Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are Google Play Store tags?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Google Play Store tags are words used for your app\u2019s identification process. As Google eloquently puts it, tags (along with categories) \u201chelp users to search for and discover the most relevant apps in the Play Store.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google simply wants to tell you that tags will be used to teach its algorithm to determine which group of apps you belong to and give users the most relevant content as they search and browse through the app store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please note that your chosen tags are considered a \u201cglobal setting\u201d or it is applied to all countries. This means that you can\u2019t choose a different set of tags for each country, just like in categories. If your app has features that are not available to some countries, using a tag to describe these exclusive features may not work as expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since tags and categories serve similar purposes, you might mistakenly think they are the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, categories are a separate set of groupings created by Google. In fact, categories were already in place before tags came in. So, with categories, Google can categorize your app and group it together with similar apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you think about it, tags are more specific than categories. In Google Play Store, there are more than 30 categories to choose from, but you can only choose one. This is different with tags since you can choose up to five tags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Needless to say, tags can have a huge impact on the success of your app. In Google Play Store, there are two main ways for your app to be discovered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One is \u201csearch\u201d when they use the search bar. The other is \u201cexplore\u201d or \u201cbrowse\u201d when they simply go through Google Play Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, how do tags affect search results? Here\u2019s how. Notice the screenshot below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A user used the keyword \u201ckids games\u201d and \u201cpuzzle.\u201d As highlighted above, tags are now displayed on the search result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This greatly improves the user experience. Since tags immediately give them an overview of the apps, they can now easily select the most relevant app for their search query.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, for \u201cTruck games for kids,\u201d Google displayed \u201ceducational,\u201d \u201csimulation,\u201d and \u201cvehicle\u201d as the tags for this app. From the user\u2019s perspective, these tags definitely help in choosing which app to check or download.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now for explore or browse, remember that Google uses tags to group apps together and determine which apps should be recommended to users. There\u2019s even a special section called \u201cSimilar Apps<\/strong>\u201d that group apps together depending on their similarities. When determining what apps to include in this section, tags are also considered by the Google Play Store algorithm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, the tags would enrich the contextual data collected by the algorithm, which would then match apps with one another and present it to the user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see in this screenshot, Google provides recommendations and tags play a role in choosing which apps to display:<\/p>\n\n\n\n With these in mind, tags surely will have an impact on impressions, conversions, and downloads of your app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You shouldn\u2019t simply choose any tag for your app. If you do this the wrong way, your app may end up in places it is not supposed to be in. Not only that, but Google may then ignore your app and display competitors instead simply because you have the wrong tagging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google advises, \u201cYou should choose tags that are most obviously relevant to your app. It should be very clear to a user unfamiliar with the app why the tag is relevant based on the store listing or initial in-app experience.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I highly recommend you seriously take note of this. Make sure that your chosen tag is relevant to your app. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Google gives the example of a multiplayer racing game with vintage cars. It should include the tags \u201cracing and \u201ccar racing.\u201d These tags obviously reflect what the game is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply just because you can do some stunts in the game, it doesn\u2019t mean that you can already include \u201cStunt driving\u201d as your tag. You also don\u2019t need to include tags that might be applicable to related game genres just to attract similar players. Tags such as \u201cmotorcycle racing\u201d or \u201ctruck racing\u201d are poor tag choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google added, \u201cWe recommend that you only change your app\u2019s tags if you make significant changes to the content or functionality of your app, in which case you should re-evaluate your tags to ensure the five most relevant are selected.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This basically means that once you have chosen the most relevant tag, don\u2019t change it unless your app\u2019s features and details have changed dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adding tags is easy. Here are the steps you should take:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please note that you can add up to five tags. If you have more than five relevant tags in mind, please choose the ones that would best describe your app. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, you also don\u2019t need to use all the available five tags. It is better to use 2-3 tags that are most relevant to your app rather than use five tags that would simply distort your app\u2019s grouping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After you\u2019re done setting up your app tags, it could take up to 24 hours for the new tags to be visible on your app\u2019s page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google support gives us a list of categories for apps and games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/metrikal.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/mobile-phones-with-mobile-apps-1024x594.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat are Google Play Store categories?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How tags affect your app ranking and visibility?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/metrikal.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image-2-1024x612.png\")
How to choose the right Google app store tags?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to add tags?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Example of Google Play Store tags and categories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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