Google Play Instant is here [ Good or bad for ASO? ]

This year at GDC, Google announced Google Play Instant (GPI). This feature allows developers to offer playable game previews to users without requiring that they download and install an app.

Simply tap “Try” instead of “Download”. There’s still a brief loading process before you’re able to play, but nothing as long as it takes to install. Plus, who likes making a commitment to losing that precious minute of your time only to find the newly installed app is lame? No, just try before you “buy”. Pretty cool right? Check it out in action:

The feature is being tested on a handful of major apps from developers like Supercell and Jam City.

But the question here is, is this good or bad for your App Store Optimization efforts?

The answer is simple: good if you have a good game and bad if your game is a dud.

That’s oversimplifying, yes. What we mean by that is, this will enhance discovery. If your ASO strategy is working and boosting your rank, then Instant will allow more users to test out your app. If users complete your instant play, they will receive an install popup that prompts them to install the game to keep playing the full version.

On the other side, if your game is simply boring, lackluster or blah, instant is going to prevent users from continuing to install your app.

Our best recommendation with GPI is to evaluate your product page. You still won’t see a sudden burst of installs if

1. you’re not ranking for relevant keywords
2. you are ranking but your listing isn’t attractive (icon, preview video, screenshots are plain and uninteresting)

What you should do

Make sure to optimize your creative elements, keyword list, title, subtitle and description before taking advantage of GPI to best have a shot at succeeding with the new gaming preview feature. Take this quick and easy ASO Checklist Challenge to assess the overall optimization health of your app page.

Consider running split tests to know with a higher certainty that your creative is the highest converting set you have.

Need help getting started? Contact our team of ASO pros for a free discovery session today.

 

What do you think about Google Play Instant? Will your company test it out or do you dislike the new feature? Leave a comment below.