By Hagen Weiss
As of June 2020, there are over 2.96 million apps on the Google Play Store. As a gaming company, gaining visibility is key to ensure your downloads and conversion rates are high.
In this article, we’ll explore the importance of app store optimization (ASO) in your Google Play Store listing. We’ll also examine how reviews affect ASO as well as tips for optimizing your Google Play Store app listing.
Importance of Google Play Store ASO
Why is ASO so important for your Google Play Store listing? With nearly 3 million apps on Google Play, the competition is fierce. Users have a vast array of options to choose from when it comes to gaming apps.
Moreover, 53% of Android users find apps via the search function on Google Play. Searching through Google Play is by far the leading method in which customers find their apps. At a distant second, only 12% find apps through friends or through reading about it on the web.
This is why ASO is so important. If users are primarily finding apps through searches, optimizing your app for greater visibility needs to be a focus for your company.
How Reviews Affect ASO
Customer reviews are an important aspect of ASO. Reviews are not something you can control directly, but it is still essential to understand how it impacts your rankings. Reviews affect ASO in two ways:
- Conversion rates: Users pay attention to reviews. Both the quality and quantity of reviews impact their decision to download your app. The higher your star-rating is and the more reviews you have, the higher the conversion rate.
- Ranking: A higher star rating will also help you boost visibility in your app ranking. Additionally, Google accounts for the keywords used in the reviews, which can further help boost rankings.
Note that Google displays a global average of your rating. This is in contrast to Apple’s app store, which shows the app rating segmented by country.
Tips to Optimizing Your Google Play Store Listing
Optimizing your Google Play Store listing is not difficult, but it requires some awareness and effort on your part. Here are some tips for optimizing your listing:
- Conduct keyword research: Do not guess what keywords to target. Choosing your keywords is a balancing act between finding high volume and low difficulty terms. Use online keyword research tools to help you identify the best keywords for your game.
- Understand what are the ranking factors: Familiarize yourself with factors that affect your ranking. For Google Play Store, these include:
- App Title
- Short/Long Descriptions
- Average Ratings
- Number of Downloads
- App Engagement
- And More
- Optimize screenshots and videos: Screenshots and videos do not directly impact ASO ranking, but it is still important for conversion rates. Pay attention to the size requirements and layout (i.e. portrait vs. landscape). Ensure your images are localized for the intended audience.
- A/B testing: You won’t truly know which graphics or text will convert better unless you test them. Google allows you to A/B test your store listing. Experiment with variations of pictures, descriptions, icons, etc. to see which versions get you the best results.
The Bottom Line
While there is a lot of competition on the Google Play platform, there are also many opportunities. By optimizing your app store listing, you’ll have a better chance of positioning your app in front of your audience.
If you have any questions about ASO on Google Play for your game, contact us today! Here at iGlobe, we offer gaming companies with various marketing, customer service, and translation services.
E-mail：hello@iglobe.ca
Tel：+1 604 355 3023