Keyword Analysis

Inspect competitor keyword and positioning clues.

Find the Words Competitors Seem to Target

Keyword Analysis uses public evidence to suggest the kinds of searches your competitors are aiming for. That includes words in their listings and screenshots, plus observed search rankings and popularity where available.

Kickstart can't read another developer's private keyword field. These are estimates based on what can be observed, which makes them good research leads rather than a recovered copy of someone's App Store Connect settings.

Understand the Evidence

Start with the suggested keyword gaps, then look through the terms tied to individual competitors. The count beside a gap shows how many competitors appear in search results for that suggestion.

Server-backed keyword data adds observed ranking evidence. With Local-only data, the analysis uses listing and screenshot information instead. Keep an eye on research status messages while data is loading or unavailable.

A word appearing in a screenshot tells you that the competitor wants to get it across. A ranking tells you that the app was observed in a particular search. Those are related signals, but they don't mean the same thing.

Choose Terms Worth Investigating

Select promising terms and add them to Keyword Tracker for the relevant country and platform. You can also use Explore Related Keywords to look for alternatives.

For example, a photo app might keep mentioning "film" and "grain." That could hint at an audience interested in a particular style, even if your current description mostly talks about editing tools.

Look for words that describe what your app already does well. A competitor's strong keyword is only useful to you if the person searching for it would want your app too.

Turn Ideas Into a Draft

Use Keyword Explorer to compare the terms with your current set before changing your listing. Keep the best handful of ideas, track them, and record what you change.

Don't try to cram every detected word into your metadata. A focused listing that makes sense to a customer is more useful than a grab bag of everything the competition says.