ASO Fundamentals

App Store Keyword Localization by Market (2026)

Translating keywords doesn't work — you need to re-research per market. The working playbook for indie developers localizing App Store keywords across major non-US markets.

ASOhack TeamMay 19, 20265 min read

The biggest mistake indie devs make with App Store localization is translating their US keywords. This loses the unique searches users do in each market.

This is the working playbook for keyword localization across the major non-US markets.

Why translation fails

A US fitness app's keywords:

"workout tracker"
"fitness app"
"exercise log"
"HIIT timer"

Translated to German:

"Trainings-Tracker"
"Fitness-App"
"Übungs-Protokoll"
"HIIT-Timer"

What German users actually search:

"Fitness Tracker"
"Trainingstagebuch"
"Workout App" (anglicism, commonly used)
"Sport Tracker"

The translated keywords overlap with real keywords ~50%. Re-researched keywords match real searches 90%+.

The keyword localization workflow

Step 1: pull top 20 apps in your category in the target market

Open the App Store / Google Play in the target country. Search your category. Note the top 20 apps.

Step 2: extract their keywords

For each top app:

Note title + subtitle (iOS) / short description (Android).
Run their listing through Keyword Density Checker.

Step 3: identify must-have keywords

Keywords appearing in every top-5 app are must-haves. Include them.

Step 4: identify differentiator keywords

Keywords appearing in some top-20 apps (not all) are differentiators. Pick the ones that match your unique value.

Step 5: cross-reference Apple Search Ads popularity

In ASA (per-country), check popularity scores for candidate keywords. Higher = more searches.

Step 6: avoid

Direct translations of your US keywords (often miss the mark).
Keywords with no popularity score (no demand).
Brand names of local competitors.

Per-market notes

Germany (German)

German uses anglicisms heavily for tech ("App", "Tracker", "Workout").
Long compound words are common.
Don't translate; observe what top apps use.
Common keywords: Fitness, Training, Tracker, Workout, Diät, Gesundheit.

Japan (Japanese)

Apps often have bilingual titles (Japanese + English).
English tech terms widely used (フィットネス but also "fitness").
Hiragana + katakana usage varies by audience.
Localized listings dramatically outperform Western-feeling apps.

South Korea (Korean)

Similar to Japan — bilingual common.
Korean characters preferred for branding.
Heavy use of katakana-Korean (loanwords).
Premium feel + clean design matters.

China (Simplified Chinese)

Mainland China uses different App Store than rest of world.
Apple complies with local content rules.
Keywords + listings entirely in Simplified Chinese.
Premium pricing accepted; cultural localization required.

France (French)

French language matters culturally + legally.
Anglicisms less accepted than in Germany.
Localized keywords required: "Suivi" (track), "Entraînement" (workout), etc.
"Lien de l'app" not "app link."

Spain + Latin America

Spanish keywords need separate research per country (Spain vs Mexico vs Argentina).
"Vos" usage in Argentina differs from Spain.
Brand names may differ ("Auchan" in France ≠ "Hipercor" in Spain).

Brazil (Portuguese)

Portuguese, NOT Spanish.
"Treino" (workout), "Saúde" (health), "Aplicativo" (app).
Brazilian Portuguese ≠ Portuguese (PT-BR vs PT-PT differ).

Italy (Italian)

"Allenamento" (workout), "Tracciamento" (tracking).
Italian users prefer Italian over anglicisms more than Germans.

Netherlands (Dutch)

Dutch heavily uses English tech terms.
Listings often work in English with light Dutch sprinkling.
For premium positioning, full Dutch helps.

Nordics (Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish)

English literacy is very high; English listings work.
For premium positioning, full localization helps.
Finnish is uniquely different (Uralic language family).

India (Hindi + English)

English is widely used for tech apps.
Hindi localization helps for consumer apps.
Multiple regional languages (Tamil, Bengali) for deep India.

Russia / CIS

Russian listing essential.
Yandex.Store exists separately for some apps.
See ASOdesk vs Mobile Action — ASOdesk specializes in CIS.

Tool support per market

For per-market keyword research:

Apple Search Ads popularity scores: per-country, free (with ASA account).
Google Trends: per-country search demand (not App Store-specific but useful).
Keyword Density Checker: analyze any listing regardless of language.
Native speakers: invaluable. Pay a freelance native speaker $50-$200 for keyword research per major market.

When to skip localization

Sometimes the cost > benefit:

Your app has minimal feature differentiation per market.
Your TAM in non-English markets is small.
You're pre-revenue and just validating product-market fit.
You can't sustain ongoing localization (translation isn't a one-time event).

For these cases: start English-only, localize when you've validated.

Localization is product work, not just listing

The listing is the visible part. The harder part:

App content localized (UI text, error messages).
Cultural adaptation (date formats, currency, payment methods).
Local features (e.g., German tax system in finance apps).
Customer support in local language.

Listing localization without product localization = high install rate, terrible conversion.

Run a per-market audit

After localizing, run free ASO audit on each market's listing. The fix list will differ per market.

Common mistakes

Translating keywords. Misses real search terms.
Translating screenshots only. Doesn't unlock the market.
Single global listing. Wastes the per-market keyword space.
Stale localizations. Markets evolve; refresh annually.
One translator per market. Native speakers + ASO awareness is better.
Skipping cultural adaptation in product. Listing converts; product disappoints.

Try the tools

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