Indexed but not ranking: indexing and position in App Store search

A common situation: the keyword is written, the app is found for it, but somewhere on the third screen. Nothing is broken. Indexing and position are two separate steps, and different things drive them.

Indexing: the app is in the results

To be indexed for a keyword means App Store search knows the app fits the query. Before indexing the app is not in the results at all, at any position. After it, the app is there.

The index is built from text: the name, the subtitle, the keyword field and the primary category. More in How App Store indexing works.

Position: who is higher

Apple describes search as a mix of two groups of factors: text relevance and user behaviour, meaning downloads, ratings and reviews, and more.

In practice:

• Installs from the query. If people type the keyword and install your app, it rises for that keyword.
• Product page conversion. The icon, name, screenshots and rating decide whether you get tapped in the results.
• The app's overall weight. Downloads, ratings and reviews affect every query at once.
• Competition. Thousands of apps fight for "casino"; a long misspelled phrase has a handful.

How to check that the index is there

1. Open the App Store in the country you need.
2. Type the keyword exactly as it was written.
3. Scroll the results until you find your app.

If the app is in the results, even far down, it is indexed. If it is not there at all, wait: after our work the keywords show up in search in about 2 hours.

What to do after indexing

• Send traffic to the keyword. Installs from that query are what move the position.
• Start with long queries and brands. They are easier to climb than generic words. Brands are covered in the article on competitor brand keywords.
• Fix the product page. Without decent conversion the traffic goes to your neighbours in the results.
• Don't expect first place for generic queries from indexing alone. It opens the door to the results; traffic does the rest.

What our work covers and what it does not

We take care of the first step: we write keywords without an app update, up to 100 characters per order, one shared field for all storefronts, in search in about 2 hours. We do not guarantee positions: they depend on installs and conversion.

If you are short of indexed keywords, send an order: one app is $49, payment in USDT (TRC20). How the work goes is described in How to index an iOS app for new keywords without an app update.