What are Google Play Keywords
Similar to their App Store counterparts, Google Play keywords are single words or part of phrases that a user uses to search for an android app or game. In Google Play it’s possible to implement keywords in the metadata (changeable elements) on an app’s product page, including title (50 characters), short description (80 characters and the same as the iOS subtitle), and long description (a hefty 4k characters.) There is no hidden keyword metadata field in Google Play like there is in the App Store.
For new apps, it is a steep climb to reach the top search rankings for sought after search queries, so an initial strategy might be to choose the right keywords and see how they perform, not necessarily the most popular.
Why Google Play Keywords are Important
In order to increase visibility (discoverability), growth and downloads (which is the ultimate goal of any ASO efforts) it is imperative to optimize an app’s listing in Google Play.
To highlight the importance of Google Play keyword optimization, let’s look at the long description metadata for keyword rankings Google Play. The App Store doesn’t (reportedly) pull long description keywords, making this key optimization opportunity unique to Android apps. With 4,000 characters, it’s advisable to use keywords, phrases, and niche combinations (known in the industry as mid and long-tail keywords that may have a higher conversion value) without engaging in keyword stuffing, the description should be natural.