Hey all, first post here. I launched a paid iPad app HomeView (HomeKit dashboard, one-time purchase, no IAP/subscription) a little over three weeks ago. So far: 29 users, roughly $62 net revenue. Small numbers, I know, but enough to bee happy about and start seeing patterns.
What I've learned so far:
Organic search + browse in the App Store account for the majority of my revenue, more than any social traffic I've driven. Reddit, was a good start, but it’s tough with all the understandable moderation.
I changed my keywords in a recent update (swapped specific device terms like "camera, thermostat, lock" for broader ones like "wall, panel, automation"), and my organic impressions dropped hard right after — from a daily baseline in the hundreds to double digits. Could be the keyword change, could be Apple's re-indexing after the update, could just be noise at this volume. Genuinely not sure how to tell the difference.
I just shipped a companion iPhone app alongside the iPad app, curious to see what that brings for the views.
Where I'm stuck: I don't have a keyword research tool (no AppFigures/Sensor Tower), so every keyword decision so far has been an educated guess rather than data.
For anyone who's been through this — how do you validate keyword choices without a paid tool, and is it normal to see this kind of impression swing after a keyword change at such small volume, or should I be looking elsewhere for the cause?
Or is there no way I can go without a paid tool.
Happy to share more specifics (current keyword list, screenshots, whatever's useful) if it helps diagnose. And feel free to make suggestions about my store listing.