Google Play ASO: Title, Short and Full Description
Google Play works differently from the App Store: it reads your long description as well as your title, so the words you write there can help you rank. Here is how to use each field and stay on the right side of Google's rules.
The fields and their limits
- Title: up to 30 characters.
- Short description: up to 80 characters, shown near the top of your listing.
- Full description: up to 4,000 characters.
Why Google Play is different
On the App Store, the long description is for people, not for search. On Google Play, the full description is read for search as well. That gives you far more room to use the words people search for, in natural sentences.
It also means keyword research matters in a different way. Instead of squeezing words into a hidden field, you work them into the writing people will read.
Title
Your title is the highest-value text on the page. Use your app's name and, when it reads naturally, the main phrase you want to be found for. Google's policies prohibit titles padded with unrelated keywords, emoji or claims, and apps can be removed for it, so keep it clean.
Short description
Eighty characters is not much. State what the app does and the main benefit in one clear sentence, and include your most important phrase once. This line is what many people read before deciding to scroll.
Full description
Write it for people first, then check that your key phrases appear in it.
- Put your most important phrases in the opening lines.
- Use each important phrase a few times in natural sentences, not dozens of times in a row. Repetition for its own sake reads badly and breaks Google's metadata policy against keyword stuffing.
- Organise with short paragraphs and lists so it is easy to scan on a phone.
- Describe real features and who they help, using the words your users would use.
Localise your listing
Each language is a separate listing. Translate for meaning and use the phrases people really search in that market, not literal translations. Research them per country, as covered in our keyword research method.
Ratings and installs still matter
Metadata is only part of how Google ranks apps. Installs, ratings, reviews and how people use the app all play a part. Ask for ratings at a good moment in the app, reply to reviews, and fix the problems people keep mentioning.
Track the result
After you change a listing, check where you rank for your target phrases. MetricNudge tracks Google Play search rankings for Android apps as well as App Store rankings for iOS apps, and shows the same keyword table for both, so you can compare your two stores side by side. See also how to track and read keyword rankings.
Try it on your own app
MetricNudge tracks your keyword rankings in every storefront, shows your app's analytics, and writes a plain-words plan of what to do next. The free plan needs no card.