Keyword installs that move your app up in search
We rank apps higher on the App Store and Google Play for the keywords that bring installs and revenue. First we pick the keywords and fix your metadata, then we run keyword installs: real users search for your keyword, find your app and install it, and the store starts showing it higher for that search.
How keyword installs work
Stores weigh many ranking factors, but the strongest one is how many installs your app gets from a specific search. So two things have to work together: your listing has to match the query - title, subtitle, keyword field, description - and people have to find your app for that query and install it. We cover the first with metadata and the second with keyword installs.
We pick the keywords
We look at what people in your category search for, how much traffic each keyword has and who ranks there now. We keep the keywords where a top position pays for itself in installs. Ranking #1 for a search that twenty people make a month helps nobody.
We fix the listing
On the App Store that means title, subtitle and the keyword field; on Google Play, title, short and full description. Skip this step and installs do less: stores are quicker to lift an app that already fits the query.
We run keyword installs
A user types your keyword into store search, finds your app in the results, installs and opens it. We spread the volume across days so growth looks steady, and check the ranking every day.
How many installs does a keyword need?
Every keyword has its own number. We work it out like this: how many installs a day the apps at your target positions get from that search, how many your app already gets, and the gap is what keyword installs cover. The math shows right away where a small volume for a couple of weeks is enough and where a top spot costs more than it will ever bring back.
Example plan: a budgeting app on the US App Store
The plan
Keyword: budget planner. The app ranks #18, the target is the top 5. Apps in the top 5 get roughly 40-70 installs a day from this search; the app gets about 5 on its own.
We start at 15 keyword installs a day, raise it to 50 over two weeks, then hold at 30-40 while organic installs grow. Expected: top 10 in about a week, top 5 in two to three weeks, around 1,100 installs in the first month.
The numbers in this plan are illustrative. Real ones come out of your keyword audit.
From a real campaign
A fines-payment app on the Russian App Store, autumn 2026. For its main keyword the app went from #6 to #2 in ten days, starting at 5 installs a day and growing to 20-30, then held #1 at 30-50 a day.
On Google Play the same app moved from #13 to #7 in about six weeks at 55-100 installs a day. The App Store responds in days, Google Play in weeks.
Keyword installs by store
App Store keyword installs
The App Store indexes your title, subtitle and a hidden 100-character keyword field. Rankings react to installs quickly, within days, and slip just as quickly once installs stop. In the US keywords are crowded, so without the math it is easy to overpay. The case study below is from the US App Store.
Google Play keyword installs
Google Play has no keyword field: it reads the title, short and full description, so keywords live in the copy. It picks up text changes more slowly, and rankings respond to installs later - movement usually starts after about two weeks. On the plus side, they also slip more slowly when installs stop.
Pricing
Keyword installs come with our Growth plan, from $1,200 a month. It includes everything in Launch - keyword research, listing copy, a new icon and screenshots, publishing and indexing control - plus incentivized traffic campaigns, review replies, in-app events and a results report.
You can also buy keyword installs on their own, without the full plan. The exact price comes after a free audit: it depends on how many keywords we rank, which store and country, and how crowded the top of the results is.
Case study: a utility app on the US App Store
The app had been losing money for over a year: US search revenue fell about 2% a month, from $23.9K in May 2024 to $17.0K in July 2025. We started in April 2025, rewrote the metadata and pushed keyword rankings with incentivized traffic.
The turnaround came in August 2025, four months in. By January 2026 revenue reached $28K a month, up 65% from the low, and it has held at $25-28K a month through 2026. Indexed keywords went from 484 to 799, the rating from 3.9 to 4.2.
Data from App Store Connect. We don't name the app; we'll show the dashboard on a call.
What happens when the campaign stops
A ranking held up by installs alone slips once the installs stop: quickly on the App Store, within days, more slowly on Google Play. That is why we start with the listing: if the app fits the query and people who see it in the results install it on their own, the position holds on organic traffic. The report shows the ranking and organic installs for each keyword on one chart, so you see how much support traffic is still needed.
FAQ
How long does it take to rank for a keyword?+
Which keywords do you rank for?+
Which countries do you work in?+
Can I buy keyword installs without the full plan?+
Do you need access to my developer account?+
Let's get your app ranking
Send us a link to your app and the keywords you want to rank for. In a free audit we'll work out how many installs each one needs and give you a timeline and a price.
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