How We Helped an Indie Game Find 47 Hidden Keywords with Gap Analysis
When the developer of "BrainWave Puzzles" came to us, they were ranking for just 12 keywords — most of them branded terms. Using HackTheStore's gap analysis and competitor tracking, we uncovered 47 keywords they were missing. Here's exactly how.
The Starting Point
BrainWave Puzzles: 5,200 monthly downloads, 12 ranked keywords (only 3 in top 50), title was "BrainWave - Puzzle Game" with generic keywords like "puzzle,game,brain,fun". They were invisible for searches that actually mattered.
Step 1: Competitor Discovery
We added their top 5 competitors to our competitor tracking. AI analysis detected 15-20 keywords per competitor. Combined, we had a list of 87 unique competitor keywords.
Key Finding: 47 of those 87 keywords had zero overlap with BrainWave's current metadata. These were "free" keywords nobody was competing for within their niche.
Step 2: Keyword Prioritization
We used keyword difficulty scores to filter the 47 keywords: 18 were Easy (under 30), 20 were Medium (30-60), and 9 were Hard (60+). We focused on the 18 easy wins first.
Step 3: Metadata Optimization
New title: "BrainWave: Logic Puzzle & Riddle" (added high-value terms "logic" and "riddle"). New subtitle: "Daily Brain Training Games" (added "daily," "brain training"). Keyword field filled with 18 new terms using locale stacking.
Results After 30 Days
Keywords ranked: 12 → 59. Top 10 keywords: 3 → 14. Monthly downloads: 5,200 → 8,100 (+56%). The developer changed nothing about the app itself — only the metadata.
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