How To Get Your App Featured On Google Play Store?

With 2.87 million apps on Google Play Store, getting your app featured on the platform is not an easy job. Turning this mountain can be challenging, especially if you are a new business app trying to compete with the big fishes. 

But fret not!

There are ways to get your new or old mobile app featured on the Play Store with the proper techniques. Through this blog we will explore all those basic and advanced techniques in detail. 

So stay with me till the end because these techniques can help your target users easily find your application, boost downloads, and trigger sales. 

The Subtle Art Of Getting Your App Featured On Play Store!

The success of your application is directly proportional to being featured on the Play Store. Majorly because of the rise in competition. 

With almost 3700 new app launches per day, the audience has become more selective about the applications they want to download. Therefore, your product needs to get featured as it can help you stand out from the crowd. 

As a top mobile app development company, we will guide you through the best methods in order to gain the required app recognition. 

But first, let us get the basics right!

What Are Featured Apps?

Google Play Store features multiple shortlists on its platform allowing applications to drive attention toward them. For example-

• Editors’ choice
• Staff Picks
• Featured 

All of these featured lists are selected by the Google Play Team and are highlighted on the store. In addition, the inclusion of a newly launched application on any of the featured lists can help gain more app downloads. 

But many businesses struggle to get their product featured in such lists because Google has not shared specific criteria for the same. With 7+ years of experience as a leading app development company, we have been helping our clients to gain detailed insights on how to get their apps featured on the Play Store.  

What’s The Purpose Of Having Featured App Lists On The Play Store?

Let’s cut to the chase for this question. Two of the biggest reasons why Google has featured app lists are to recognize outstanding work and boost the discoverability of applications that have the potential to perform well. 

Check out its value for both users and developers- 

For User:

These lists allow users to discover desired applications from various options. Choosing the best fit from millions of options is not an easy nut to crack. That is when these lists come in handy, as Google ensures to present the user with an app that provides high safety, rich functionality, and excellent usability.   

For Developers:

These lists also serve another purpose of acknowledging the development community for their outstanding work. The vast competition can make it challenging for the apps to gain more downloads. And, there is nothing more heartbreaking than watching your work get lost in the crowd. Through these featured lists and categories, Google has made an attempt to support and recognize the efforts of the developers community for their contribution for developing extraordinary Android mobile apps. 

Here’s Why You Need To Get Your App Featured On Google Play Store!

With a pool of benefits, these lists come in handy for multiple reasons. Take a look-

• Enhancing the app’s online reputation
• Point of pride for developers & business
• Gets easier to promote the application in the market
• Boost in-app visibility
• Increase in number of downloads
• Trigger in the revenue funnel
• Higher engagement of the users

For any business, these benefits can pave a way to skyrocket their growth in no time. Therefore, it is necessary for brands to give their best. 

Check Out Google Play Store’s 3 Important Lists!

These are three main lists provided by the Google Play Store, consisting of lists by Google Play Team, Popular, and New. In addition, there are multiple subcategories included in these lists. 

The “Popular” list consists of four subcategories:

Top Free

It includes all-time most popular free applications. 

Top Paid

It contains the all-time most popular paid applications.

Top Grossing

It has apps and games driving the highest revenue. 

Trending Apps

This list includes apps with a high installation rate in the past 24 hours. 

The “New” list contains two subcategories. Take a look:

Top New Free

It has all the popular free applications that are fewer than 30 days old from the date of launch. 

Top New Paid

As the name suggests, this one has the most popular paid apps that are fewer than 30 days old from the date of launch. 

The Google Play team also creates four lists:

Featured

Mentions newly launched applications.

Staff Picks

One of the frequently-updated lists including all the staff-selected applications. 

Editors’ Choice

Includes the best Android applications of all time. 

Top Developer

Provides the best app developers on the Play Store.

All of the above lists present the developer community with plenty of opportunities to get the app featured. 

How To Get Any App Featured On Google Play Store!

1. Learn More About Your Competition

The initial step to getting your app featured on a Google Play Store list is thoroughly examining the already featured applications. Then, with a little bit of research on the Play Store, you will be able to select some applications with tags like Top developer or Editor’s Picks. 

After downloading them on your mobile phone, study the apps carefully and look for what they have in common. For example-

• Design
• Look & feel of the platform
• Features
• Functionalities
• Accessibility 

Once you evaluate the application on the factors mentioned above, you will be able to find certain similarities, helping you understand why they are being featured.  

Make sure to jot down the key takeaways from all the apps and integrate them into your app.

2. Work On Your App’s User Interaction & Experience

An exemplary user interface with an outstanding app experience is the most common factor in a featured application. Therefore, while building an application, the focus should always remain on delivering and maintaining the highest interface quality. In addition to that, you must also aim to deliver an interactive and unique experience across all devices. 

Google suggests that the Android applications need to implement all the required Material Design guidelines in the UI. If you fail to integrate these guidelines, the chances of getting your app featured would be bleak. 

UI/UX is one of the essential preconditions for getting your app featured. 

3. Enhance App Functionality & Performance 

If your application fails to meet the quality of functional and user interaction quality standards set by Google, the chances of your app making the featured list are bleak. 

Therefore, you need to ensure to test the final APK file by taking the Android App Quality Guidelines under consideration before uploading it to Google Play Store. 

The suggested guidelines deliver a way for developers to boost the complete user experience. In addition to that, they also present clues to qualify for the featured lists. With Core App Quality Guidelines, one can easily streamline their application’s efficiency and functionalities and deliver a rich user experience. 

4. Build An Android Friendly App

Play Store editors are the only ones between your app and the featured lists. So before integrating any other strategy, make sure to create an Android-friendly application. If your app was originally created for iOS, then here’re the pointers you need to follow-

• The platform must support the latest and upcoming versions of Android technology. 
• Build an app that follows Google’s Launch Checklist.
• Your application needs to be available for every type of device. 
• Ideal should have a limited file size under 100MB or less. 
• The app must be developed for Android only and should be a tailor-made Native app.
• Make sure that the app supports high-resolution displays.
• Do not forget to incorporate the default Android buttons.

This simple checklist will guide you through the development process and ensure that the app works flawlessly for Android users. 

5. Make The Most Of The Latest Technologies

At its annual I/O developer conference, Google launches multiple products and technologies for the developer’s community. In these conferences, the giant rewards applications developed using the latest and trending technologies. 

This offers you a chance to make the most of any tech trend and become an early adopter of the technology. Furthermore, doing so will trigger the chances of your application getting featured. 

6. Do Not Neglect App Store Optimization

Most of us are familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO); it consists of activities to optimise the website for improved search engine results. But there is still a gap when it comes to understanding App Store Optimization (ASO). It is the process that involves optimization of the mobile application so that it can rank higher in the Google Play Store or App Store. 

So, in order to boost your app’s visibility through ASO, consider the following pointers- 

App icon

It should be eye-catching and impactful enough to grab the attention of your target audience.

Title

Make sure to add relevant keywords or phrases in the application title. 

App description

Keep the information in the description short, relevant, and integrated with the right keywords. The only thing you need to take care of is that the statement clearly tells the user what your app is all about. 

Keywords

Add the most searchable and relevant keywords. 

Screenshots

Adding some high-quality screenshots of your app screens and a short video showcasing the app’s design, features, and functionalities can significantly impact ASO. 

7. Make Your App Available Locally 

Presenting your app in multiple languages does not only bring you closer to the 2 billion active global users, but it also takes you closer to your goal of getting featured on the Play Store. 

Making your app available in local languages can boost the popularity of stores which eventually will increase the downloads, helping you get noticed by the store editors.

8. Promote Your App

Along with App Store Optimization, promoting it on different social channels is crucial. It is an impactful branding activity that helps people to notice a newly created application quickly. 

It increases the app’s credibility and the chances of getting more downloads. Applications that start getting in the news or the public eye have more chances of getting noticed by Google Play Store editors.  

So here’s how you can promote your mobile app- 

• Boost your app through AdWords. 
• Try influencer marketing to generate more awareness about the application.
• Build an interactive landing page. 
• Get your reviews published in trusted tech publications. 
• Run social media ads. 

9. Try Your Hand In Influencer Marketing

With the rise of social media platforms, the industry is also observing a rise in influencer marketing. Getting the word out about your app through influencer marketing is one of the most common ways to get on the Google’s Play Store featured list. 

Here’s what you can do-

• Understand the target audience of the influencers you want to connect to. Make sure they are aligned with your app niche. 
• Connect with them via advertising agencies, or you may also fetch their email ids through their social channels. 
• Build a positive relationship with them and help the influencer connect with your product. 
• Paint a clear picture of how you want your app to be presented in front of the influencer’s fan base. 

10. Don’t Forget About Ratings & Reviews

Earlier in this blog, we discussed the importance of user satisfaction and experience in order to perform well in stores. As Google itself prioritises the comfort of its user base, the brand has guidelines reflecting the same ideology. 

While determining the app for the featured lists, the giant shortlists are the ones that have gone above and beyond to deliver the highest user satisfaction. And the best way to analyse it is through the app’s ratings and reviews on the Play Store. 

Therefore, along with downloads, you also need to take care of the ratings. Check out some easy ways to inculcate the same- 

• User satisfaction is a must.
• Deliver a free application, especially during the launch. 
• Promote your app to a large audience. 
• Include rich features and functionalities. 
• Incentivise your app users to review your app in stores. 
• Add the Play Store link of your app to the email signature & on social media channels.
• Reward users for making referrals. 
• Make the most of the influencer community. 
• Host interactive activities like contests or giveaways on your app’s social channels.  

11. Optimise An Update

Optimising and updating your app to support the changing trends, demands, and needs of your user base are also appreciated by Google. This doesn’t mean that you have to add a completely new feature. All you have to do is optimise and update the app to boost user satisfaction.  

Also, the key to gaining a little extra interaction is to update your app during the festival & holiday season. As it is the perfect time for you to get into the limelight, as the Google featured lists editors are always looking forward to celebrating the spirit of festivities by releasing relevant lists.  

Wrapping It Up!

Rather than rolling out a step-by-step guide for developers to get on the featured lists, Google has fabricated the process into several parts for developers and businesses to focus on the overall quality of the application. 

But as a top mobile app development company, we would want you to focus on impressing your users rather than the editors at Google. Because in the end, it’s all about them and their needs. 

If you need technical support regarding getting your application featured on the Play Store, then feel free to connect with our professionals. 

Until then, stay tuned to this space for more information!!!