Did you know an average kid spends around 3 hours daily on android apps?
Google play has always been the number one hangout place for
kids and grown-ups alike. Doesn’t matter where your travels take you,
you’ll keep stumbling upon people trying to get rid of boredom by
playing a game or tweaking on an app.
Google Play facilitates the download of android games and apps on a multitude
of devices with ease. Despite it’s humble beginnings in 2009, Google Play has managed to overcome Apple in terms of downloads and popularity.
Still, Apple’s earned revenues rank much higher than Google’s. Read more: 14 Tips for Promoting Your Android App
From a developer’s point of view, the main objective is to get his app
noticed by the users while dodging the competition. Aiming to inspire more
user downloads, Google thought of an efficient rating system in which every
app is rated in stars, with the users being able to decide for the right app
by reading other user commentaries. The question is how does Google rank Apps?
We’ll examine in detail bellow.
1. Retention of an App
It’s a well-guarded secret how Google tracks this, but the ranking is
influenced by how long a user kept the app installed after the initial
download. It’s a common occurrence that we download an app, then after
trying it for a few minutes uninstall it. That’s if it does not satisfy
our prospects.
2. Number of Downloads
As opposed to what most people think, gaining a higher rating on
Google Play does not cost any money. An app has to acquire a
minimum of 15 k downloads/day in order to feature in the Top 20 List. To reach
the Top 10 List, your app must amass 25 k downloads/day.
Read more: 10 Effective App Store Marketing Strategies for iOS Apps
3. Download Growth
The sheer number of downloads is not the only factor worth mentioning. Googles
also values download momentum. By having the highest download rate possible
will help in creating a snowball effect that will force Google to rank your
app better.
4. User Ratings and Reviews
This is the ultimate test for any new app. Users who download the app are
encouraged to rate it and post helpful reviews. Their rating ranges from 0 to
5 stars. For most people, an app that received an average rating of 4+ is good
enough for them to try it. Reviews are helpful for developers also because
some users find technical glitches in the
app and post them on Google Play. These reviews are probably responsible for increasing the popularity of an
app. The highest rated apps also feature a category called Editor’s
Choice, transforming them into the most wanted Google Play apps.
5. Regular App Updates
Constantly updating your apps with fresh content not only gives users reason
to come back but also sweet-talks Google into ranking your app higher. That
doesn’t mean you should spam updates every other day. Do it only when
you need to.
6. Page Rank
Google algorithm evolved so that it adjust your
app ranking while referring to the number of live pages that
send traffic to your App. The best way of improving your app rank is by
sharing the app link on related websites, blogs and social media channels or
ask a few bloggers to write about it on their platforms. You can also enhance
this ranking by cross-promoting the app from within your other products or
engage in partnerships with other developers.
7. Social Media “Rep”
Social media has grown to have a huge saying in all internet based businesses
and app development is no exception of that.
Google Play algorithm closely tracks how many times your App
gets liked/shared on Facebook or gets +1’d in Google+.
8. The Keyword Rate Factor
The keyword rate is still an important factor, but its relevancy has been
decreasing over the time. Most experts recommend “1 use” in the
title and “5 times” in the description text. Don’t
“keyword stuff” your description because it won’t help you
in any way and your app will end up losing credibility.
9. Video Demonstration
There is increasingly louder chatter on development forums about the effect of
including a video demonstration to your app ranking. Whether that’s true
or not, we think you should do it as it can bring nothing but benefits to your
app.
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