When trying to market an app with no SEO strength, going for broad keywords such as “mobile advertising” or “app marketing” will be a futile effort. The best thing to do is to go for those keywords that are easy to rank with. In other words, long-tail keywords with some search volume but no competition at all. Doing so allows you to rank easily depending on the level of authority your domain has.
The above keywords have four common attributes. First, their KD is low, that is, it ranges between 0 to 10. This is an indication of how hard it is going to be for the website to be ranked on the first page of Google (Ahrefs, How to Find Low-Competition Keywords for SEO). Secondly, these are long tail keywords that consist of at least three to five or more words. Third, they have a search intent that can be either informational, transactional or commercial. Finally, these have a low search volume but are highly relevant to the website.
High probability keywords provide a resolution to particular issues. Users searching for “Why is nobody downloading my app” are not just looking around; they are actively seeking answers. Diagnostic keyword queries such as these have virtually no commercial competitors since large corporations do not often cater to them. As one study showed, “longer keyword phrases (10-15 words) receive 1.76 times more clicks than single word queries” (SEOPROFY, How to Find Low Competition Keywords in 2026).
Examples include:
“How to get first 100 users for my app”
“My app has downloads but no users”
“How to prevent users from deleting my app”
These keyword queries draw frustrated app developers that require assistance right away.
Use Keyword Difficulty Filters
Almost all the keyword research tools calculate KD scores. In the case of Ahrefs, one may filter the Phrase Match report with KD scores ranging from 0–10 in order to discover low-competition keywords. Similarly, Semrush applies the same logic when calculating KD scores. For instance, according to Semrush, “low-competition keywords are terms that not many sites are competing for” (Semrush, How to Find Low-Competition Keywords with Semrush).
Nevertheless, one should not solely focus on KD score. The following advice was given in one article: “a keyword with a KD of 8 could be truly easy for a site with strong topical authority in that niche. And the same keyword could be very hard for a newly created domain with no links” (Outrank, Find Low Competition Keywords That Rank).
Beware Of The Navigational Traps
There are keywords that seem easy to find but don’t go anywhere. A keyword like “myfitnesspal login” may have low competition but anyone who is looking for this keyword is just trying to go from one application to another, not to find competitors of the application (Semrush). This kind of navigational query consumes crawl budget without bringing anything relevant.
Apply the Long-Tail ASO Principle
The idea behind ASO is no different either. “Long-tail keywords such as ‘lightweight photo editor for Instagram’ are less popular but compete less fiercely,” says AppTweak. “Rank for 10 long-tail keywords before going after broader keywords such as ‘photo editor’” (IconikAI, App Store Keyword Optimization Guide). When writing blog content on ASO, it’s important to follow the same principles. Instead of “app store optimization,” focus on keywords such as “beginners ASO.”
Do not post random articles and hope something will stick. Group related keywords under pillar pages, such as “how to market my app,” “app marketing checklist,” and “app launch timeline” within the same piece of content. This helps to create topical authority where individual keywords of KD 8-12 become winnable (Ahrefs).
Gummicube says that “a portfolio of well-selected low volume keywords may perform better in terms of conversion efficiency than a single high volume keyword” (Gummicube, App Store Keyword Search Volume). Even ten keywords at 50 monthly searches bring 500 people, who are much more targeted than 500 visitors from a single high-volume keyword.
In Conclusion and how to rank
There are many easy-to-rank keywords, but it is simply not visible to newbies who try to aim for head terms. Through long-tail keywords with clear intent, competition validation manually, and topic clustering, you will be able to generate consistent organic traffic even with low domain authority. All you need is patience and consistency, rank for several small wins instead of one impossible win.
Keep in mind that the low-competition keywords are only effective when you systematically post them. There was an analysis of such terms that showed how their use gives the same result as single high-volume keywords (Gummicube, App Store Keyword Search Volume). Publish five to ten articles related to some problems in the first month, and then continue depending on which keywords bring conversions.
Moreover, remember about the benefits that come in the end. Through building backlinks and domain authority via easy rankings, you will make many difficult things possible. When keywords were impossible to rank on KD 15, it would be much more feasible after building some authority (Ahrefs, How to Find Low-Competition Keywords for SEO).
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