# Build a keyword map from real demand

- **Canonical URL:** https://playbook.affpartners.io/en/practices/discoverability-keywords/index.html
- **Markdown version:** https://playbook.affpartners.io/en/practices/discoverability-keywords/index.md
- **Module:** ASO & SEO
- **Time:** 2 hours for the first map

Keyword research is not a list of words to repeat in a description. It maps the questions people ask in their own language to an honest product answer for each search intent.

## Outcome

A table of 20–30 queries with search intent, evidence of demand, product fit, priority, and one target page.

## Look for the task behind the query, not the words

The query “how to check status” means someone needs a clear way to see a result. “Best app” is too generic and rarely tells you what to show. Define the intent first, then choose the real screen or answer page.

## What you will need

- **Capability list:** The current features, limitations, countries, languages, and useful journeys the product actually supports.
- **User language:** Reviews, support requests, internal search, and the real wording of questions without editorial polish.
- **Answer locations:** A store page, help section, article, or landing page that can be assigned to each priority intent.

## Terms in plain language

- **Search semantics — A map of search queries and the needs behind them:** Definition: Collects user wording, groups queries by intent, and connects each group to the right product function or page. Example: “Where is my status?” and “check application” share one intent: view a process result.
- **ASO — Improving an app's store page:** Definition: Work on the title, description, screenshots, rating, and queries so the app is easier to find and more convincing to install. Example: Rewrite the first screenshot captions so the value is clear without reading the full description.
- **SEO — Improving website pages for search:** Definition: Useful pages answer real user questions and help people find the product through search engines. Example: One page answers one question, explains constraints, and leads to a relevant app journey.
- **Conversion — The share of people moving to the next step:** Definition: Shows how many people who started a step completed it or reached the next one. Example: 80 registrations completed from 100 started: 80 ÷ 100 × 100% = 80% conversion.

## When to use it

The app description is written in internal language, organic traffic is weak, and the team does not know which real questions the store page or site should answer.

## Where to collect queries

Use several independent sources. Search suggestions show the wording; reviews and support reveal the task behind it.

- **Search suggestions**
  - **Source:** Type the main categories and problems into store search and a search engine; save the natural completions of the phrases.
  - **If access is unavailable:** Without access, collect wording from your site's internal search and new users' questions.
- **Reviews and support**
  - **Source:** Write out the recurring words from 50 reviews and requests: what people want to do, compare, or understand.
  - **If access is unavailable:** Ask support for ten questions they constantly have to translate from the team's internal language.
- **Current pages**
  - **Source:** Match the queries to an existing store page, article, or screen. Mark the queries that have no honest answer yet.
  - **If access is unavailable:** If no suitable page exists, do not stuff the keyword into the description — file a content idea or drop the query.

## Build a working keyword map

1. **Collect the wording unedited.** Record queries exactly as users type them. Do not replace plain words with internal feature names.
   - **Where to do it:** In the first column of the shared table, together with the source.
   - **Example:** “How to check status,” not the internal name of the status-tracking screen.
2. **Merge queries by intent.** Group synonyms around one task: find a product, do something, solve a problem, compare, or get instructions.
   - **Where to do it:** In the second column and the table's color groups.
   - **Example:** “Where is my status,” “check my application,” “verification status” → one intent: see the result of a process.
3. **Check the product fit.** For each intent, note the real feature, a limitation, or the absence of an answer. A popular but irrelevant query does not become useful.
   - **Where to do it:** In the fit column, confirmed by the product owner.
   - **Example:** The guaranteed-results query is excluded: the product cannot honestly make that promise.
4. **Assign one answer location.** A feature query can lead to the store page, a “how” question to a guide, and a specific problem to help. Do not make pages compete.
   - **Where to do it:** In the destination column.
   - **Example:** “How to pass verification” → a detailed guide; a generic category name → the app page.
5. **Pick the first five queries.** Weigh relevance, how well the wording is confirmed, and how ready the answer is. Start with a small priority set you can genuinely improve.
   - **Where to do it:** In the high-priority filter and the content plan.
   - **Example:** Five queries get page owners and a recheck date for impressions and target actions.

## Practical examples

- **User language becomes an intent:** “Where is my status,” “check my application,” and “verification status” merge into one task — seeing the result of a process. The answer is an article plus the status screen.
- **A popular but dishonest query is excluded:** A guaranteed-results query may have demand, but it does not match the product. It goes into neither the description nor an SEO page.

## Finished artifact: A map of queries and answers

One row — one intent and one main answer location. Synonyms are merged, not left competing across several pages.

| Query | Intent | Product fit | Where it leads | Priority |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| check status | See the result of a process | Full | Article + status screen | High |
| how to pass verification | Understand the steps and documents | Full | Guide | High |
| learning app | Find a product category | Partial | Store page | Medium |
| guaranteed income | Get a promised result | No fit | Not used | Excluded |
| brand name | Find a specific product | Full | Store page | Defensive |

Next action: take the five high-priority queries, review the quality of the current answer, and assign a page owner. Do not try to fit all 30 queries into one description.

## Keyword map checklist

The map is ready when each priority row makes clear which user question and which honest answer stand behind the words.

- [ ] Queries come from at least two sources and are stored in the user's language.
- [ ] Synonyms are merged by intent rather than treated as separate topics.
- [ ] Every query maps to a real feature, condition, or useful content.
- [ ] Irrelevant queries and manipulative promises are excluded.
- [ ] The first five queries each have one page, an owner, and a result-check date.

## How to know the map helps

- **Visibility:** Impressions grow for the chosen relevant queries, not for random broad keywords.
- **Answer:** Users land on the assigned page and find the expected feature or guide.
- **Quality:** Organic installs or target actions grow without hurting activation and trust.

## Key rule

Do not add keywords for density: every priority query must lead to an honest answer the user will actually find.

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