Brand keywords capture people who already know you and are usually easy to rank for, while generic keywords reach new audiences but are competitive. A healthy portfolio protects brand search, uses limited metadata space on generic opportunity, and tracks both separately.
Separate the two in reporting
Branded installs reflect awareness built elsewhere, such as marketing and word of mouth. Generic installs reflect discoverability. Combining them hides what ASO actually achieves.
Track visibility, impressions, and conversion for each group.
Do not waste metadata on brand terms
If the app name already contains the brand, repeating it in other fields is rarely needed. Spend scarce fields on generic and feature terms.
Check that brand searches show your app first and with strong creative.
Protect against competitors
Competitors may bid on or target your brand terms. Monitor brand search results and consider paid brand protection where relevant, within store policy.
Strong ratings and clear creative improve brand conversion.
Grow generic share deliberately
Choose generic terms by relevance and attainability, and support them with matching creative. Measure assisted growth and quality, not just rank.
Revisit the portfolio after campaigns that raise brand awareness.
Common mistakes with brand keywords ASO
Celebrating total installs without splitting brand and generic hides a weak discovery position. Another mistake is repeating the brand across fields. Ignoring competitors targeting your brand terms can leak installs.
Chasing broad generic terms the product cannot win wastes effort.
Brand keywords ASO: a worked example
A team sees installs rise after a marketing campaign and credits ASO. Splitting the data shows brand searches grew while generic visibility stayed flat.
They shift metadata effort to attainable generic terms, keep brand protected, and report both lines separately going forward.
How to do it, step by step
- Split reportingSeparate branded and generic keywords in your rank tracker and reports.
- Check brand search resultsVerify your app appears first with strong creative.
- Remove brand duplicatesTake the brand name out of fields where it repeats.
- Choose attainable generic termsPick terms with relevance and realistic competition.
- Review after campaignsRe-run the split after marketing pushes.
Before and after examples
Illustrative examples written for a generic app in this category, not client results. Swap in your own product, audience, and data.
Total installs up 20%
Brand installs up 35%, generic installs up 3%
Why it works: The split shows discovery is weak.
acme, acme app, budget
budget, savings, bills, shared
Why it works: Brand terms use space that new terms could use.
No monitoring
Weekly check of brand search results
Why it works: Early detection protects brand traffic.
Action plan
- Report brand and generic separately
- Avoid repeating brand terms in many fields
- Monitor brand search results
- Consider brand protection
- Choose attainable generic terms
- Review after awareness campaigns
Metrics to monitor
- Brand share of installs
- Generic keyword visibility
- Conversion by group
- Competitor presence on brand terms
Record the baseline, release date, audience, markets, and external changes before interpreting movement. Rankings and conversion are useful signals, but a decision is stronger when activation, retention, and business value confirm that the page attracted the right users.
Frequently asked questions
Should I target my brand name as a keyword?
Make sure the app is easy to find by name, but avoid wasting extra fields.
Why separate reporting?
Brand traffic can mask weak generic discoverability.
Can competitors use my brand?
Policies restrict it, but monitor and report violations.
Keep reading
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