What difficulty score is considered winnable for a new app?

For a new app with under 100 ratings, focus on difficulty scores below 40. Once you cross 1,000 ratings and establish download velocity, you can compete for terms with difficulty up to 55-65.

How is difficulty calculated in ASOGrade?

Difficulty is scored by analyzing the top-ranking apps for that keyword: their rating count, rating average, update recency, and how well their title and subtitle match the search query.

Scored 0–100

Finding Winnable App Store Keywords You Can Actually Rank For

Targeting high demand with low difficulty — the only quadrant worth your characters

The problem: Knowing which ones you can actually rank for

The fix: Difficulty is read from the apps holding the top spots right now, not guessed from chart position. High demand with low difficulty is the only quadrant worth your characters.

The vanity keyword trap

Targeting ultra-popular keywords (pop 70+) when your app has fewer than 500 ratings usually results in ranking on page 5 or 6, where 0% of organic installs happen.

A position #40 rank on a 75-popularity keyword yields fewer installs than a position #2 rank on a 35-popularity keyword.

Difficulty must be calculated from the strength and entrenchment of the apps actually holding the top spots right now, not guessed from category ranks.

Finding the sweet spot

The 'winnable quadrant' consists of terms with popularity above 25 and difficulty below 55 (or below 40 for brand-new apps).

Identify keywords where top-ranking apps have low rating counts, infrequent updates, or poor metadata optimization.

Prioritize these winnable terms in your high-weight metadata fields: your Title and Subtitle.

How ASOGrade solves this

ASOGrade calculates difficulty (0–100) by inspecting the top apps ranking in the search results right now.
Plot keywords on demand vs. difficulty to instantly spot high-demand, low-competition opportunities.
Reserve your 100-character keyword field and 30-character subtitle exclusively for keywords you have a realistic chance of ranking in the top 5 for.

Frequently asked questions

What difficulty score is considered winnable for a new app?: For a new app with under 100 ratings, focus on difficulty scores below 40. Once you cross 1,000 ratings and establish download velocity, you can compete for terms with difficulty up to 55-65.
How is difficulty calculated in ASOGrade?: Difficulty is scored by analyzing the top-ranking apps for that keyword: their rating count, rating average, update recency, and how well their title and subtitle match the search query.

Ready to solve this for your app?

Join indie developers scoring App Store keywords by demand and difficulty across 109 storefronts.

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