Your Android app’s visibility in the Google Play Store can be just as important as building the app itself. Today we’re sharing a few tips to optimize your Android app’s Google Play Store listing and improve its visibility for users.
Of course, total installs and positive reviews are extremely helpful for your app’s visibility, but there are also steps you can take to ensure that Google’s search algorithm will prioritize your app as highly as possible in the search results.
Keywords in the Application Title
Use keywords in your application title. Google takes app title into account when ranking your app in search results, so adding a few relevant and descriptive keywords to your app’s title can help it rank higher. There are 50 characters (recently upped from 30) to work with, so come up with a name that succinctly summarizes your app. For example, the GrubHub Google Play Store listing’s title is not just “Grubhub” it is “Grubhub Food Delivery/Takeout”.
Keywords in the App Description
Use keywords in the app description. In the Google Play Store, description greatly affects your app’s ranking (unlike Apple’s App Store, which provides a separate keyword field and does not take the description into account when ranking). Repeat your chosen keywords several times in your description, but use them in a way that sounds natural (Google has policies against spamming keywords, see here).
Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords refer to phrases that are specific enough to target users that are in the later stages of their search for an app. These users are more likely to find what they are looking for in your app, and thus are more likely to install. Long-tail keywords also face less competition than more generic keywords in search results. Think “local used car shopping” vs. just “shopping”. An app that helps users find used cars for sale in their area is more likely to show up in a search for “local used car shopping” than in a search for “shopping” because fewer apps are using that same combination of keywords. Keep this concept in mind when determining what keywords to include in your app’s store listing.
External Links
Use external links that send users to your app’s Google Play Store page. External links to your app’s listing cause Google to rank your app a bit higher in search results. You should encourage reputable sites, blogs, etc. to include links to your app’s store listing.
These few tips are easy to implement and are great options for optimizing your Android app for the Google Play Store. If you need help launching your Android App to the Google Play Store, let us know!
