How to find the keywords your competitors rank for

You can't read another app's keyword field, but you can work out most of their words. Look at their name and subtitle, search the App Store yourself, and note which searches show them near the top.

Why their keywords help you

Apps like yours have already learned which words bring them downloads. Their words show you searches you missed, and which searches are already crowded.

Where to look

• Their name and subtitle. Apple matches searches against the name, subtitle, keywords and primary category, so the words a competitor puts in their name and subtitle are the ones they care about most.
• App Store search itself. Type the words that describe your app and see which competitors come up first, and for which words.
• Their screenshot headlines and reviews. They show the words real users use for this kind of app.
• Apple Ads, if you run it. The Search Terms tab shows the searches that led to impressions, taps and downloads of your ad, also the ones Apple matched for you.

From their words to your list

1. Pick a few apps that solve the same problem as yours, not just the biggest apps in your category.
2. Write down every word from their names and subtitles.
3. Search each word in the App Store and note where each competitor shows up.
4. Mark the words that several competitors share. Those are the searches that matter in your niche.
5. Keep the ones that describe your app and that you don't use yet. Those are your gaps.

What you can't copy

Apple doesn't allow names of other apps or companies in your keyword field, and wrong use of keywords is a common reason for rejection. Take a competitor's topic words, never their brand name. If you want to show up when people search for a competitor by name, that's a job for Apple Ads, not for your listing.

Look again after their updates

Competitors change their name, subtitle and keywords with new versions. A word that was free last month may be crowded today, and the other way round.

In Fermium100 you pick a competitor and see the keywords they rank for, spot the ones you're missing, and add them to your BlackBox in one click. You also know the same day when a competitor changes their name, icon, screenshots or price.