#20 - Zynga Made a Big Mistake
Have you ever looked at search results in the App Store and wondered why they're ranked the way they are? In this series of Keyword Teardowns we analyze how the algorithm works and highlight tips and tricks to help you rank higher.
One of the most common problems with ASO that maaaaaaaaany developers and even seasoned marketers make is repetition. They use the same word in the app's name and subtitle hoping the algorithm would count it twice. It doesn't...
Apple's and Google's search algorithms are black boxes and completely undocumented, but when you look at enough data, patterns start to emerge. I actively analyze search results to reverse engineer how the stores decide which apps to rank and how to rank them, and share what I find, including tips, tricks, and secrets, here for you to learn from.
Keyword: Poker
Last for this teardown is a game, which we skipped in the last teardown.
At first glance, I see results that, again, are almost sorted by downloads. But not exactly. Can you guess what's going to tip the scales?
At #1 we have World Series of Poker, which leads in downloads and ratings. It duplicates the keyword, which isn't great, but with so many downloads and ratings, and so many results for this search, it manages to pull ahead.
Right behind it is Zynga Poker, which also duplicates the term and devalues it... At roughly half the downloads, a small change to the game's name could easily pop it above. If anyone from Zynga is reading, this is a really easy win.
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#3, Texas Hold'em is a peculiar one. No mention of keyword in the name + it's competitive enough that just having it in the keyword list wouldn't be enough. Ohhhh, it's made by Apple. I can't say I knew Apple had a Poker game in the store, but it's there so, skip!
Much like previous keywords we've analyzed, the #4 and #5 spots reminder us why keyword density is critical. #5, Poker Heat has more downloads and ratings than the app above it, but its name and subtitle are both longer, and (for some reason) it repeats its keyword three times... #4 is a bit more conservative with its repetition as it is with the length of its name and subtitle, which puts more weight on the keyword and give it the better rank.
What You Need to Know
Keyword repetition is ignored, and the algorithm skips all instances of the keyword except for the last one. That's right, the last one, meaning the one that gets the least weight from the algorithm. You can call it a "penalty" or just as wasted characters. Regardless, I recommend not doing it.
Are You Putting My Tips to Good Use?
App Store Optimization is part art and part science. I say it a lot, and I mean it. The art part is what I've been talking about in this Keyword Teardown and in my App Teardowns. The science part is where our simple and intuitive ASO tools come into play. See where your apps are ranked, track trends, snoop on competitors, get suggestions, here.
