Guide · Idea
Finding an app idea people search for
Start from what people already type into the App Store, not from what you want to build.
It's tempting to start with the app you want to build. A better start is the other end: what are people already searching for, and how good are the apps that show up?
Start with search demand
The App Store is a search engine. If nobody searches for your app's main keyword, nobody finds it, no matter how good it is. Before writing any code, I look for keywords with three things:
- Real popularity. People actually type it, every day.
- Beatable competition. The top results have few ratings, old screenshots or poor reviews.
- A clear promise. The keyword itself tells you what the app must do.
An ASO tool shows popularity and difficulty scores. If you have no tool yet, the App Store search bar is enough to start: type a word and look at the suggestions it offers.
Read the one-star reviews
The best feature list is hiding in your competitors' bad reviews. When many people complain about the same thing (too many ads, a broken feature, a paywall on the first screen), that is your opening. Write the complaints down and design your first version around fixing them.
Think about other languages early
A keyword that is crowded in English can be wide open in Arabic, French, German or Turkish. Translating your app and its store listing is often the cheapest way to reach a market with less competition.
Say no to most ideas
I score every idea before I build it: demand, competition, how fast I can ship it, and how it can make money. Most ideas fail the test, and that's the point. One validated idea is worth more than five apps built on a guess.
If you can't name the keyword your app will rank for, you don't have an idea yet, you have a hope.