TRAFFIC
ANDROID LIFE : PREPARING FOR THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE
Real-money gambling and betting apps will soon feature in Google ’ s Play Store after the internet and advertising giant recently informed operators it was opening the application process . Stephen Kenwright of Branded3 provides some advice on how to prepare for life in the Android app marketplace .
GOOGLE IS FINALLY FOLLOWING APPLE and allowing gambling and betting apps into its Play Store .
Until now , Android users wanting to play for real-money have been made to download apps directly from the operators ’ websites , restricting the potential audience for the apps and making it difficult for developers to push out updates , as well as potentially putting players at risk .
Google has informed gaming businesses
Figure 1 : Sources of awareness of smartphone apps
Figure 2 : Important factors in deciding to download an app
that the Play Store will be accepting applications to list gambling apps from the United Kingdom , Republic of Ireland and France .
This is a huge step for the industry . According to Apple , over 65 % of downloads in the App Store are driven by organic search , but the figure for Google Play is higher at 80 %. Igaming apps are about to become much more visible ( see Figure 1 ).
So how should app developers prepare for life in Android ’ s app store ? Here ’ s a checklist for when you ’ re uploading your first app : 1 . Are you able to monitor your app in Google Search Console and Google Analytics ?
2 . Have relevant keywords been identified for the app ?
3 . Has the app title been optimised for iOS and / or Android ? 4 . Is the app listed in relevant categories ? 5 . Does the description engage your users , and contain relevant keywords ? 6 . Are calls to action positioned above the ‘ read more ’ break ? 7 . Is the app icon consistent with other branding ? 8 . Does the app listing contain a video , displaying content and functionality ?
9 . Does the app listing contain screenshots , showcasing functionality and content ?
10 . Is a launch strategy in place to drive consistent download numbers during the first three months of the app being live ?
11 . Does this strategy include linking to listings from third-party sites ?
12 . Is resource in place to address comments and negative feedback on the app listing ?
13 . Is a product roadmap in place to manage future updates and feature releases ?
8 iGB Affiliate Issue 64 AUG / SEP 2017