Organic search visibility for Google Play Apps higher than iOS Apps In summary, at this time, it feels like vying for discoverability in the Google Play store search is a good investment. Our goal is to help developers track and improve search rankings to grow their businesses. Our vast data does enable us to decode some of the unknown patterns but there’s much more to figure out in terms of search engine biases (revenue bias, social signals, ratings added, reviews entered, download velocity etc). It would benefit the app eco system if all the platforms were more transparent about their search ranking algorithms. 1) Google Play Store offers more search result accessibility for Apps a) More results per page: Google Play store displays 7 to 8 apps per search result page across both smartphones & tablets. iPhone displays 1 result/page and iPad displays 6 results/page. b) Easy to access deeper search results: Google Play store search result pages can scroll endlessly, allowing a user to get to rank # 25 with one flick of the finger in a second. With iOS6, each search results page takes more work and is slower to generate. Fyi, for our visibility score calculation, we assume that the loss of accessibility from one search result page to the next is 5% for Google Play versus 10% for iOS App Store. c) Google Play offers better visibility: The combination of more apps per page & easier to access pages results in greater visibility for an App in the Google Play Store given a specific keyword & search rank 2) Google Play Store Search returns more search results a) Bigger Index of Apps: For several “head” keywords, the number of actual search results returned inside Google Play exceeds that of iOS, even though there are more apps in total for iOS. b) Query expansion with synonyms: Given a search query, Google Play’s search technology seems to “expand” the query and return additional results for synonyms of the original keyword entered, and as a result, the number of actual search results returned inside Google Play exceeds that of iOS. c) Spelling correction: When certain search queries are misspelled, Google Play’s search technology seems to correct this spelling, and as a result, the number of actual search results returned inside Google Play exceeds that of iOS 3) Investing in Google Play market soon may yield great results a) Less competition: Developers seem to be investing more resources to upgrade their iOS apps more frequently than Android Apps b) More monetization imminent: Where Google Play lacks in end-user credit card registrations, it may make up for in carrier reverse billing. Our customers who build & market apps for the Japanese mobile markets tell us that they make more money with carrier billing than credit cards, possibly because users have fewer security concerns. 4) Search Engine Optimization & App Store Optimization in Google Play is easier a) Keyword changes are not subject t

1. App Store seo:
comparing
google play store
with
Apple App Store
By searchman.com
Vs march 18, 2013
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved. 1

2. Recap: search is the biggest driver of app discovery
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved. 2

3. Google play: More apps per Search results page
1 app per page
7-8 apps per page
iphone
Google play
3
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved.

4. Google play: Easier to access Deeper search results
25 flicks to access app #25
1 flick to access App #25
Flick
Flick
iphone
Google play
4
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved.

5. Google play accessibility: more results for less effort
5

6. Google play: returning many more search results
n Google Might be using synonyms to expand queries and recall
Query
iPhone
Google Play
restaurants
8,853 apps
17,321 apps
hotels
6,751
13,888
fashion
4,372
11,515
poker
2,254
6,155
camera
11,263
19,897
shopping
7,956
14,003
news
14,612
20,018
US store search results for March 17, 2013
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved. 6

7. Google Play: spell checker might be working better
n Example: 100x more results when you misspell “calendar”
iphone
Google play
7
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved.

8. Spell checker: Number of search results returned
Misspelled Query
iPhone
Google Play
resteraunt
1 app
10,523 apps
hotwls
0
15,630
fasion
4,537
11,127
pocker
2,648
16,890
camara
862
20,574
shoping
8,231
14,411
newz
9
19,316
US store search results for March 17, 2013
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved. 8

9. Google Play: less competition than ios app store?
n Similar # of new apps launched per day
n Far fewer developers updating their apps…it’s less competitive
New apps / day
App updates/day
#apps
0
500
1K
1.5K
2K
2.5K
3K
*US store daily average for the period Feb 18 to March 10, 2013
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved. 9

10. But What about Google Play Monetization?
n Apple has credit card info. Google has tried carrier billing
n In japan, Carrier billing accelerated Monetization
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved. 10

11. SEO for Google Play vs. Apple App store
n No Review Process for google play – can update keywords often
n No need for tags or “secret” itunes keywords in Google Play
n Descriptions count and are important in Google Play
Elements
iOS App Store
Google Play
Keyword App Name Keywords
High
High
Relevancy (Apple suggests <35 length)
to Search Tags
High
Not needed
Engine (Secret iTunes Keywords)
(100 characters,
Algorithm
including commas)
Description Keywords
Unclear
Yes
Keywords in in-store reviews
Black Box
& 3rd party app review sites
Quantitative Downloads (total, velocity)
factors that Ratings (ave, total, velocity)
may affect Black box
search Revenue (total, velocity)
rankings
Social Signal (FB, TW, G+)
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved. 11

12. Summary: google play store seo is a good investment
1. User sees more results per page
2. easier for users to access lower ranked results
3. synonyms & spelling correction à more apps get found
4. Fewer developers updating apps- it’s less competitive
5. carrier billing may improve google play monetization
6. Search engine optimization for google play is easier
A. No approvals needed – update keywords as often as needed
B. No tags (i.e. secret itunes keywords) are needed
C. Descriptions count
Copyright 2011-2013 SearchMan & AppGrooves Corp. All Rights Reserved. 12

13. How searchman can help you grow in google play?
1. Track your performance in google play daily
A. Visibility score – see how discoverable you are
B. Search rank tracking
C. Competitor tracking
2. Improve your keywords regularly
A. Research and store keywords in “notepad”
B. Borrow keywords from competing apps
C. Automatically Get re-prioritized keywords in < 30 seconds
3. Update “meta-data” often. Seo is not a “fire and forget” weapon
4. Rinse. Repeat.
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14. Thanks for your time
more in-depth guides at
searchman.com/how-it-works/
Search the App Store on SearchMan
it’s more productive than hanging out on Facebook
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