How Our ASO Keyword Scoring Actually Works

What ASO tools usually measure

Most ASO platforms surface three main metrics:

• Search volume
• Difficulty
• Chance / opportunity score

These are useful — but only if you understand how they're derived.

What “search volume” usually means

Search volume is typically an estimate of how often a keyword is searched within the App Store or Google Play.

But it's rarely a direct number. It's often:

• Modeled from ranking behavior
• Inferred from traffic patterns
• Scaled relative to other keywords

Example:

“habit tracker” might show high volume.
“minimalist habit tracker for students” might show medium volume.
“offline weekly minimalist habit tracker for medical interns” may show volume — but in reality, almost no one searches that exact phrase.

Plausible does not mean searched.

What “difficulty” usually measures

Difficulty is meant to represent how hard it is to rank.

Most tools estimate it using:

• Number of competing apps
• App ratings and installs
• Brand dominance
• Historical ranking volatility

But here's the nuance:

If a keyword is niche and mainstream apps rank but don't truly satisfy that intent, real competitive pressure may be lower than raw ranking presence suggests.

The problem with relative scoring

Many tools score keywords relative to the list you're viewing.

That means something can look “good” simply because everything else in your current list is worse.

We don't do that.

Our scores are calibrated against the entire ecosystem — not just your 20 keywords.

How we combine popularity and difficulty

Opportunity is not volume minus difficulty.

We apply non-linear penalties when difficulty crosses certain competitive thresholds.

For example:

• High popularity + extreme brand dominance → capped potential
• Moderate demand + controlled competition → strong upside
• Ultra-niche + weak intent alignment → lower difficulty tier

This produces verdicts that reflect real-world ASO outcomes — not theoretical attractiveness.

Why we bias toward conservatism

Most keywords in the App Store are not strong opportunities.

When uncertain, we bias toward:

• Lower popularity
• Higher difficulty

That prevents inflated optimism and protects early-stage builders.

To see how scoring fits into the full research process, revisit the complete ASO keyword research framework.

Or test the scoring system directly by running keyword research.