | Moderate — typical mid-tier term |
| 4 dots | 61 – 80 | Popular — high-value target |
| 5 dots | 81 – 100 | Very popular — competitive, high-volume |
Hover a dot row to see the raw integer in a tooltip.
Relative, not absolute. Apple doesn't publish raw search-volume counts. A score of 80 doesn't mean "80,000 searches/day" — it means "this keyword sits in the 80th tier of Apple's observed popularity distribution." Use scores to compare keywords against each other, not to forecast install volume.
Where the data comes from
Popularity comes from the Apple Search Ads API. See Connect Apple Search Ads for the one-time setup.
Apple only returns popularity for keywords its recommendation engine considers relevant to your app — based on your name, subtitle, keywords, category, and historical search behaviour.
Because Apple's API doesn't accept arbitrary queries, we can't ask for the popularity of photo editor in the abstract — only for terms Apple already associates with your app. If you add a keyword Apple doesn't consider relevant yet, the popularity column shows — (dash) until the recommender picks it up. That usually happens after you push a release containing the term.
Getting more keywords scored
If a tracked keyword shows a dash:
- Add it to your 100-character keyword string (Editor tab) and push the listing — strongest signal to Apple's recommender.
- Mention the theme in your description. Apple reads metadata holistically.
- Wait 24–72 hours after a push. The recommender re-runs periodically, not instantly.
- Check the Search Ads connection is active. A dropped connection stalls all scoring.
There's no way to force Apple to score a truly unrelated keyword. If your app is a calculator and you're tracking chess puzzles, popularity will stay blank — and that's the correct signal.
Refresh cadence
| Plan | Cadence |
|---|---|
| Free | Weekly |
| Pro | Daily |
| Team | Priority daily |
Refreshes run overnight in your organisation's timezone. The Date checked column in Tracking shows the last successful refresh per keyword.
Degraded-state warning
Occasionally an amber banner appears on the Keywords page:
Popularity data may be degraded — Apple's Search Ads API is rate-limiting us or returning partial results. Existing scores are still accurate; new scores may be missing or delayed.
This has happened a handful of times since Apple tightened API quotas in October 2025. Existing scores stay valid, rank tracking is unaffected, and we retry automatically with exponential backoff — the banner clears as soon as refresh jobs succeed again.
Reading popularity well
- Don't chase 5-dot keywords blindly. High popularity means high competition. A 2-dot keyword where you rank 3 usually beats a 5-dot keyword where you rank 180.
- Pair popularity with rank. The best targets are high-popularity keywords where you already rank in the top 20.
- Popularity shifts over time. Seasonal terms (
tax calculator,valentine cards) swing dramatically — track the 30-day trend, not a single day.
Related
- Keywords & ASO - The ASO workspace overview
- Connect Apple Search Ads - One-time setup required for popularity
- Keyword rank explained - How position tracking works
- Analytics - Tie keyword changes back to impressions and installs