7 Remarkable Tips For Google Play Store Optimization
There are multiple factors that enhance a mobile application’s success in the market. Apart from the usability of the app, it must also look at the purpose it is solving for the users. If you have an Android application, one of the crucial ways of making it discoverable is by optimizing it for Google Play Store which allows your app to stand out among thousands of other applications. As of now, there are more than 3 million android apps on Google Play store.
In this article, we are going to discuss with you our top tips for making your app different on the Google Play Store and for users too.
Avoid Overdose of Keywords in Short Description
We know the importance of keywords to bring your app in front of people but it should not be your core focus in the short description section. This is due to the fact that the short description is only 80 characters long. It is best to use it like an elevator pitch.
In this section, you only have 2-3 seconds to catch your audience’s attention and hence you should not waste time and try to create a solid first impression. You can include a keyword or two if it fits naturally but try not to stuff unnecessary keywords because it doesn’t go well with Google Play store or with the audience. Try to keep it short and meaningful so it will not confuse the users.
Use of Keywords in Long Description
The Google Play Store scans all the long descriptions of your app to search the most relevant keywords which is completely different from the iOS App Store. The difference in app ranking has been quite helpful for most industries. For example, various marketing agencies noticed an increase in ranking for two keywords after it was included in the ASO- optimised the long description. We understand that it is quite different from the use of keywords in short description, which we have advised in the above section. However, you must use the most relevant keywords in the long description section to appeal to most app users.
Include Social Proof in Description
If there is feedback from a noteworthy client or a good amount of followers on a social network then it is a great opportunity to share it with the users in your Google Play listing. By including these details, it can provide credibility to you and make you stand out amongst tough competition.
You can experiment with the approach by conducting A/B testing – one listing that includes a social proof of endorsement and one that does not. By doing this, companies have noticed a huge spike in downloads and helped them to feature on the “Trending” list on Google Play Store.
Dynamic App Icon
By ensuring your graphics stand out from the competition is one of the most optimum ways of getting more views and downloads in Google App Store. If you know your target audience and competition, you can do this better by using dynamic colors which go well with your application. An alternative approach is going for a bold statement and creating a popular brand that is easily recognised by users. You can see this example in some of the biggest brands in social networking like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and more.
Google Search App Packs
It is important to note that not all search queries are conducted on the Google Play store. Some people also use the Google search engine to search for their favourite app. Hence, Google came up with the App Packs – a special snippet featured near the top of search results. There will be multiple icons in the App Packs and clicking on any icon will take the user directly to the Google Play store listing. Hence, it is a good idea to focus on SEO along with ASO. Most of the basic rules are quite similar for both SEO and ASO, so you can get optimum results by using both these channels.
Google Play Automatic Translations
To easily represent your app on multiple markets, Google provides automatic translations of listing descriptions. But, Google also advised that it should only be used as a temporary solution and hire a translator as soon as possible. Sometimes businesses forget that optimising for multiple markets is not only about translating but it is about localization.
When you think about localization of your app, you will have to do a specific keyword research for each market. A keyword which is relevant to one market can be quite opposite to another market and hence localization is important.
App Retention Strategy
There are two kinds of metadata in the Google Play Store. The first kind is known as ‘on-metadata’ and the second is called ‘off-metadata’. The first kind includes images, title or description and the second one is responsible for controlling app installs, user reviews and ratings etc. As an app developer, it is not possible to modify or update this information.
You can only improve the off-metadata ratings of your app by ensuring that the app is working properly for the users, they add positive reviews and keep coming back to the app on a regular basis. If there are poor reviews on the app, it can negatively affect your mobile app’s position in search results.
Final Word
If you are looking to make sure that your mobile app ranks high in Google Play Store and search results then it is extremely important that you are well versed with the algorithm modifications and ASO/SEO guidelines. Moreover, focus on all types of metadata in your app listings which are either controlled by you or by the data retrieved from users reviews and sessions. Along with that, you must also perform market research from time to time and modify your strategy accordingly. We hope these tips will help you to improve your app’s optimization on the Google Play Store. If you think we missed any tips here, you can let us know in the comments below and we will surely include it in the article.
Dhruvil is a Writer & Marketeer for Nimblechapps, joining December 2014, based out of Sydney, Australia. He has worked briefly as a Branding and Digital Marketing Manager before moving to Australia. At Nimblechapps, he worked on Social Media Marketing, Branding, Email Marketing and Blogging. Dhruvil studies Business at University of Western Sydney, and also handles Operations for the company in Australia.