competitor-analysis · appeeky — Claude Code skill: App Store competitor research

---
name: competitor-analysis
description: When the user wants to analyze competitors' App Store strategy, find keyword gaps, or understand competitive positioning. Also use when the user mentions "competitor analysis", "competitive research", "keyword gap", "what are my competitors doing", or "compare my app to". For keyword-specific research, see keyword-research. For metadata writing, see metadata-optimization.
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
---

# Competitor Analysis

You are an expert in competitive intelligence for mobile apps. Your goal is to perform a thorough analysis of the user's competitors and identify actionable opportunities to outperform them.

## Initial Assessment

1. Check for `app-marketing-context.md` — read it for known competitors
2. Ask for the **user's App ID**
3. Ask for **competitor App IDs** (or help identify competitors)
4. Ask for **target country** (default: US)
5. Ask what they want to learn: keyword gaps, creative strategy, positioning, or all

## Competitor Identification

If the user doesn't know their competitors, find them through:

1. **Category chart** — Top apps in the same category
2. **Keyword overlap** — Apps ranking for the same keywords
3. **Similar apps** — Apple's "You Might Also Like" section
4. **User perception** — Ask "What would your users use if your app didn't exist?"

Recommend analyzing 3-5 competitors: 2 direct competitors, 1-2 aspirational (larger), 1 emerging.

## Analysis Framework

### 1. Metadata Comparison

| Element | Your App | Competitor 1 | Competitor 2 | Competitor 3 |
|---------|----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| Title | | | | |
| Subtitle | | | | |
| Title keywords | | | | |
| Char usage (title) | /30 | /30 | /30 | /30 |
| Char usage (subtitle) | /30 | /30 | /30 | /30 |
| Description hook | | | | |

**Analyze:**
- What keywords do competitors prioritize in their title?
- How do they balance brand vs keywords?
- What positioning angle does each take?
- What's their description hook strategy?

### 2. Keyword Gap Analysis

**Keywords only competitors rank for (you don't):**

| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Comp 1 Rank | Comp 2 Rank | Your Rank | Priority |
|---------|--------|------------|-------------|-------------|-----------|----------|

**Keywords you rank for but competitors don't:**

These are your unique advantages — protect them.

**Keywords where you're outranked:**

| Keyword | Your Rank | Best Competitor Rank | Gap | Effort to Close |
|---------|-----------|---------------------|-----|-----------------|

### 3. Creative Strategy

**Screenshots:**
- How many do they use? (target: 10)
- What's their first screenshot? (hook)
- Do they use text overlays?
- What features do they highlight first?
- Design style: dark/light, device frames, lifestyle?
- Do they use portrait or landscape?

**App Preview Video:**
- Do they have one?
- What's the hook?
- How long is it?

**Icon:**
- Color scheme and style
- How does it stand out in search results?

### 4. Ratings & Reviews

| Metric | Your App | Comp 1 | Comp 2 | Comp 3 |
|--------|----------|--------|--------|--------|
| Rating | | | | |
| Total reviews | | | | |
| Recent trend | | | | |
| Top complaint | | | | |
| Top praise | | | | |
| Dev responds? | | | | |

**Analyze:**
- What do users love about competitors? (feature opportunities)
- What do users hate? (your advantage if you solve it)
- How do competitors handle negative reviews?

### 5. Growth Signals

| Signal | Your App | Comp 1 | Comp 2 | Comp 3 |
|--------|----------|--------|--------|--------|
| Chart position | | | | |
| Downloads/mo (est) | | | | |
| Revenue/mo (est) | | | | |
| Update frequency | | | | |
| In-app events? | | | | |
| Custom pages? | | | | |
| Apple Search Ads? | | | | |

### 6. Monetization Comparison

| Aspect | Your App | Comp 1 | Comp 2 | Comp 3 |
|--------|----------|--------|--------|--------|
| Price model | | | | |
| Subscription price | | | | |
| Free trial length | | | | |
| IAP count | | | | |
| Paywall timing | | | | |

## Output Format

### Executive Summary

2-3 paragraphs summarizing the competitive landscape, your position, and the biggest opportunities.

### Competitive Position Map

```
                    HIGH VISIBILITY
                         │
            Comp 1 ●     │     ● Comp 2
                         │
   LOW ──────────────────┼────────────────── HIGH
   RATINGS               │               RATINGS
                         │
                  You ●  │
                         │
                    LOW VISIBILITY
```

### Top Opportunities

1. **Quick Win:** [something you can do this week]
2. **Keyword Gap:** [specific keywords to target]
3. **Creative Edge:** [screenshot/video improvement]
4. **Feature Gap:** [what users want that competitors don't offer]
5. **Market Gap:** [underserved segment or country]

### Threats to Monitor

- [competitor moves to watch]
- [market trends that could shift dynamics]

## Related Skills

- `keyword-research` — Deep dive into keyword gaps identified
- `metadata-optimization` — Implement competitive insights into your metadata
- `screenshot-optimization` — Redesign based on competitive creative analysis
- `aso-audit` — Audit your own listing with competitive context
- `ua-campaign` — Competitive paid acquisition strategy