A keyword list is only useful if every keyword on it is one people actually search and one you can realistically rank for. Building that list by hand means checking autocomplete, competition, and scores one term at a time. Your AI assistant can do it in a single request. In this article, you'll learn what this request returns, how to ask for it, and how to read the shortlist it gives you.
Overview
When you ask for keywords worth tracking, your assistant:
- Pulls candidates from live App Store autocomplete around your seed terms, so every candidate is something users actually type
- Shows the current top 10 for each candidate, so you can see who you'd be competing with
- Adds AppFollow's Popularity, Difficulty, and Effectiveness scores and your current position for any term you already track
- Splits the candidates into a shortlist: start tracking now, watch, and not at your current rank
This is a read-only request. Nothing changes in your account unless you approve the shortlist and ask the assistant to add it to tracking.
The shortlist
| Group | What it means |
|---|---|
| Start tracking now | Relevant, searched, and realistic for your app today. Track these first. |
| Watch | Relevant, but the data is thin or the competition is close to the edge of what you can win. Check back later. |
| Not at your current rank | Searched often, but the top 10 is held by apps far ahead of yours. Effort here rarely pays off yet. |
The assistant places each keyword based on your app and the apps ranking for that term. If a placement surprises you, ask why, and it will show you the data behind it.
How to ask
Once AppFollow MCP is connected to your AI assistant, you can ask in plain language. For example:
Find keywords we should be tracking for our iOS app in the US, and tell me which ones are worth the effort.More things to ask
- "What does the App Store suggest around 'budget planner' in the US and the UK?"
- "Who ranks top 10 for 'expense tracker' on iPhone in the US right now, and which of them aren't in our competitor set?"
- "Which of the apps ranking above us for our core terms aren't in our tracked competitor set yet? Add the top three."
- "Add these 12 keywords to tracking for US iPhone."
💡 Haven't connected yet? See AppFollow MCP and AI Toolkit for setup steps for each supported client.
Reading the scores
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| Popularity | How often the keyword is searched, from 0 to 100 |
| Difficulty | How hard it is to reach the top 10, from 0 to 100 |
| Effectiveness | How much the keyword can bring you, from 0 to 100. Above 20 is worth using in your title or subtitle. |
| Position | Where your app currently ranks for the keyword |
Difficulty and Effectiveness appear only if they're part of your AppFollow plan. See Keyword Tracking for how each score works.
F.A.Q.
Why do some candidates have no scores?
Scores exist only for keywords you already track. New candidates come with live data, their place in autocomplete and the current top 10, until you start tracking them.
Can the assistant start tracking the keywords for me?
Yes, if you're an Owner or Admin. Saving keywords replaces your app's full tracked list, so ask the assistant to show the complete list it will save, including the keywords you already track, before you confirm. Nothing changes until you approve.
Why are some of my tracked keywords missing from the results?
Tracked keywords your app doesn't currently rank for are returned separately, without scores. Ask the assistant to list them if you want to review or remove them.