March 2026
Apple indexes exactly three metadata fields for search ranking: Title (30 chars), Subtitle (30 chars), and Keywords (100 chars, hidden). That gives you 160 total indexed characters. The description is NOT indexed — it's purely for conversion once someone lands on your page.
Key rules: never duplicate a word across these three fields (Apple counts it once regardless), use singular forms (Apple auto-pluralizes), no spaces after commas in the keyword field, and avoid filler words like "app" or "the."
| Field | Current | Chars |
|---|---|---|
| Title | NetMonitor Mobile | 17/30 |
| Subtitle | Pro Network Tools. No Cloud. | 28/30 |
| Keywords | (unknown) | ?/100 |
Title — You're leaving 13 characters on the table. "Mobile" is a wasted keyword (nobody searches "mobile" when they're already on the iOS App Store). You should use those characters for high-value search terms.
Subtitle — "Pro Network Tools" is decent but "No Cloud" is a conversion message, not a search term. Nobody is searching "no cloud." That's better placed in your description's opening line where it already lives.
| Option | Title | Chars | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| A (Recommended) | NetMonitor: WiFi Scanner & Map | 30/30 | Hits "wifi," "scanner," and "map" — three of the highest-volume search terms in this category. Natural reading. |
| B | NetMonitor: Network Scanner | 27/30 | Cleaner, targets the #1 category keyword. Leaves 3 chars unused. |
| C | NetMonitor — WiFi & LAN Scanner | 31 ❌ | One char over — would need to drop the space around the dash. |
My recommendation is Option A. "WiFi Scanner" is the highest-volume phrase in this category (it's what Fing ranks for), and "Map" covers the network map / GeoTrace feature that differentiates you.
| Option | Subtitle | Chars | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| A (Recommended) | Ping, Traceroute & Speed Test | 30/30 | Packs three high-search-volume tool names that aren't in the title. Natural, readable. |
| B | LAN Tools, Ping & Diagnostics | 30/30 | Gets "LAN," "tools," "ping," "diagnostics" indexed. |
| C | Device Discovery & Diagnostics | 30/30 | Highlights the unique scanning feature but misses tool-name keywords. |
My recommendation is Option A. It reads naturally, hits exact tool-name searches people actually type, and doesn't duplicate any word from the recommended title.
Your suggested keywords are strong. Here's an optimized 100-character keyword string that avoids duplicating anything from the recommended Title A + Subtitle A:
wlan,netscan,port,bonjour,tcp,latency,lan,dns,heatmap,whois,device,monitor,diagnostic,ip,network
Character count: 96/100
Words already indexed via Title + Subtitle (DO NOT repeat): wifi, scanner, map, ping, traceroute, speed, test, netmonitor
Keyword reasoning:
| Keyword | Why |
|---|---|
| wlan | Common European search term for WiFi networks |
| netscan | Compound search term used by power users |
| port | "port scanner" combines with "scanner" from title |
| bonjour | Unique feature, technical users search for this |
| tcp | Protocol name, technical searches |
| latency | Key metric people search when diagnosing network issues |
| lan | "lan scanner" combines with "scanner" from title |
| dns | "dns lookup" is a common search |
| heatmap | Unique differentiator feature, searchable |
| whois | Tool name people search directly |
| device | "device scanner/discovery" combinations |
| monitor | "network monitor" combines with "network" if in keywords |
| diagnostic | Covers "network diagnostic" searches |
| ip | "ip scanner" combines with "scanner" from title |
| network | Critical base keyword for combinations |
Note: Apple combines words across all three fields. So "lan" in keywords + "scanner" in the title = you rank for "lan scanner" without needing the full phrase.
| Field | Current | Chars |
|---|---|---|
| Title | NetMonitor Pro | 14/30 |
| Subtitle | Network Monitor & Diagnostics | 29/30 |
| Keywords | (unknown) | ?/100 |
Title — You're leaving 16 characters unused. That's a huge missed opportunity. "Pro" conveys quality but doesn't help with search.
Subtitle — "Network Monitor" repeats "Monitor" which is already in your app name "NetMonitor." Apple will only count it once, so you're burning subtitle characters on a duplicate concept. "Diagnostics" is good.
| Option | Title | Chars | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| A (Recommended) | NetMonitor Pro: Network Scanner | 31 ❌ → NetMonitor Pro: Net Scanner | 28/30 |
| B | NetMonitor Pro — LAN Scanner | 28/30 | Direct, clear. "LAN Scanner" is a high-intent macOS search. |
| C | NetMonitor Pro: WiFi Analyzer | 29/30 | Targets a different keyword cluster. "Analyzer" is strong on Mac. |
Honestly, let me give you a better option:
| D (My actual pick) | NetMonitor Pro: WiFi & LAN Scan | 31 ❌ |
One char over. Let's trim:
| D (Revised) | NetMonitor Pro: WiFi & LAN Map | 30/30 |
This gets "wifi," "lan," and "map" indexed alongside your brand. "Map" is unique to your GeoTrace/network map feature and differentiates from competitors.
Alternative D2: NetMonitor Pro – WiFi Scanner (29/30) — simpler, hits the top keyword.
| Option | Subtitle | Chars | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| A (Recommended) | Ping, Traceroute & Port Scanner | 31 ❌ → Ping, Traceroute & Port Scan | 29/30 |
| B | Speed Test & Network Diagnostic | 31 ❌ → Speed Test & Net Diagnostics | 29/30 |
| C | Device Discovery & Diagnostics | 30/30 | Feature-focused but misses tool-name keywords. |
My recommendation: Go with Subtitle A if you use Title D (WiFi & LAN Map), since it doesn't duplicate anything. You'd have: wifi, lan, map, ping, traceroute, port, scan all indexed between title and subtitle.
Using Title D + Subtitle A, here's the optimized keyword string:
wlan,netscan,bonjour,tcp,latency,dns,whois,speed,test,monitor,diagnostic,device,network,ip,heatmap
Character count: 100/100 ✅
Words already indexed via Title + Subtitle (DO NOT repeat): netmonitor, pro, wifi, lan, map, ping, traceroute, port, scan
| Field | Current | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Title | NetMonitor Mobile | NetMonitor: WiFi Scanner & Map |
| Subtitle | Pro Network Tools. No Cloud. | Ping, Traceroute & Speed Test |
| Keywords | (unknown) | wlan,netscan,port,bonjour,tcp,latency,lan,dns,heatmap,whois,device,monitor,diagnostic,ip,network |
Unique indexed words: ~27 (up from ~7-8 estimated currently)
| Field | Current | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Title | NetMonitor Pro | NetMonitor Pro: WiFi & LAN Map |
| Subtitle | Network Monitor & Diagnostics | Ping, Traceroute & Port Scan |
| Keywords | (unknown) | wlan,netscan,bonjour,tcp,latency,dns,whois,speed,test,monitor,diagnostic,device,network,ip,heatmap |
Unique indexed words: ~27 (up from ~8-9 estimated currently)
The description isn't indexed, but it IS what converts browsers into buyers. A few suggestions based on your current descriptions:
Your current opening is good but could hit harder. Consider:
Current: "Professional network diagnostics in your pocket. 10 tools, visual traceroute, device discovery, real-time health scoring — no ads, no cloud, no subscription."
Suggested: "10 professional network tools. Zero cloud. Zero ads. Zero subscriptions. See every device on your network, trace routes across the globe, and diagnose issues in seconds — all processed locally on your device."
The key change: lead with the concrete number (10 tools), make the privacy message punchier with the "Zero" repetition, and immediately paint a picture of what the app does.
Your current description buries this at the bottom. Move it up and make it scannable:
Network admins — Monitor infrastructure and catch rogue devices. Developers — Debug connectivity, inspect DNS, scan ports. Homelab enthusiasts — Map your network and track every device. Privacy-conscious users — Everything runs locally. Period.
Users skim. Your current bullet points are thorough but verbose. For the App Store listing, consider trimming each tool to one punchy line instead of the explanatory format.
Screenshots are the #1 conversion factor after the icon. A few thoughts:
- First screenshot should show the Dashboard with the health score front and center — it's visually impressive and immediately communicates "this app is serious"
- GeoTrace map screenshot is your differentiator — make it screenshot #2 or #3
- Consider a short App Preview video (15-30s) showing a live scan discovering devices, then a GeoTrace animation. Video previews auto-play in search results and dramatically increase tap-through rates
NetMonitor Mobile has 5 ratings (5.0 stars) — that's great quality but low volume. NetMonitor Pro has essentially none. Consider:
- Implement
SKStoreReviewControllerif you haven't already — Apple allows 3 prompts per 365-day period - Trigger it after a successful scan completion (positive moment) rather than on launch
- Even getting to 15-20 ratings makes a meaningful difference in the Utilities category
You can add localized keywords for other English-speaking locales (UK, Australia, Canada) without translating the app. Each locale gets its own 100-character keyword field. At minimum, add UK English metadata — Apple indexes it separately and it's free real estate.
You're in Utilities which is correct, but consider whether Developer Tools as a secondary category might help for the Pro version on Mac. Power users browsing that category are your exact target audience.
Apps that update metadata every 4-6 weeks consistently outrank static listings. Even if you're not shipping new features, refreshing keywords based on what's trending can improve rankings.
Here's how your suggested keyword list maps to the final recommendations:
| Your Suggested Keyword | Where It Lands |
|---|---|
| wlan | ✅ Keywords field (both apps) |
| network | ✅ Keywords field (both apps) |
| scanner / scan | ✅ Title (Mobile), Subtitle (Pro) |
| map | ✅ Title (both apps) |
| ping | ✅ Subtitle (both apps) |
| traceroute | ✅ Subtitle (both apps) |
| wifi | ✅ Title (both apps) |
| speed | ✅ Subtitle (Mobile), Keywords (Pro) |
| test | ✅ Subtitle (Mobile), Keywords (Pro) |
| dns | ✅ Keywords field (both apps) |
| port | ✅ Keywords (Mobile), Subtitle (Pro) |
| bonjour | ✅ Keywords field (both apps) |
| tcp | ✅ Keywords field (both apps) |
| latency | ✅ Keywords field (both apps) |
| lan | ✅ Keywords (Mobile), Title (Pro) |
| netscan | ✅ Keywords field (both apps) |
All 16 of your suggested keywords are covered. Plus we added: heatmap, whois, device, monitor, diagnostic, ip — 6 additional high-value terms.