Competitor brand keywords in the App Store: how to appear for another brand

When someone types the name of a casino or a bookmaker into App Store search, they have already decided what to install. It is the warmest traffic in search. An app that shows up next to the brand gets a share of those installs. The question is how to get into those results.

Why you are not found for a competitor's brand by default

Search finds an app only for words from its metadata: the name, the subtitle and the keyword field. The other brand is not there, so the app is not indexed for it.

What Apple's rules say

It helps to know the wording, not a retelling.

• In its search guidance Apple lists what keywords must not include: unauthorised use of trademarked terms, celebrity names or other protected words, and competing app names. It adds that improper use of keywords is a common reason for rejections.
• Guideline 2.3.7 forbids packing metadata with trademarked terms and popular app names. It also says Apple may modify inappropriate keywords at any time or take other appropriate steps.

The conclusion is simple: putting another brand into the name, subtitle or keyword field risks a rejected version.

What is different with indexing without an update

We write keywords without a new version and without review, so a brand keyword does not go through the metadata check. Any keyword can be written, including a competitor's name.

The risks that remain, plainly:

• Apple's trademark rules do not go away. The brand owner can complain, and Apple is entitled to act.
• Indexing does not make your app first for someone else's brand. The brand itself is almost always first for its own query.

Whether to take brand keywords is your call. We write what you send.

How to choose brand keywords

• Take brands that are searched in your countries. The field is shared by all storefronts, so spend the 100 characters on what people search where you send traffic.
• Add misspellings and transliterations. Competition is lower and the intent is the same.
• Combine them with generic queries. A few brands plus casino, slots and bet cover both warm and broad demand.
• Count characters. A long brand name eats the limit quickly.

What happens after indexing

In about 2 hours the app starts showing in the results for the keywords. The place in the results depends on installs and conversion for the query. Why that is so is covered in Indexed but not ranking.

How to order

Send a link to the app and the keywords, up to 100 characters. We will need the cookies of your developer account and a proxy. One app is $49, payment in USDT (TRC20).