---
title: Mining competitors' keywords and listing history (ASOMobile workflow)
slug: aso-competitor-keyword-mining
summary: Step-by-step competitor keyword research in ASOMobile — App Keywords, New Indexation, App Report comparison, Keyword Suggest and Update Timeline — with the Cal AI / Calorie AI example.
domain: mobile-apps
tags: [aso, keyword-research, competitor-research, asomobile, tools]
related: [aso-keyword-selection-criteria, aso-keyword-difficulty-manual-check, aso-low-volume-keyword-quantity-strategy, aso-international-localization-opportunities, app-idea-tentacle-strategy, apple-ads-single-keyword-ad-groups]
sources: [yt:bV5_OwDB35o, yt:cq6KhOH6GAw]
updated: 2026-10-23
---

# Mining competitors' keywords and listing history (ASOMobile workflow)

## TL;DR
- The fastest keyword source is **what competitors are already indexed for**: ASOMobile's **App Keywords** lists every term an app indexes, without you guessing inputs first.[^1][^2]
- Mine a **small app that ranks surprisingly well**, not only the category giant — e.g. Calorie AI (~4K ratings) rather than Cal AI.[^3]
- Filter to search score ≥20 (or ~30 for a new-app plan) and low complexity.[^4]
- Use **App Report** to diff two apps' keywords, title, subtitle, description, icon, screenshots, in-app events.[^5]
- Use **Update Timeline** to see a competitor's old screenshots/titles and infer their A/B tests.[^6]
- Steve's estimate: App Keywords alone covers ~80% of keyword research.[^7]

## Details
Tool context: ASOMobile is an App Masters sponsor/partner (see bias note in [[people/steve-p-young]]). Workflow as shown in November 2025 and August 2026:

1. **Pick the seed app.** Search your target keyword (e.g. "calorie tracker") in the tool's live search results. Look for an app ranking well with far fewer ratings than the leaders — Calorie AI with ~4,000 vs MyFitnessPal 2.1M, Lose It 700K, Cal AI 200K.[^3]
2. **App Keywords.** Open the seed app → App Keywords. Sort by search-ads score; filter "search score at least 20"; scan complexity for low values.[^1][^4]
3. **New Indexation.** Shows terms the competitor newly indexes — fresh moves you can copy early.[^4]
4. **App Report (comparison).** Add competitors side by side: visibility (Cal AI 78 vs Calorie AI 48), #1 keyword counts (154 vs 5), keyword totals worldwide, plus title/subtitle/description/screenshot differences. Look for terms where a weaker app is #1 and you could take over (e.g. "calorie deficit tracker free").[^5]
5. **Keyword Suggest.** Enter a root word to get long-tail continuations.[^7]
6. **Worldwide Check.** Enter a keyword and compare scores and your rank across countries ([[aso-international-localization-opportunities]]).[^8]
7. **Update Timeline.** See how a leader looked at launch, not just its mature form: Cal AI swapped pancake food shots for high-protein salads, briefly reverted to old screenshots (likely A/B tests).[^6]
8. **Monitor.** Track chosen keywords' search ads score, traffic score and your rank over time.[^9]

Then verify each shortlisted term by hand ([[aso-keyword-difficulty-manual-check]]).

## Disagreements / caveats
- Tool scores and indexation lists are estimates; Steve still checks live search results.
- Big brands rank via brand demand from influencer/paid marketing — copying their keywords won't copy their ranks.[^9]

## See also
- [[aso-keyword-selection-criteria]]
- [[app-idea-tentacle-strategy]] — same App Keywords step used to find app ideas

[^1]: yt:bV5_OwDB35o @ 04:48 — Steve P. Young
[^2]: yt:cq6KhOH6GAw @ 07:33 — Steve P. Young
[^3]: yt:bV5_OwDB35o @ 05:38 — Steve P. Young
[^4]: yt:bV5_OwDB35o @ 06:42 — Steve P. Young
[^5]: yt:bV5_OwDB35o @ 07:45 — Steve P. Young
[^6]: yt:bV5_OwDB35o @ 11:46 — Steve P. Young
[^7]: yt:bV5_OwDB35o @ 13:19 — Steve P. Young
[^8]: yt:bV5_OwDB35o @ 09:20 — Steve P. Young
[^9]: yt:bV5_OwDB35o @ 02:23 — Steve P. Young