Google Play keyword research: a free, step-by-step method for 2026

People search for a "Google Play keyword planner" because Google Ads has one. Google Play does not. Google does not publish Play search volumes, so every tool that shows a number is estimating. That is fine — you can still do excellent keyword research with free signals.

Step 1: brainstorm like a user, not a developer

Write 20 phrases a user would type — the problem ("track expenses with friends"), the job ("split bills"), the audience ("expense app for students"). Avoid internal feature names nobody searches for.

Step 2: expand with Play Store autocomplete

Type each phrase into Play Store search, one word at a time, in each target country. Suggestions are ordered roughly by popularity — the best free proxy for volume. Save every relevant suggestion.

Step 3: check what already works in Play Console

Play Console’s store performance reports list the search terms that brought visitors and installs. Terms with a good install rate are proven; terms with visitors but few installs point to a listing that does not match what people expect.

Step 4: judge difficulty by looking at page one

• Search the phrase and look at the top 10.
• Many big brands with millions of ratings = hard. Skip for now.
• Weak, outdated or loosely matching apps in the top 10 = opportunity.
• Long-tail phrases (3–5 words) are usually where new apps win first.

Step 5: pick 10–20 and place them well

Put your most important phrase in the title (30 characters), the next one or two in the short description (80), and natural variations throughout the long description (4,000). Never stuff — Play penalises repetition and it reads badly to users and to AI summaries like Ask Play.

Step 6: track positions, not guesses

Add your chosen keywords to a rank tracker and check daily for two weeks after every listing change. A keyword that does not enter the top 30 after a month is either too competitive or not relevant enough — swap it out.