Subtitle Optimization

The subtitle is an iOS-only field that appears directly below the app title in search results and on the product page. It carries the second-highest ranking weight after the title and provides 30 additional characters for keyword placement.

How the Subtitle Affects Rankings

Apple indexes the subtitle for search alongside the title. Keywords placed in the subtitle rank nearly as well as those in the title, making it valuable real estate for secondary keywords that didn’t fit in the title.

Subtitle vs Title Strategy

Use the title for your brand name and primary keyword. Use the subtitle for secondary keywords and a supporting value proposition:

• Title: “Calm - Meditation & Sleep”
• Subtitle: “Relaxation & Breathing Sounds”

This approach covers “meditation,” “sleep,” “relaxation,” “breathing,” and “sounds” across just 60 characters.

Best Practices

• Don’t repeat words already in the title (Apple may ignore duplicates)
• Write a natural-sounding phrase, not a keyword list
• Include keywords that describe your app’s core benefit or use case
• Update the subtitle when you want to target different seasonal keywords
• The subtitle is visible to users, so it should be compelling, not just keyword-optimized

Google Play Equivalent

Google Play does not have a subtitle field. The closest equivalent is the short description (80 characters), which is also indexed for search and visible before the fold.