Google Play Store – MobileAction https://www.mobileaction.co MobileAction's ASO tools & ad intelligence tools help you rank higher, attract users, & convert installs. Create a free account & unlock growth! Thu, 23 May 2024 09:38:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.5 https://www.mobileaction.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cropped-LOGO-4-32x32.png Google Play Store – MobileAction https://www.mobileaction.co 32 32 How to turn negative app reviews into diamonds https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/turn-bad-app-reviews-diamonds-aso/ https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/turn-bad-app-reviews-diamonds-aso/#comments Sun, 19 May 2024 12:00:29 +0000 https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/?p=9589 User reviews are an important reflection of customers’ perspectives. Satisfying every single customer is impossible for any company. This rings so true when it comes to optimizing mobile apps. Keeping all your reviews positive is also impossible for app developers. For any mobile app developer, nothing is more discouraging than receiving a negative review for […]

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User reviews are an important reflection of customers’ perspectives. Satisfying every single customer is impossible for any company. This rings so true when it comes to optimizing mobile apps. Keeping all your reviews positive is also impossible for app developers.

For any mobile app developer, nothing is more discouraging than receiving a negative review for their hard work in the app stores. At first, it’s easy to ignore or dismiss such reviews, hoping you don’t accumulate too many. However, negative reviews present an opportunity that, if handled properly, can be turned into invaluable customer insights.

In this blog, we’ll share a step-by-step process for transforming negative app reviews into actionable feedback that results in a better product and stronger customer relationships. By learning to appreciate critical feedback, you’ll soon find that even one-star reviews can help guide your app development in the right direction.

Check out one of our previous articles to learn more about the impact of app ratings & reviews on App Store Optimization:

responding bad app reviews

Introduction: Reasons for Negative App Reviews

You should be aware of some common reasons for receiving negative app reviews in order to fully utilize the opportunities provided by them.

There are three main reasons for receiving negative app reviews from an unfavorable user experience.

  • UI issues: In some cases, you may come up with an app that has the ultimate potential to connect with your user’s expectations. However, the problematic user interface may prevent your app from reaching its full potential. A weak UI will inevitably mean unsatisfied customers, mostly followed by negative app reviews.
  • Glitches, bugs, crashes: Another important factor in an app’s success is consistency regarding glitches, bugs, and crashes. Once again, you may have the ultimate solution for your user’s needs in the form of an app with an impressive, user-friendly UI. Still, if your app is constantly crashing, this will inevitably hinder your user’s satisfaction with the app. If this is the case, expect negative app reviews!
  • Lack of customer support: You will make a huge mistake if you think your relationship with your users ends after you convince them to download your app. This is just the beginning of your never-ending interaction with your customers. When there is a problem or situation the customer wishes to be vocal about, poor customer support can translate into negative app reviews.

Embracing Negative App Reviews: How Can They Be Useful

After you learn about the common reasons for negative app reviews, you should do your best to avoid them by constantly improving your app. However, you shouldn’t use your dedication or focus towards your app just because hearing about some unsatisfied customers. You should realize that negative app reviews are hidden gems!

First, you should know that negative app reviews are different from having a bad app. So, there is no need to panic.

All kinds of app reviews will be essential for constant improvement during your app’s lifecycle. While positive reviews will only show that you are on the right track, negative app reviews can guide you through areas for improvement.

In other words, a negative review is an organic opportunity to improve your app to satisfy your users. Rather than a source of demotivation, it is honest feedback based on user experience.

How to Handle a Negative Review

Now that you are confident you should not fear receiving a negative review, we will briefly mention how to deal with it.

With this step-by-step approach, you can learn much from a negative review and minimize your chance of receiving similar complaints in the long run.

Do Not Panic & Take Responsibility

As the blog mentions, negative app reviews should not shatter your dreams, so don’t panic.

After being cool with receiving lousy app reviews, you should be confident about taking full responsibility. In other words, embrace the user feedback without activating an aggressive defense mode.

Understand the Issue & Focus

The next step is understanding the complaint. The negative review is mainly caused by one of the three common reasons mentioned previously. Identify the core problem and focus on the heart of the matter.

Make Research & Solve the Problem

Now that you know the key problem causing negative app reviews, you should research to eliminate it. The length of this phase can change depending on the seriousness* of the issue.

Some UI-based negative app reviews can be more time-consuming than customer support-related problems. Do your research, learn how to improve, and iterate accordingly.

Keep Your Users Updated

After you make specific improvements based on negative app reviews, let your audience know about these new additions. Your users will be more than happy to realize that their feedback is being valued, so keep them updated.

Negative App Reviews: The Silver Lining

As an app publisher, try to imagine a life without feedback. You would be missing valuable, honest, and accurate feedback. With a step-by-step systematic process, you should handle a negative review.

Remember that some of the core reasons for negative app reviews, such as frequent crashes, can also negatively influence your category rankings directly and indirectly.

It is known that Google Play Store hesitates to rank apps with performance problems, even if they have favorable download rates. An app with poor UI or customer support will also have problems keeping and converting users.

Thanks to negative app reviews, you can learn how to improve your app and get better rankings organically. Therefore, it is safe to assume that a negative review is a silver lining!

The Bottom Line

We hope you enjoyed our blog about combating negative app reviews. As you can see, they can provide valuable feedback for your ASO strategy. With its Review Analysis feature, App Intelligence helps you to get quick and accurate insights.

To start leveraging App Intelligence, sign up for free, gain access to valuable insights, and unlock the power of leveraging users’ feedback.

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Unleashing the Power of Promotional Content: Gain a Competitive Edge on Google Play https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/unleashing-the-power-of-promotional-content-gain-a-competitive-edge-on-google-play/ https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/unleashing-the-power-of-promotional-content-gain-a-competitive-edge-on-google-play/#respond Fri, 23 Jun 2023 17:36:53 +0000 https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/?p=18983 You are familiar with in-app events right? Well we proudly announce that you can now also track Google Play’s Promotional Content (LiveOps) in the same single dashboard. Let’s see what you can do with this newest feature.  First of all, you can simply go to the MobileAction dashboard and under the App Intelligence section you […]

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You are familiar with in-app events right? Well we proudly announce that you can now also track Google Play’s Promotional Content (LiveOps) in the same single dashboard. Let’s see what you can do with this newest feature. 

First of all, you can simply go to the MobileAction dashboard and under the App Intelligence section you can see our latest product update just below the In-App Events. 

What Are Promotinal Contents? 

Promotional Contents are Google Play Store’s product which offers you a powerful way to showcase your app’s latest and timely updates, special offers, limited-time events, and new content to users.

It is something to use to draw attention to your app and increase your engagement. You can easily reach to users  outside of your app and drive them to take action, whether it’s opening or reinstalling your app or taking advantage of exclusive discounts and deals.

They will both increase your visibility and also attract users. According to Google Play’s data developers who leverage promotional content experience a significant boost in their app’s performance. Compared to those who don’t use this feature, they enjoy 2% more 28-day active users and a remarkable 4% higher revenue.

Play Store’s data also show that, running high quality and frequent promotional content will show Google Play that you are invested in your app’s performance and success. This can potentially open doors to further featuring opportunities across the platform.

How can you use Promotional Content?

There are several ways to use Promotional Content for your advantage. Most importantanlt to stand out from the numerous apps in the competitive and crowded app market environment. It is a direct contact with your users and also with potential ones. Here are some examples of how you can use them:

  • In-App discounts
  • Special offers
  • Time limited events like competitions or challenges
  • Live streaming contents
  • Major updates
  • Special content for seasonal events

How to use our tool and discover your competitors strategy?

With Promotional Contents you can  enhance your user acquisition, engagement, and overall brand awareness and by leveraging the power of MobileAction, you can now:

  • Gain valuable insights into your competitors’ in-app event strategies, enabling you to develop or refine your own approach.
  • Uncover the most frequently utilized events within your specific category, giving you a competitive edge in attracting and retaining users.
  • Stay informed about the latest seasonal app marketing trends, ensuring that you capitalize on timely opportunities to promote your app effectively.
  • Compare any app’s Play Store and App Store timely event strategies, see which trend works for which app market.

To get business insights and optimize your mobile strategy, sign up now!

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New Google Play ASO Rules: What to Expect https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/new-google-play-aso-rules/ https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/new-google-play-aso-rules/#respond Tue, 07 Sep 2021 13:12:45 +0000 https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/?p=17232 We have already talked about how Apple is going to change its ASO game with iOS 15. Now, big changes are coming to the Play Store and the game of Google Play ASO is about to change. As we all know, Google Play Store harbors a lot more apps than the Apple App Store. One […]

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We have already talked about how Apple is going to change its ASO game with iOS 15. Now, big changes are coming to the Play Store and the game of Google Play ASO is about to change.

As we all know, Google Play Store harbors a lot more apps than the Apple App Store. One of the reasons for this was the process being a little looser than Apple’s. Meaning that Google was leaving a few doors open that mobile marketers could take advantage of. Now, they are slowly closing these doors to improve app quality and the overall user experience.

Because Google announced earlier this year that there will be some changes in the Google Play Store in the second half of 2021. So what are these major changes? Well, let’s go over them and discuss how you can get prepared.

Google is planning to improve user experience by bringing some new rules about your app titles, icons, descriptions, screenshots, and video previews. Therefore, it will be beneficial for us to master these changes as the time is closing in.

New App Metadata: Improving User Experience

As you know, Google was allowing 50 characters in your app title while Apple allowed 30, and now, Google will set the limit to 30 characters, too. So, say goodbye to your extra 20 characters in your app title. 

For sure, it was helpful for Google Play App Store Optimization as this extra space allowed app marketers to target more keywords. You were using that extra space to add some keywords to improve your organic rankings in the store.

 

However, it was too long when you look from the users’ point of view. And also, you can forget about the keywords that indicate performance. No more, ‘the best X app’ or the ‘top Y game’. 

We know these might sound like a fright but they are not bad news. When you plan your ASO marketing strategy, you should not ignore the human factor.

Even if your product gets listed on a digital shelf, your customers are still humans. Meaning that playing for the algorithm is nice but playing for the customers is still important for your success. So, these new changes have the potential to help your mobile user acquisition strategies. 

Since we dispelled your apprehensions, we can now move on to the changes.

Changes on the App Metadata

Let’s first start with the don’ts list.

The Wrong Way
  • The character limit in your app title is reduced to 30 from 50. So, shorten your app titles to the best of your ability. 
  • Performance indicator and promotion elements such as “#1 app”, “the best game”, “free” or “sale” are out. Keep in mind that you can use them neither in your icon, app title nor in developer name. 
  • Graphic elements in your icon that can mislead users also will not be permitted. 
  • Emojis, CAPITALIZED LETTERS, call-to-action words, or specialized letters will be ineligible. So make sure that you don’t use them in your app title. 

Now, let’s check the do’s list. 

The Right Way
  • Keep it simple. Explain the purpose of your app in the shortest way possible. 
  • Take advantage of the 30 characters long app title. Use the best keywords to increase your organic traffic. Do not forget that your App Title is the strongest ranking factor.
  • Your App Icons should be catchy and simple. Spend a little extra time on them and present yourself with a better image. 
  • Don’t use promotion words in your developer name. Your Developer name is your brand as much as your app title. Don’t sell it short. You can’t see something like “Facebook Inc: The best social Media Developer”. 

With these changes, the importance of app keyword optimization goes to a new level. For this matter, you should utilize app store optimization tools to increase your efficiency.

If you are looking for a way to find better keywords now that you can use 30 characters in your App Title, our ASO Intelligence tools can help you to find new keywords, see which keywords your competitors are ranking for and track your App Store Optimization performance. In this way, you can find the best keywords, save time and begin enjoying your app’s success. 

New Rules on Google Play Store Product Pages

As we said earlier, Google is planning to pull the strings a little tighter than before. In this context, they are going to evaluate your app’s screenshots, video previews, and descriptions according to new criteria. With these new criteria, your Google Play ASO and the way of promoting your app will change. 

So let’s take a look at these new guidelines, shall we?

First and foremost, Google now demands that your screenshots, video previews, and descriptions showcase the real gameplay. Again, you won’t be allowed to use promotion words such as best or top. Misleading information such as inflated ratings to attract users is also a no-no.

The truth sells better than anything. So, truth is thy friend, and keep thy friend under your own marketing strategies. A suggestion by Shakespeare, use it or not, it’s up to you. However, keep in mind that Google also wants you to adjust this into your marketing strategies. 

Jokes aside, Google will implement these changes to prevent false advertising, and as a result, the user experience will be enhanced.

Even though there is no official date announced, we are expecting these changes to occur before the new year. Therefore, to keep pace with these changes, you should strengthen your Google Play ASO marketing strategy.

Our intelligence tools and experts are here to provide you the knowledge you need on how to promote an app. Schedule a demo now and let’s start growing together.  

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Top 5 ASO Tips Everyone Should Know https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/5-aso-tips-app-store-optimization/ https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/5-aso-tips-app-store-optimization/#comments Wed, 16 Jan 2019 14:23:50 +0000 https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/?p=10404 App store optimization is essential for getting a higher rank for your mobile application in the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store. Getting a higher rank in app store rankings is crucial to increasing your apps’ userbase, and it can skyrocket your downloads and revenue generated from your app. So, in this article, we […]

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App store optimization is essential for getting a higher rank for your mobile application in the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store.

Getting a higher rank in app store rankings is crucial to increasing your apps’ userbase, and it can skyrocket your downloads and revenue generated from your app.

So, in this article, we will discuss 5 simple ASO tips which will allow you to get your app ranked higher in app store search results.

Use Keywords in Your App Title

Using your main keywords in your app title can boost your rankings significantly as several studies have shown that apps without keywords in their titles are unable to rank high.

keyword optimization in title aso
https://moz.com/blog/app-store-optimization-checklist

App store search works quite similar to the web search, and search algorithms tend to rank app titles containing keywords higher than those without any keyword.

According to a study conducted by Tune, apps with keywords in their app titles ranked 10.3% higher in app search results than apps without any keyword in their app title.

Localize Your App!

Majority of mobile devices are nowadays used in non-English speaking countries, and these countries also generate most of the revenue for mobile apps. So, it’s a good idea to localize your app content to meet the requirements of your target user base.

A study conducted a few years ago have shown that non-English speaking countries in Europe and East Asia account for almost 50% of Top 10 slots for downloads and revenue in iOS App Store.

The share of non-English speaking countries is even higher in Google Play Store, where countries of Europe and East Asia account for 80% of Top 5 slots for Downloads and Revenue. So, these stats will give you an idea about the importance of app localization.

Localization module MobileAction

Above image shows screenshots for the popular game Clash of Clans published by Supercell.

As you can see, the company has translated this app screenshot along with the accompanying text into the Chinese language to attract Chinese users.

You can use low-cost translation and localization services to translate your app title, app descriptions, screenshots and app preview videos in to the language of your target audience as this will allow you to expand into newer geographies.

You can also refer to our ultimate guide to app localization for further information and tips on how to localize your app for different markets.

Use Keywords in the Right Places

Keywords are central to app store search rankings, and you need to use your primary and secondary keywords strategically to gain a higher rank for your mobile app.

Few people are aware of the fact that app store algorithms also use keywords within app reviews to decide the rank of your app in their rankings.

For the Google Play Store, keywords must also be used in the description of an app along with the app title.

You must also be mindful not to overdo this as several amateur developers make the mistake of using too many keywords which may lead to lower rankings as such behavior is considered keyword stuffing.

A single keyword must not be used more than 5 times in an app store product page.

The goal is not to game the system but to strike a balance between a description favored by the algorithm and a clear written description that will catch the attention of a user.

On the Apple App Store, the keyword spot is where you will put your secondary keywords, but you should not repeat any of them here as well.

Recommended Article: An Ultimate Guide for App Store Keyword Optimization

Have a Preview Video

Apple has removed the tap to play function for their app preview videos in iOS 11, and this essentially means that most preview videos will auto-play in search results and product page views.

app preview video aso

This will lead to preview videos gaining an even more important role in ASO and apps without any preview videos will be at a disadvantage in comparison to those with preview videos.

Know your Customer and Competition

You must study your customers and competitors and create targeted marketing content to reach your target audience.

You must be able to answer the following questions even before you start the ASO process:

  • Who are your real customers? Where do they live and what language do, they speak?
  • How do they describe your app?
  • What is your competitive advantage over other similar apps?
  • Track keywords targeted by your competitors?

You must try to put yourself in your customer’s shoes and strive to deliver your best.

You can also learn a lot about your customers by interacting with them or reading the reviews of your app left by them as customers often vent out their issues in the review section of an app.

MobileAction Review Analysis
Review Analysis of Clash of Clans

Most modern tools allow you to monitor reviews easily as shown in the image above which depicts the number of reviews Clash of Clans receive each day.

As you can see from the screenshot, Clash of Clans receives negligible negative reviews as compared with the positive ones.

It’s also a good idea to read reviews, especially the negative ones as you will be able to decipher the drawbacks of your app from the negative reviews

If you want to learn deeper about ASO, check these articles:

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Proven Systems On Effective Keyword Research https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/effective-keyword-research-seed-aso/ https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/effective-keyword-research-seed-aso/#comments Tue, 31 Oct 2017 06:19:03 +0000 https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/?p=8220 This is a guest post by Jiri Chochlik, founder at AsoFriend and ASO Specialist at AppAgent. With no money spent on marketing, downloads of my apps reached over 200,000 this year. How? Just by using ASO. ASO was my only choice when I started in the app business three years ago. Since then I’ve used […]

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effective keyword research

This is a guest post by Jiri Chochlik, founder at AsoFriend and ASO Specialist at AppAgent.

With no money spent on marketing, downloads of my apps reached over 200,000 this year. How? Just by using ASO.

ASO was my only choice when I started in the app business three years ago. Since then I’ve used many ASO tools to help me, but the one I use the most is Mobile Action, a platform which provides me with all of the key features I need for optimization.

Nowadays I have a list of more than 700 high traffic keywords for specific categories (e.g. fitness) and have developed a quick and efficient process for using them to deliver results.

Today I would like to walk you through of the process that I use when optimizing keywords, giving you the benefit of my experience gained from managing hundreds of keyword updates.

Seed Keywords

Let’s assume that you have a brand-new app and you are just about to start your keyword research. Seed keywords are the most important thing to consider when optimizing your app’s search performance. They are generic single words from which you will create long-tail keywords.

Seed keywords are the important words used to describe the functionality of your app. But they’re not limited to that, in fact, they can include everything that has some relationship with it.

Think about your keywords from a ‘real life’ perspective, not just a functional one. Keywords should paint a picture of your app in single pieces. If you have fitness app, seed keywords could be every muscle, for example, so you could choose to target specific muscle groups as your keywords. As an example, you could use “sixpack”.

Think outside the box. Fitness could also relate to keywords like trainers, athletes, players etc.

The more seed keywords you identify, the more long-tail keywords you will be able to create. This will make keyword optimization for your app more effective, allowing you to experiment a lot with different variations.

Imagine how many seed keywords you can identify… The list can be long, and it often takes a lot of work, but it’s worthwhile.

In my experience there are two effective ways to identify seed keywords:

  1. Reviews
  2. Descriptions

a) Reviews

Mobile Action pulls together all the reviews from every app you might need, meaning you don’t need to go anywhere else. It’s my primary source for finding generic keywords.

Using it is simple. Start by clicking on Review Analysis on the left side in the main menu.

Once you click on it you will see graphics detailing positive and negative reviews, and the amounts of each.

In the upper right-hand corner make sure to choose a lengthy time-period as this should generate a larger number of reviews. Also, make sure that you have switched to the country you are targeting. In this case, it’s the US.

Then type the name of one of the biggest apps in your market into the search tab. In the beginning, we need to focus on finding as many reviews as possible, because the more reviews the more potential keywords there are for us to choose from.  

As I personally have some fitness apps I’m interested in identifying appropriate keywords for them. One of the biggest apps in the fitness category is Runtastic Results Fitness App, so we’ll use them for the purposes of this exercise.

As you can see, it’s simple to scroll down and check out all the reviews. When doing so, identify and record words that are relevant to your app.

b) Description

The second way to generate relevant keywords is by analyzing app descriptions. In this example, I will stick with the Runtastic app. I simply click on App Profile on the left side and scroll down a little bit to see app’s description. Focusing closely on the description, you can see how I’ve used it to identify relevant keywords.

I’ve highlighted a few, but within the description the are more keywords that could be used. Using this method, you can create a huge list of keywords using the app descriptions from your competitors.

Once you find all seed keywords make sure to add them to the Keyword Tracking tool on the left side under App Store Optimization tab.

Long-tail keywords

After we have found plenty of seed keywords, it’s time to use them to create long-tail keywords.

For this process I usually use three main tools:

a) Mobile Action

Search Suggestions

Search Suggestions is a method where you can see long-tail keywords that include your seed keyword.

To use it, type seed keywords that you found in reviews and description into the search tab.

In this example I started with the keyword “gym”:

As the picture shows, it has given me lots of potential long-tail keyword suggestions with only one simple click. With a free plan you might see fewer suggestions, however, it’s still worth doing.

Related Keywords

Searching for the related keyword will also show you similar keywords. This is another useful way of finding different keywords that could be relevant to your app.

These two tools are a great starting point and can help you build a huge list of keywords. All you need to begin are seed keywords. When you’re building your list, take your time and be patient. Remember that there are a lot of undiscovered keywords in every category.

b) AppKeywords.io

Appkeywords is a great tool for generating long tail keywords. This tool collects all relevant keywords from the App Store and Google Play search. You can scroll all the way down from a-z and easily export the keywords you want to use.

All you need to do is to put your seed keyword into the search box and hit enter. However, this tool won’t give you suggestions like Mobile Action does, it will only show you long-tail keywords with your seed keyword included. Once you pick some keywords, put them into Keyword Tracking tool in Mobile Action so you can check traffic and another metrics.

c) KeywordTool.io

Keywordtool is a web-based tool worth checking out. It works the same way as Appkeywords above but it pulls its keywords from the web. For each search, it will create a lot of pages with long-tail keywords. I would recommend taking the time to check them all out, but just choosing the most relevant one. Once you’ve done that, make sure to check them in MA.

To maximize your list of keywords it’s often beneficial using the Search Suggestions or Related Keywords tabs in MA for each keyword, recording these to create an even larger pool.

For me, it’s very important to always keep note, and highlighting the keywords I want to use with colors. It sounds obvious but you would be surprised how few ASO tools offer this.

Make sure to always include in your notes the relevant information for each keyword, including which keywords will be used in titles or subtitles and which keywords go into the US or Spanish (Mexico) localization (US App Store indexes English keywords that you put to this localization) etc.

It’s very important to know what keywords are used for your app, and using this approach you can easily track them.

Now you have developed a baseline approach for your keyword research, then why not use this strategy immediately. The numbers of apps out there increase every single day, so get your slice of the pie before it’s too late!

If you would like to receive more in-depth ASO insights then please sign up for news at asofriend.co or  appagent.co. Also, feel free to comment below and share the post with your friends and colleagues who may benefit from our ASO expertise. 

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Do the Google Play App Short Description Help Rankings? https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/google-play-short-description-keywords/ https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/google-play-short-description-keywords/#comments Fri, 17 Mar 2017 21:47:13 +0000 https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/?p=6994 Do keywords in your app's Google Play short description contribute to keyword rankings? This is a common question that we get and we wanted to provide some hard...

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One question that we get a lot is: Does it help the keyword rankings of my Google Play Android app to add short description keywords?

We could tell you that it helps, call it a day… and go drink an Old Fashioned.

But that wouldn’t really help you understand to what degree short description keywords help keyword rankings and if you should be using them in your ASO or not.

So in this post, we will show you data that we collected from one category on the Google Play Store. Then we will show you how you can do some research of your own, to see what is working for Android apps in your niche.

Google Play Short Description Keywords

Where Does the Play Store Short Description Appear?

Since our customers come to us with varying degrees of ASO skills, let me take a minute to review where the app short description appears on Google Play.

When you view an app on an Android device, the 80 character short description is one of the first things people see.

Google Play short description on LG phone

So like your app icon, it has to be good. You have to describe the exact benefits of your app, very quickly.

However, the short description is not visible in a browser. Even a mobile browser. So that’s why you don’t see the short description, when doing a desktop search.

Recommended Article:

Aircraft combat game app

Now that we have that out of the way, should you add keywords to the short description?

Let’s take a look at the data…

How We Got the Data

There are a few variables that need to be considered when examining the keywords in the short description of Play Store apps. Although the short description is… well, short… it can be a little tough to decide which keywords to use.

Here’s how we chose the target keyword for each app in this study:

  • Keyword has download intent – Someone searching for the keyword is probably looking for that type of app to download.
  • Keyword does not have a Search Score (traffic) of zero – It doesn’t matter if you rank #1 for a keyword, if nobody is searching for it.
  • The keyword is not in the app’s title – Since the keywords in the app title carry more weight, we excluded keywords that were at least partially in the title.
  • Keywords could be in the long description – Although we eliminated keywords that were in the title, we did not care if they were in the long description. We wanted to find out if having the keyword in the description would also affect keyword rankings, or not.
  • Exact match only – We only looked for exact match keywords. Remember that Google is pretty good at figuring out related keywords, so similar terms in the long description might help, but that was not the goal of this study. Our focus was only on exact match keywords.
  • One keyword per app – If there was more than one keyword that fit the criteria above, we took the highest ranking keyword for each app.
  • Some apps don’t have a target keyword – Based on everything mentioned above, we couldn’t select a target keyword for all apps. That is reflected in the chart in the next section.

We studied the top 50 apps on the Free Chart for the Photography category on the Google Play App Store.

Keep in mind that the results from this study came from a snapshot of the Top Charts, earlier this week, and the charts are always changing.

This study could be done on any of the Top Charts categories (paid, grossing too). But Free apps usually have to rely on ASO more than the paid categories, so that is why we choose Free.

Free App Charts of MobileAction

Short Description Keywords and Rankings Results

Alright, now that you understand how we chose the target keyword for each app, let’s get into how each app ranks for its target keyword.

On the left side of the chart is the Top Charts position of each app. The bottom of the chart shows the ranking for the target keyword.

If there is no bar, then there was no target keyword, due to reasons mentioned above. There is also an average ranking at the bottom.

We don’t mention the actual app name because that is irrelevant, for purposes of this study.

The average keyword ranking in this study was 19.6, so we can just call it #19.

Keyword app rankings stats for Photography category

There were 20 top 10 rankings and the worst ranking was #165. That was also the only ranking that was over #100.

So right off the bat, we can see that keywords in the short description can help an app rank well for a target keyword 🙂

But of course, the next question is: Are those keywords being boosted by being mentioned in the long description?

Correlation of Long Description to Keyword Ranking

Now let’s take a look at how well an app ranks for its target keyword, when it is mentioned in only the short description, versus when it is mentioned in both the short and long descriptions.

Average ranking by mention in short and long app description

As you can see, when an exact match keyword is mentioned in the short description only, it ranks at about #8 for that keyword… at least in this study. However, when it is in both the long and short description, it ranks at about #27.

This sample size is too small to draw any meaningful conclusions, but it does give us some insight into how the Google Play search algorithm might treat keywords in these two description fields.

So experiment with using your target keywords in the short description only and using them both in the short and long description.

There could be a significant difference.

Multiple Keyword Mentions

When app publishers see data like this, there will inevitably be a small number of them who will decide that if one mention is good, then multiple mentions is even better!

Is it?

Well, there wasn’t enough data in this study to say, either way. There was only one app with a valid target keyword that was mentioned more than once.

It was mentioned three times:

Easy photo keyword

This keyword was not mentioned in the long description, so it may rank #9 for the keyword “easy photo” because it is mentioned so many times in the short description.

But is it really necessary to include it so many times? Is this such a competitive keyword that it needs to be used so many times?

When we look at our Keyword Research module, we find that the Search Score is only 22 out of 100, so it is not a super competitive keyword.

In addition, the word combinations that are being targeted aren’t very competitive either. The Search Scores are all pretty low.

Rankings of keyword combinations

Given the fact that many of the other keywords in this study rank well for a target keyword by only mentioning it once, multiple mentions are probably not necessary, and actually looks spammy.

This app might benefit from experimenting with something like:

“easy photo upload, gifts and sharing…”

…then use the additional space for more keywords.

See the Bigger Picture

Before I end this post, it’s important to mention one more thing…

A big that you have to remember with any Google search is that Google is constantly getting better at recognizing related keywords and context.

It’s called Semantic Search.

So while you should certainly track and try to improve your rankings for your target keywords, it is also important to understand how to use related keywords to help Google figure out what your app is about.

One way to do this is to examine competing apps and use our Keyword Investigator module to uncover the keywords that an app is ranking for. Here is an example of some of the keywords from one of the apps in this study.

Keyword list MobileAction

Some of the keywords that you will discover through this process cannot be found anywhere in the app title or the in the long or short description. Google has figured out the app is highly related to that keyword and thinks it should rank for it.

You can use some of these related keywords in your app description, so don’t keep repeating the same keywords.

How to Do Your Own Study

Now it’s your turn!

Step 1: Sign up for a free Mobile Action account, or login to your existing account.

Step 2: Then take a look at the Top Charts for your app’s Google Play category. Change the category in the upper right corner.

Top Charts settings

Step 3: Click on any of the apps on the list and a new tab will open your browser. Then add the app to your Watchlist or track it as a competitor.

App report for Android Auto

Step 4: Get out your Android phone or tablet and check out the short description of that app.

Step 5: Use Keyword Investigator to see the keywords that the app is ranking for.

Keyword Investigator

Step 6: Then use the Keyword Tracking module to track the keywords that interest you. Keywords can be added from Keyword Investigator, or you can type them manually into Keyword Tracking.

Keyword tracking

That’s it! Now you can find out which short description keywords are helping competing apps.

It’s free to sign up for MobileAction, so give it a try right now!

Conclusion

As the data shows, using short description keywords can help you rank for additional keywords that are not in your app title or in the long description of your app.

But like with anything else in Google Play Store ASO, you need to do a lot of testing and figure out what works best for your apps. Remember that top keyword rankings don’t always translate into more downloads.

Ranking well for the right keywords is what really matters.

If you would like to see a more in-depth study of keywords in the short description of apps, in multiple categories and deeper than just the Top Charts top 50, let us know in the comments below.

Recommended Article:

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How to Double App Conversion Rates by Using Google Experiments https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/double-app-conversion-rates/ https://www.mobileaction.co/blog/double-app-conversion-rates/#respond Tue, 22 Mar 2016 17:10:38 +0000 http://blog.mobileaction.co/?p=4397 The mobile world is buzzing with buzzwords such as “re-targeting”, “segmentation”, “DSP” and more. Everyone wants to buck the trend of rising prices and make installing apps cheaper. But one area, in particular, has always been overlooked. With this post, we will focus on doubling app conversion rates by using Google Experiments.  Your store listing […]

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The mobile world is buzzing with buzzwords such as “re-targeting”, “segmentation”, “DSP” and more. Everyone wants to buck the trend of rising prices and make installing apps cheaper. But one area, in particular, has always been overlooked. With this post, we will focus on doubling app conversion rates by using Google Experiments. 

app conversion rates first banner

Your store listing page is where all of your UA efforts are focused and how you get downloads. How you present your app there can have a major effect on the number of downloads. So just how do you double a conversion rate from 15% to 30% without spending thousands?

You can do this on Google using their “Experiments” feature, a new feature you can access from your Developer Console. There’s no coding involved, which makes it great for marketers who want to improve their results.

When you make a decision, whether it be major or minor, stray away from gut feelings and instead focus on data-driven marketing where you challenge assumptions and make decisions based on facts.

How Can Experiments Save You Money?

  • Every user that is turned into an installer for free can save you $2, the price per install for Tier 1 countries.
  • You are presented with an insight into what messages are working and can then alter your claims accordingly or offer a unique proposition.
  • Understanding what works best for free gives you a range of better options for paid advertising, such as Facebook ads.

Experiments will give you the best graphics and text for your app. You can also use Experiments to test different versions of your app against the current version to see which performs better according to the install data. Experiments run on published apps and are then tested by real customers. Experiments should be a part of the soft launch of your app, but it’s not too late to get started now.

How Do You Start Experimenting?

On the way to doubling app conversion rates, It’s pretty easy to set up an Experiment. Just go to the “Store Listings” tab for any app you have in the store. You can select either a global experiment for graphics or a local experiment that lets you alter text. You can use Experiments to test your app’s:

  • Icon *
  • Short description
  • Long description
  • Featured graphics *
  • Screenshots *
  • Video preview *

* = global only

When you pick the Experiment, change the variables you want to test. Get your developers or designers to provide you with different screenshots or other assets you may need.

Next, choose the audience the Experiment should be aimed at to test the variations. You should only test one element at a time, however, so you know which change works. For example, avoid changing the screenshot and the video in the same Experiment.

For further information about improving conversion rates, you can check this article.

What Can You Expect From the Results?

The results screen will present you with the different options, including the original, and show you a percentage increase (or decrease) for each option.

What to Keep in Mind While Doubling App Conversion Rates

You should expect a conversion rate of 30% in the App Store and 20% in the Play Store for organic traffic. If you pay for traffic then the conversion rate goes up to 50%. This is for games. Apps have a higher conversion rate, especially business and utility apps where people specifically search for an app that fits their needs.

  • There can be quite a disparity between organic and paid traffic conversions. Your app could have 23% organic conversions and 49% paid conversions.
  • There are also differences between different locations and devices. Test all these relevant variables.
  • Experiments take into account active installs, which could slow things down if you struggle with a lot of people uninstalling your app. It’s a good idea to just manually count the number of installs using the graphs to get the data you need.
  • Investing time and money into optimizing your store listing will only really pay off if you plan on acquiring paid users.

Conclusion

Hope you liked our blog post about doubling app conversion rates. So, that is how you get started with Google Experiments in the Developer Console. It is free, so if you haven’t used it yet, get started right now!

Recommended Article:

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