Search Ads Popularity (SAP) Score Explained
For memberships with access to the ASO analysis: Indie, Pro and Marketing
Search Ads (SAP) Popularity - keyword popularity in search based on data from Apple Ads.
When you hover over the Search Ads popularity (SAP) value, a tooltip will display the date of the last update of this parameter in the database.
Tapping on the SAP value opens an alert with the complete history of Search Ads Popularity for selected keyword.
This allows you to track keyword performance trends over time, giving you valuable insights to refine your ASO strategy.
History for the last 30 days for the Indie membership
For the Pro and Marketing memberships without date restrictions
Historical data is available from September 2024.
Search Ads Popularity can also indicate how often advertisers use a particular keyword in their ad campaigns.
It shows how frequently app developers bid on this keyword in paid ad networks, such as Apple Search Ads, to increase the visibility of their apps.
High popularity may indicate that the keyword is in demand among advertisers, increasing the competition for it in paid campaigns.
- Very High (85 - 100): Extremely high search volume, maximum competition.
When to use:- For brand names or top-level generic keywords.
- Ideal for strong brands or apps with high budgets and conversion rates.
- Risky for small apps unless highly relevant.
- High (60 - 84): High traffic, but also high competition; best suited for well-known apps with sufficient resources for promotion.
When to use:- For apps with established user bases.
- Requires competitive budgets and strong marketing strategies.
- Ideal for boosting visibility in competitive categories. When to use:
- For scaling campaigns.
- Requires stronger creatives and good App Store page optimization.
- Best if you can handle mid-to-high CPI (cost per install).
- Medium (20 - 59): Moderate search volume with a decent balance of traffic and competition, suitable for steady app growth.
When to use:- Main zone for growth-stage apps.
- Reliable for sustainable downloads with controlled budgets.
- Good starting point for long-term keyword strategies.
- Low (6 - 19): Small search volume, but better than very low. Suitable for niche keywords with less competition but lower traffic.
When to use:- Good for initial keyword expansion.
- Catch small but targeted audiences.
- Use when competition is too tough for bigger keywords.
- Very low (0 - 5): Extremely low search volume.
When to use:- For highly niche keywords; experiments; very low-budget campaigns.
When launching an app in a new category or country, it’s recommended to start with low-popularity keywords to increase the chances of high search rankings.
As your app gains traction and builds a user base, move on to medium-popularity keywords.
For apps that are already established and have a stable user base, high-frequency keywords with high popularity can be used.
Each time you view a keyword on screen (in the keywords or Metadata Editor), we automatically increase its priority for updating the popularity data.
So, if you see a value of 0, no data, or outdated information - it will be prioritized for an update, which will occur either within a few seconds or by the next day, depending on the server’s data processing queue.
After October 2025, an average Search Ads Popularity (SAP) value is used to display more accurate data:
The average popularity is calculated from all available data starting from September 1, 2025.
Values with popularity of 5 that appeared after September 29, 2025, are not included in the calculation.
If no data is available for the selected keyword and country after applying these filters, the last known popularity value and corresponding date from historical data before September 1, 2025, is used.