Gaining an Edge in the App Store with Competitive Analysis

With 1.96 million apps on the Apple App Store and 2.87 million on Google Play (Buildfire), competition in the app market is intense. With millions of options, it’s easy for any app to get lost in this fierce sea of competitors.

How can you ensure your app doesn’t just survive but stands out? One of the most effective strategies is competitive analysis.

In this post, we’ll break down essential ASO (App Store Optimization) competitive analysis tools and strategies to help your app rise above the noise. Whether you’re an indie developer or part of a larger team, you’ll gain valuable insights to elevate your app’s visibility and success.

Ready to dominate your niche? Dive in and explore how to make your app thrive.

Benefits of competitive analysis

Competitive analysis is essential in the crowded app marketplace. By studying the strengths and weaknesses of other apps, you can better position your app, refine your marketing strategy, and avoid common pitfalls. Here’s why competitive analysis is a must:

1. Refines your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Seeing what other apps offer can help you pinpoint what makes your app unique. By understanding their strategies, you can enhance or adjust your USP to appeal more effectively to users.
2. Improves targeting and engagement: Analyzing competitors’ user engagement metrics, like reviews and ratings, can reveal what users love—and what they’re not so fond of. This insight is a goldmine for enhancing user experience and increasing retention.
3. Increases your visibility: If a competitor ranks higher, it’s likely because of successful ASO strategies. By studying their approach, you can better optimize your app’s title, description, keywords, and graphics to gain more visibility in the App Store.
4. Identifies trends and shifts: Monitoring competitors’ updates and reviews helps you stay on top of market trends. Are more users searching for a certain feature? Are certain types of UI becoming more popular? Knowing these trends early gives you an edge.

Understanding competitor apps and strategies

To get the most from competitive analysis, start by choosing your primary competitors. Think of competitors as the apps that most resemble your own in function, audience, and target market.

Once you’ve identified them, dive into their app store profiles:

• App titles and descriptions: Examine the keywords and phrases they use in titles, subtitles, and descriptions. These can reveal the terms most associated with success in your niche.
• Screenshots and icons: Look at the visual appeal of competitors’ icons and screenshots. Do they highlight certain features? Do they focus on user benefits or showcase awards and recognitions? What stands out?
• Update frequency: Check how often they update their app and read release notes to understand the changes they’re making. Frequent updates suggest an agile, responsive approach to user needs.
• User reviews and ratings: This is a window into what their users love and what frustrates them. By addressing those same pain points, you can improve your app and attract more positive reviews.

Understanding competitor strategies offers direct insight into what’s working in the market and where your app can shine.

Conducting a SWOT analysis for your competitors

A SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) can give your app a structured approach to surpass competitors. Here’s how to break it down:

• Strengths: Identify what competitors do well. High ratings? Positive reviews? Identify these factors and consider ways to emulate them.
• Weaknesses: Every app has weak points, whether it’s a poorly designed feature, limited customer support, or lack of regular updates. Take note and strategize ways to outshine these weaknesses.
• Opportunities: Look for features or trends that your competitors aren’t leveraging. If users often request a particular feature in their reviews, consider adding it to your app as a unique offering.
• Threats: Examine potential risks, like the launch of a powerful new competitor or changes in app store policies that could affect ASO. Being aware of these threats enables you to pivot or adjust proactively.

Conducting a SWOT analysis on competitors gives you a well-rounded perspective on where your app can excel and what to watch out for.

Identifying opportunities from competitor weaknesses

Spotting a competitor’s weaknesses can reveal golden opportunities. Here’s how:

1. Fill in feature gaps: If competitor reviews mention missing features or common pain points, this is your chance to stand out. Offer solutions that address these gaps to make your app more attractive.
2. Improve customer engagement: If competitors don’t actively engage with user feedback or provide slow responses, prioritize your customer service. Prompt responses to reviews, even negative ones, show users that you care about their experience.
3. Use value-driven pricing: Some competitors might charge for features users expect for free. Consider offering those features at a lower price or, better yet, free of charge to increase user attraction.
4. Enhance user interface and user experience (UI/UX): Review competitor app designs, and consider how you can improve. A seamless UI/UX can be a game-changer, especially if users complain about competitor interfaces.

By identifying these areas, you’re positioning your app as a more appealing choice for users who may already be dissatisfied with competitor apps.

Key steps in conducting competitive analysis for app store success

Conducting a thorough competitive analysis is essential for app store success. By following a structured approach, you can gather actionable insights that inform your ASO strategy and help you outperform your competition. Here’s a detailed step-by-step process to guide you:

1. Define your competitors

The first step in your competitive analysis is identifying your main competitors. This means selecting apps that closely resemble yours in terms of functionality, target audience, and market positioning. Consider the following:

• Direct competitors: These are apps that offer similar features and services. For example, if you have a fitness app, look at other fitness apps targeting the same demographic.
• Indirect competitors: Include apps that might not directly compete but serve the same user needs. For instance, a health-tracking app may compete with a general wellness app.
• Emerging trends: Keep an eye on fast-growing apps that may disrupt the market. Identifying these apps early can help you adjust your strategy to stay relevant.

By defining your competitors, you’ll create a focused framework for the rest of your analysis.

2. Analyze Keywords

Keywords are the backbone of ASO. They help your app get discovered by potential users in the app store. Here’s how to effectively analyze keywords:

• Use ASO tools: Leverage competitive analysis tools like Sensor Tower or Mobile Action to identify the keywords your competitors rank for.
• Identify high-traffic keywords: Look for keywords that drive significant traffic to your competitors. These are often phrases or terms that users frequently search for when looking for apps like yours.
• Discover keyword gaps: Analyze keywords that your competitors are missing or underutilizing. This can present opportunities for you to capture traffic by optimizing your app for those keywords.

By understanding the keyword landscape, you can refine your app’s metadata and improve its visibility.

3. Evaluate visual assets

Visual assets play a crucial role in attracting users. They provide the first impression of your app. Here’s how to evaluate competitors’ visual strategies:

• App icons: Examine the design, color scheme, and overall appeal of competitor app icons. A striking icon can significantly increase click-through rates.
• Screenshots and videos: Review the screenshots and promotional videos competitors use. Analyze how they showcase key features and user benefits. Take note of the arrangement, text overlay, and any compelling visuals.
• Identify successful techniques: Understand what grabs user attention and motivates downloads. Apply similar techniques to your visual assets but ensure you maintain a unique identity that sets your app apart.

Well-designed visual assets can enhance your app’s allure and drive more downloads.

4. Monitor reviews

User feedback is invaluable for improving your app and understanding market expectations. Here’s how to effectively monitor competitor reviews:

• Analyze user sentiment: Read through reviews on competitors’ apps to gauge user satisfaction. Look for common praises and complaints to identify what users value or dislike.
• Spot patterns: Pay attention to recurring themes in feedback. For example, if many users praise a specific feature, consider implementing a similar one in your app. Conversely, if users express frustration with a particular aspect, ensure your app avoids similar pitfalls.
• Engagement opportunities: Engage with users who leave feedback on competitors’ apps. Addressing their concerns can show potential users that you’re attentive to their needs and may encourage them to try your app.

By understanding user sentiment through reviews, you can improve your app and refine your marketing messages.

5. Track updates and new features

Monitoring competitor updates is essential for staying ahead in the rapidly evolving app market. Here’s how to effectively track changes:

• Frequency of updates: Keep an eye on how often competitors update their apps. Frequent updates often indicate a commitment to quality and user feedback.
• Type of updates: Analyze the nature of updates. Are competitors adding new features, improving UI, or fixing bugs? Understanding their update strategies can inform your own development roadmap.
• Benchmark against your own app: Compare the frequency and nature of competitor updates with your app’s performance. If competitors are consistently adding features or improving usability, it might be time to enhance your app to keep pace.

By tracking updates, you can ensure your app remains competitive and continues to meet user expectations.

Following these steps consistently will not only keep you informed about your competitors but also help you refine your ASO strategy over time. 

By defining competitors, analyzing keywords, evaluating visual assets, monitoring reviews, and tracking updates, you can position your app for long-term success in the app store.

Tools for Conducting Competitive Analysis

The right tools make competitive analysis effective and manageable. Here are a few that are widely recognized for ASO insights:

• Sensor Tower: Provides data on app rankings, keywords, reviews, and more, allowing you to track competitors’ performance across various metrics.
• App Annie: App Annie’s comprehensive data analysis lets you monitor trends and benchmark competitors in real-time. It covers everything from downloads and revenue to ratings and reviews.
• Mobile Action: Known for ASO insights, Mobile Action offers keyword research, competitor tracking, and even ad performance data to help fine-tune your app strategy.
• ASOdesk: ASOdesk specializes in keyword optimization and competitive analysis, providing insights into organic downloads, keyword trends, and the visibility of competitor apps.

These ASO competitive analysis tools are invaluable for gaining in-depth insight into competitors’ strategies and the overall app market.

Crush your app store competition

In a competitive app marketplace, standing out is tough. But by performing a well-rounded competitive analysis, you gain a deeper understanding of what works, where your app can shine, and how you can leverage competitor insights to improve your app’s visibility.

Ready to take your app to the next level? ShyftUp, a user acquisition agency, is here to help. With expertise in running Apple Search Ads and crafting data-driven app marketing solutions, they can guide you to app store success. Let ShyftUp be the edge you need to rise above your competition.