In 2020 Google Play keywords not so important? Algorithm Update?

[r3L4x]

Hello, one of my apps 3 years old started losing rank. Tested on few tools, my keywords are in basically same rank, but my app dropped a lot in category.

So I started to search for new keywords, 3 days now I'm spying on top new trending apps keywords. Note that I'm no spying old branded apps which are popular, I`m only checking new apps that rank really good. In all this research I found that they all basically rank on low traffic keywords.

So my question are in 2020 years keywords it is not so important? From my understanding category ranking is most important. As my earnings dropped 3x times...

 

[BillyRusso]

I also noticed that my old and main revenue app lost 75% of traffic. Something have changed in the last few days.

 

[r3L4x]

I also noticed that my old and main revenue app lost 75% of traffic. Something have changed in the last few days.

Check category rank, my app dropped in usa from 67, to 180+ place... With new aso now it started getting back. From now for my it is biggest mystery how new apps get in trending. The aso is bad, screens look lame... Google Play search algorithm is clearly broken. In this week I checked my apps in category ranks. Some of them not rank in category and history shows that appl ranks in 100 place, later is just disappears from category.

 

[Mr.Sinatra]

Last time they said that they will concentrate more on retention.
And now I think that most people download apps from recommended categories or ads.
I have seen sometimes search results in play store with top 2 as ads.
Most users will never scroll two times.
So if you app is ranked 5+ it is very unlikely to get an install.

Again it is google so nothing is certain.
They can bless you today and destroy you the next.
So keep on pushing and never settle.

Cheers,

 

[jokowi]

Started build 'junk' apps which meantioned by op..

Its really good install

Keyword is still matter..

But what about cpc?
Usa is very low now..
France are nice .

 

[r3L4x]

Last time they said that they will concentrate more on retention.
And now I think that most people download apps from recommended categories or ads.
I have seen sometimes search results in play store with top 2 as ads.
Most users will never scroll two times.
So if you app is ranked 5+ it is very unlikely to get an install.

Again it is google so nothing is certain.
They can bless you today and destroy you the next.
So keep on pushing and never settle.

Cheers,

If you meen keep making updates. From my experience updates is least thing to do if app is ranks not bad. I had very lot of bad cases when I wanted to rank better with updates, either app got deleted either rank dropped. I have some apps that did not had update in years.

The thing is that when you update your app you trigger them, it is better to keep app not updated. It is another case if app is not visible.

 

[Mr.Sinatra]

If you meen keep making updates. From my experience updates is least thing to do if app is ranks not bad. I had very lot of bad cases when I wanted to rank better with updates, either app got deleted either rank dropped. I have some apps that did not had update in years.

The thing is that when you update your app you trigger them, it is better to keep app not updated. It is another case if app is not visible.

I know when you update you just trigger the bot to f*ck your life.
Retention is how long users stay inside the app ?
How often do they use it
Daily, hourly...etc
That is retention.

 

[MofAges]

Hello, one of my apps 3 years old started losing rank. Tested on few tools, my keywords are in basically same rank, but my app dropped a lot in category.
.

Experienced the same with my few top apps in the same time of the month (May) . I don't like this but we can't nothing about this , its pure madness of algorithm . I hope in next algorithm update will be winner .

So my question are in 2020 years keywords it is not so important? From my understanding category ranking is most important. As my earnings dropped 3x times...

Yes , they are but not only parameter. Many things are changed in last 6-9 month and plus with this pandemic/riots crisis .. everything start to reflect on our business .

 

[r3L4x]

I think it is really Algorithm Update... In few past months I done a lot of stuff and found
that really not normal things happening.

I`m working in this business nearly 6 years and I know what I`m doing. But what is
happening in 2020 ranking doesn't make sense...

So first, one of my apps with 800k downloads started losing ranking. So like always
I rechecked my keywords, changed some ASO. It did not helped, it even made everything
worse, I lost nearly 100 in Search Visibility and my category who's still dropping down.
So okay, like usually I changed my ASO as it whose before, nothing changed. So then I decided
to run experiment, I made 3 more icons. After update my Search Visibility jumped 100+,
but category still whose going down. Like I predicted one of my icons preformed 28%
better that old one. So I quickly choose best performing icon and I got Search Visibility +7.
Funniest thing that my app just disappeared from category. How this can happen?

1) App got 100+ Search Visibility, but in category it is not rising?
2) App new icon makes +28% installs, but after changing icon i
did not got any more installs, same numbers. How?


Second 2 apps. One have 700k installs, other have 200k. I done some thing, but I did
made new icons, just changed some keywords. Next day both apps basically lost installs.
Both app whose getting 10 or 5 installs in day... So after few days I changed everything back
like it worse before. My installs again started rising, but I`m not getting same results like after update...
After that I found that both apps nearly one year not ranks in category...

1)How?


Third 3 more apps. 2 Older apps basically won't get any installs. 50 - 70 a day... So I launched third one.
Same keywords basically same description after one week that app makes 500 installs in day. How?
And again funny thing all 3 apps won't rank in category and with new app I done experiments, again
one icon preformed 23% better, I choose best performing icon but my installs dropped.


Google Is suggesting people to make updates, but this don't make sense,
as I made 10+ updates and nothing changed, it even got worse.

 

[YujinTan]

Google still play around, I does noticed, the May Update is not say ended , or maybe they start something again

 

[Mr.Sinatra]

800k download and you are getting 70 organic downloads a day ?!

there could be a big reason with the pandemic as more people playing games and not using apps.

but it’s a bit extreme From 800k installs
How many are active installs from the 800k

 

[Gonza94]

I think it is really Algorithm Update... In few past months I done a lot of stuff and found
that really not normal things happening.

I`m working in this business nearly 6 years and I know what I`m doing. But what is
happening in 2020 ranking doesn't make sense...

So first, one of my apps with 800k downloads started losing ranking. So like always
I rechecked my keywords, changed some ASO. It did not helped, it even made everything
worse, I lost nearly 100 in Search Visibility and my category who's still dropping down.
So okay, like usually I changed my ASO as it whose before, nothing changed. So then I decided
to run experiment, I made 3 more icons. After update my Search Visibility jumped 100+,
but category still whose going down. Like I predicted one of my icons preformed 28%
better that old one. So I quickly choose best performing icon and I got Search Visibility +7.
Funniest thing that my app just disappeared from category. How this can happen?

1) App got 100+ Search Visibility, but in category it is not rising?
2) App new icon makes +28% installs, but after changing icon i
did not got any more installs, same numbers. How?


Second 2 apps. One have 700k installs, other have 200k. I done some thing, but I did
made new icons, just changed some keywords. Next day both apps basically lost installs.
Both app whose getting 10 or 5 installs in day... So after few days I changed everything back
like it worse before. My installs again started rising, but I`m not getting same results like after update...
After that I found that both apps nearly one year not ranks in category...

1)How?


Third 3 more apps. 2 Older apps basically won't get any installs. 50 - 70 a day... So I launched third one.
Same keywords basically same description after one week that app makes 500 installs in day. How?
And again funny thing all 3 apps won't rank in category and with new app I done experiments, again
one icon preformed 23% better, I choose best performing icon but my installs dropped.


Google Is suggesting people to make updates, but this don't make sense,
as I made 10+ updates and nothing changed, it even got worse.

I have been noticing something similar with the categories since March / April of this year.

I had an app with 35k daily downloads, from one day to another it dropped to 20k and such were the drops that it is now in 4K ... incredible, an app that left me a LOT of money.

Update, improve icon, ASO, send installs with crosspromotion BUT EVERYTHING WORSE.

By the way, what I have been following is the part of "Similar Apps" that is located to the right of each app tab (in the web version)

This section of "Similar apps" often shows apps that have little to do with the app on the tab, eg:

A unicorn wallpapers app ---> similar apps: Love phrases, Random game. etc


It does not happen in all the app tabs, in some it correctly shows apps related to the main app.

But I have noticed that the app that has downloaded me from 40k to 4k has disappeared from this section (and surely from many others)

it can be easily seen in the developer console, in the "User Acquisition" part where it says "Explore" there it got 15k daily downloads, half, now only about 200/500

 

[r3L4x]

800k download and you are getting 70 organic downloads a day ?!

there could be a big reason with the pandemic as more people playing games and not using apps.

but it’s a bit extreme From 800k installs
How many are active installs from the 800k

50 - 70 a day it is not old apps and don`t have a lot of installs. One have 10k+ other 5k+. Active installs one have 1k, other have 2k.
Funniest thing that I launched after those apps new one. It have now 10k+ installs, daily getting 500+ installs. Active 1k.

Apps that have 800k installs have 10k active.

At any point in 2020 nothing matters... I`m now just checking my category top free and can see that there is anomaly.

1) Well know name 3.9 review rating, 118,920 total reviews, 5,000,000+ Installs.
2) 3.9 review rating, 95,763 total reviews, 10,000,000+ Installs.
3) 4.4 review rating, 36,606 total reviews, 500,000+ Installs.
4) 4.1 review rating, 37,683 total reviews, 1,000,000+ Installs.
5) 3.2 review rating, 328 total reviews, 100,000+ Installs.
6) New app 4.2 review rating, 253 total reviews, 50,000+ Installs. lol Simple icon, simple 3 screens, no video.
7) Well know name 3.8 review rating, 391,605 total reviews, 10,000,000+ Installs.

So this beats all ASO tactics, you just can't get lucky with google "fair search algorithm".
6 app category ranking May 27, 86 place. May 31, 41 place. June 4, 119 place. June 5, 12 place. lol Today 6 place.

 

[Mr.Sinatra]

50 - 70 a day it is not old apps and don`t have a lot of installs. One have 10k+ other 5k+. Active installs one have 1k, other have 2k.
Funniest thing that I launched after those apps new one. It have now 10k+ installs, daily getting 500+ installs. Active 1k.

Apps that have 800k installs have 10k active.

At any point in 2020 nothing matters... I`m now just checking my category top free and can see that there is anomaly.

1) Well know name 3.9 review rating, 118,920 total reviews, 5,000,000+ Installs.
2) 3.9 review rating, 95,763 total reviews, 10,000,000+ Installs.
3) 4.4 review rating, 36,606 total reviews, 500,000+ Installs.
4) 4.1 review rating, 37,683 total reviews, 1,000,000+ Installs.
5) 3.2 review rating, 328 total reviews, 100,000+ Installs.
6) New app 4.2 review rating, 253 total reviews, 50,000+ Installs. lol Simple icon, simple 3 screens, no video.
7) Well know name 3.8 review rating, 391,605 total reviews, 10,000,000+ Installs.

So this beats all ASO tactics, you just can't get lucky with google "fair search algorithm".
6 app category ranking May 27, 86 place. May 31, 41 place. June 4, 119 place. June 5, 12 place. lol Today 6 place.

From 800k downloads you have 10k active users.
That can tell you everything.
I think number of downloads is irrelevant.
1% of your total users kept the app..
99% of your users removed the app so it is more realistic
Of course it will loose rank.

 

[r3L4x]

From 800k downloads you have 10k active users.
That can tell you everything.
I think number of downloads is irrelevant.
1% of your total users kept the app..
99% of your users removed the app so it is more realistic
Of course it will loose rank.

Like I said some apps is 4+ years old. I did not made 800k installs in one years.
It is basically not possible to keep people 4 years to have your app in phone.

At another point just check how Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok beat Facebook.
Like I said 2020 years google algorithm is complete mess and don't forget 2019 bug
when some popular apps just disappeared from market and new apps whose just
not indexed.

 

[MofAges]

Confirming : There was algorithm update during last weekend ... its started with Google SERP update alongside . Had unusual higher traffic/downloads from apps in Saturday and everything fall a part yesterday ... got tanked real good I was thinking cant be worse , but guess what ... yes , can be worse.

I can't measure is this update on retention rate or some other tweak because I didn't do any promotion/marketing for this acc for months .

Things which are obvious :
- Pandemic crises hit store good, some of niches still suffer from this (mine too )
- Retention rate is really matter
- New apps goes on ghost-ranking first then go visible for others