Not ranked at all: how far away the first page really is

"Not in the top 50" is the most common state for a tracked keyword. It is also the least informative — until you compare your weight with the apps that are there.

It is the usual state

For most apps, most tracked keywords show no rank. In one pool we measured, the app was outside the first fifty on 69% of its tracked keywords. A panel that only says "not ranked" for two thirds of the list gives you nothing to decide with.

Measure the distance in ratings

Rank on an established term depends heavily on the weight of the apps already there, and ratings count is the most visible part of that weight. Compare your ratings count with the median of the top ten on that term. If you have 2,000 ratings and the median is 3,000, the first page is within reach with a good listing. If the median is 500,000, it is not this year, whatever the text says.

Why the median, not the average

One giant app in the top ten drags the average far above what the other nine have and makes every term look out of reach. The median shows what a typical first-page app has. Apps whose ratings count is unknown should be left out, not counted as zero — counting them as zero makes the distance look smaller than it is.

What to do with it

Near terms: fix the listing — move the term into the title or short description and measure again a week later. Far terms: keep them as long-term goals and work the long tail around them, which builds the installs and ratings that close the distance. A term that is both far and barely searched is dead weight.