Frequently asked questions about keyword estimation metrics
Max Reach, Conversion Rate, and Estimated Installs describe a keyword's full performance funnel in the ASO Report.
This article explains what each metric means, why the numbers behave the way they do, and what to check when a value looks off.
Understanding the three metrics
What do Max Reach, Conversion Rate, and Estimated Installs mean?
- Max Reach: The estimated maximum traffic (impressions) a keyword can generate in the store on a given day. It shows the size of the opportunity.
- Conversion Rate: The estimated percentage of users who install your app after discovering it through that keyword.
- Estimated Installs: The resulting install volume for your app, calculated as Max Reach multiplied by Conversion Rate.
Are these exact numbers or estimates?
They are estimates. There is no direct, universally available source of truth for keyword-level traffic or installs, so these values are modeled from the signals available: Apple's popularity scores, organic rank, category benchmarks, keyword relevancy, and historical patterns. Since the underlying inputs are themselves indexed values rather than raw traffic counts, the results are presented as estimates rather than exact measurements.
Where can I find these metrics?
On the ASO Report page, under the Tracked Keywords and All Ranked Keywords tabs. To see how a keyword's values have moved over time, click the historical trend icon inside the relevant table cell.
What date does the value in the table represent?
For all three metrics, the value shown in the table always reflects yesterday's data. A full day of signals is needed before the model can calculate a value, so the latest available data point is always the previous day. The historical icon in the table cell opens a day-by-day breakdown.
How often is the underlying data updated?
The model computes new estimates for all three metrics at a daily level, using a trailing window of recent signals. See the Max Reach section below for an example of how this window is applied.
Do the three metrics always move together?
Not necessarily. Max Reach reflects the keyword's overall opportunity and does not change based on which app you are viewing. Conversion Rate is app-specific and can vary significantly for the exact same keyword. Two apps ranking for the same keyword can show identical Max Reach but very different Installs, because their Conversion Rates differ.
Common questions about Max Reach
Why does Max Reach look identical across different apps for the same keyword?
This is expected behavior. Max Reach is keyword-specific, not app-specific: it represents the total opportunity available for that keyword across the entire store. If you look up the same keyword from two different app dashboards, you will see the same Max Reach value.
Why do two completely different keywords show the same Max Reach?
Only two inputs drive Max Reach: the keyword's popularity score and the country-specific parameters for the storefront, with a separate multiplier applied by store type. No other keyword attribute, such as category, brand vs. generic, or length, affects Max Reach. Keywords that share the same popularity, country, and store will show the same value.
Why do I keep seeing the same Max Reach value for several days in a row?
Max Reach responds primarily to the keyword's popularity score, and popularity scores do not necessarily change every day. When the underlying popularity signal stays flat, Max Reach stays stable for that period. This is expected, not a data freshness issue.
Why does Max Reach increase so sharply for high-popularity keywords?
The relationship between popularity and traffic is not linear. Traffic grows disproportionately faster as a keyword's popularity score climbs toward the top of the scale, so keywords near the top show much larger Max Reach values than mid-popularity keywords.
Is Max Reach calculated separately per country and per store?
Yes. Max Reach uses country-specific parameters, since search behavior and traffic volume vary significantly by market, and a general baseline applies for markets outside the covered set. The formula structure is the same for the App Store and Google Play, with a separate market-specific multiplier applied to Play Store values to reflect differences in traffic patterns between the two stores.
What time period does a given day's value reflect?
The model looks at a trailing window of recent signals. For example, the value shown for February 1st is based on signals gathered from January 2nd through January 31st.
Common questions about Conversion Rate
Why do apps in different categories get different Conversion Rates for the exact same keyword?
Category benchmark is one of the core inputs, and different categories convert differently by nature. For example, utility-style categories tend to turn search intent into installs more directly than categories where browsing behavior is more common.
What factors affect my Conversion Rate?
Conversion Rate is built from several components combined together:
- Category benchmark: A baseline conversion tendency for your app's category.
- Organic rank: Apps ranking higher for a keyword capture a disproportionately larger share of conversions, and the effect drops off quickly as rank gets worse.
- Relevancy: How closely the keyword matches your app (high, medium, or low).
- Keyword type: Brand keywords convert at a different rate than generic keywords.
- App name in the keyword: Keywords containing your app's name reflect users already looking for your app, so they receive a conversion boost.
- Keyword length: Longer, more specific phrases tend to reflect higher download intent and receive a conversion boost compared to shorter, broader keywords.
Is Conversion Rate calculated per country?
The category benchmarks used in the Conversion Rate model are based on US market data.
Can I compare my Conversion Rate against a competitor's for the same keyword?
You can compare the two values, but each is calculated independently based on that app's own category, rank, and relevancy for the keyword. Differences reflect real modeled differences in conversion potential, not a shared benchmark.
Common questions about Installs
Why did my Installs estimate change even though my rank did not move?
Installs is the product of two moving parts. If the keyword's popularity shifts, Max Reach changes; if any Conversion Rate factor changes, such as a relevancy score update, Conversion Rate changes. Either movement changes the Installs estimate even without a rank change.
Why does a competitor show a different Installs estimate for the same keyword when our Max Reach values match?
Because Installs equals Max Reach multiplied by Conversion Rate, and Conversion Rate is app-specific. Differences in category, rank, and relevancy between the two apps produce different Conversion Rates, and therefore different Installs, from the same Max Reach base.
Do Installs include paid installs?
No. This metric estimates organic install volume driven by a keyword's ranking, not paid acquisition.
Is the total I see on the dashboard a single measurement?
No. The model calculates estimates at a daily level first, and the aggregated figure on the dashboard, such as a monthly total, is the sum of those individual daily estimates. Opening the historical popup for a keyword shows the day-by-day values behind the total.
Plan availability
Access to these metrics depends on your ASO plan:
- ASO Lite: The three metrics are not included.
- ASO Basic: The current Max Reach value is available in the Tracked Keywords tab only. Historical data, Conversion Rate, and Installs are not included.
- ASO Pro: All three metrics are available in both the Tracked Keywords and All Ranked Keywords tabs. Historical data for Max Reach and Installs is not included.
- ASO Enterprise: Full access to all three metrics and their complete historical data, across all keyword tabs.
A keyword's numbers still look off?
Before reaching out, check these two things first:
- Has the keyword's popularity score changed recently? This affects Max Reach.
- Has your app's organic rank or relevancy classification for that keyword shifted? This affects Conversion Rate.
If the numbers still look inconsistent after these checks, contact our support team and share the keyword, the app, and the date in question so we can investigate.