New Google Play Store Replace began to get enforced as of the twenty ninth of September 2021. That brings alongside two main modifications by way of App Store Optimization:

• Decreasing the app title to 30 characters (as a substitute of fifty)
• Refusing well-liked key phrases comparable to “greatest, “free”, “high”, “new” similar as for CTAs comparable to “obtain now”

Essential to focus on, that as of the fifteenth of December 2021, the character limitation from 50 to 30 bought totally rolled out. So if you wish to do any modifications to your Store itemizing, you first must be compliant with a brand new title regulation. Nonetheless, let’s have a deeper view of how the brand new Google Play Coverage modifications affect apps visibility.

Table of Content

• Google Play Policy Changes
• buy android downloads and installs
• ios keyword install services
• in app rating android

Google actions in direction of apps for not following new Google Play insurance policies

We analyzed a number of apps and video games on the Google Play Store to see whether or not neglecting the rules had any affect on visibility. Thus far evidently outcomes differ. Thus, it nonetheless stays unknown how precisely Google will go about apps that don’t comply with the brand new insurance policies.

The app “Viber Messenger” is an efficient instance of this as it’s killing two birds with one stone. They’re nonetheless utilizing greater than 30 characters within the app title within the German Google Play Store. On the similar time, they’re utilizing forbidden value key phrases (“kostenlos” / “free”) in metadata for German and English (UK) localization. Let’s check out how their essential key phrases developed after Google Play Store replace coverage bought enforced!

The key phrase “chats” remained comparatively secure on place 2 in Germany. But we might observe extra fluctuations within the interval earlier than the coverage change. Therefore it appears the rules haven’t had any actual affect on this key phrase.

As seen within the key phrases characteristic, the app “Viber” skilled a drop as of the start of November for the key phrase “messenger”. That is round a month after the official modifications from Google Play Store entered into the pressure. Subsequently, it’s troublesome to inform if Google truly penalized them due to not being compliant with the brand new Store coverage. The opposite affect elements may very well be additionally concerned right here (e.g. a drop in conversion charge, elevated crash charge, lowered avg. star score, and so forth.).

One other fascinating instance, as a part of our evaluation, is the app “Thirty One”. They decreased the size of their app title within the Netherlands about two weeks after Google enforced the brand new insurance policies. You possibly can simply see these metadata modifications for any app on the app timeline.

Now the query is: has Google taken any measures to penalize the app’s visibility whereas it was nonetheless stay with the 50 characters? Let’s take a look at the key phrase rating evolution under offered. It appears to be associated to extra total fluctuations, however no clear correlation to the coverage change might be confirmed.

Nonetheless, after they decreased the app title to 30 characters evidently Google began adapting to the change which resulted in larger drops. Primarily based on different analyses, we count on the rating to go up once more after some stabilization time.

Affect on apps utilizing forbidden key phrases in Google Play Store

Apps that also use prohibited key phrases throughout the quick description have to this point principally been flagged by Google. These app builders bought a notification throughout the Google Play Console. The instance under exhibits the warning obtained from Google for having “free” included within the quick description.

Google acknowledged that the restrictions round sure key phrases will apply for the app title, developer identify, and icon. However now evidently Google is not permitting such key phrases anymore throughout the entire metadata.

As for the lengthy description, we’ve noticed that the phrase “new” was  the rationale why the app launch bought rejected:

It nonetheless stays unclear how Google will go on with penalizing apps that don’t meet the brand new standards. Nonetheless, the title seems to have crucial weight based mostly on the warning description throughout the Google Play Console:

Evidently Google hasn’t began sanctioning it but when an app exceeds the 30 character restrict. Even on the Google Play Console, the title subject nonetheless permits for 50 characters. Now there’s solely a notification that the app might not adjust to the upcoming modifications to the metadata coverage. Nonetheless, sure app builders say that a few of their smaller apps and video games have been suspended due to using “free” and “greatest” within the app title.

For apps that don’t respect the brand new pointers throughout the quick description, the warning within the Google Play Console states a doable lack of promotion. Therefore the penalization to this point appears much less strict in comparison with the app title.

Affect on apps utilizing forbidden graphics in icons in Google Play Store

The rule clearly states that key phrases that suggest Store efficiency, promotion within the icon, title, and developer identify are refused. Nonetheless, there are a lot of apps and video games on the market that haven’t tailored it but as seen within the examples under:

“Huuuge Video games” with their Free Slots Casinos Recreation is an efficient instance of neglecting the insurance policies. They nonetheless use “high” in addition to “free” of their app icons and moreover of their app titles.

By way of visibility throughout the Google Play Store, no clear correlation with the coverage modifications may very well be noticed to this point. They haven’t been featured earlier than the coverage change nor after. Rankings on essential key phrases have been fluctuating for a while, which may very well be although associated to the coverage change.

Affect on apps which have tailored their Store itemizing on time

Quite a lot of apps adopted the rules and up to date their Store itemizing in accordance with the brand new Google Play Coverage on time. Amongst them is “myposter”, who shortened its app title to 30 characters on the tenth of September (Google Play, Germany).

The key phrase mixture “Fotos drucken” hasn’t skilled a powerful adverse affect on rating after eradicating it from the app title. Adopted by a short-term drop on September twenty eighth, the key phrase mixture stabilized once more as of September twenty ninth. This was imagined to be the go-live date of the brand new Google Play Store coverage.

For the extra well-liked key phrase “fotos” a extra vital drop adopted shortly after the coverage change. This may very well be an indication of the algorithm adapting to the modifications. Nonetheless, after some fluctuations, “myposter” achieved for the key phrase “fotos” even larger than common place in comparison with the earlier interval.

This results in two conclusions: 

On the one hand, it is likely to be that Google preferred them being early adapters and respecting the 30 characters restrict at an early stage. For the key phrase “fotos” with larger search quantity and better problem, it took some extra time to stabilize whereas the algorithm was in all probability making an attempt to adapt to the modifications.

Then again, evidently the elevated rely of repetitions throughout the metadata helped to buffer the lack of the key phrase throughout the app title. Whereas eradicating the key phrase mixture from the app title, “myposter” included the given key phrase extra typically within the lengthy description.

Abstract of ASO Google Play Store Coverage Modifications in 2021

From the twenty ninth of September 2021, new ASO Google Play Store replace began to get enforced. The primary modifications are making use of to meta description:

• Restrict the size of app titles to 30 characters (as a substitute of fifty)
• Prohibit well-liked key phrases comparable to “greatest, “free”, “high”, “new” similar as for CTAs comparable to “obtain now”

Some app builders have determined to adjust to the rules on time and never danger any injury to their app visibility. Nonetheless, others have chosen to depart their metadata unchanged till they see actual hazard.

The measures taken by Google are nonetheless unclear for now. Some apps that uncared for the rules misplaced visibility, others stayed kind of secure. It stays to be seen how strict Google will turn into sooner or later with turning these warnings into actual penalties.

Subsequently,  your app title shouldn’t be longer than 30 characters and your metadata shouldn’t include key phrases that aren’t allowed anymore. We extremely advocate you adapt to the brand new Google Play Coverage as quickly as doable. While you’re doing the modifications, be sure that to observe your rankings and Store visibility!