App Descriptions – they play a vital role in the visibility of apps on different platforms. But there is a rising debate that we are seeing surfacing among ASO (app store optimization) experts. Some are recommending using shorter descriptions, while some are suggesting going for the longer ones.
Both sides have strong arguments to support their narrative. Supporters of longer descriptions are the ASO experts who want to add the maximum number of keywords to get more organic visibility and downloads in Google PlayStore.
On the other hand, the advocates of shorter store descriptions are the people who don’t want to wait for organic downloads. They simply put a shorter description and get help from Google AdWords or other PPC campaigns to get more downloads. They believe that they don’t need to waste time and money writing longer app store descriptions.
What is ASO and Why Does It Matter?
If ASO is something you never heard of, let me tell you that it’s App Store Optimization. It’s a set of tweaks, tips and tricks to enhance the visibility of app store listings to get more organic downloads. You can think of it as doing SEO for mobile apps.
This optimization process helps your app rank higher in search results. The purpose behind this is to convert more visitors into actual installs.
But what do app descriptions have to do with this?
Well, in ASO, you optimize your app name or title. Then there comes a short description, which is like “Meta Description” in SEO. And then there are long app descriptions, one of the key components of ASO strategies. They let you highlight your application value and target keywords that people search for to find such apps. This will help you in improving your app’s searchability in a store.
A/B Testing App Description Length
We have discussed two sides where one prefers longer app store descriptions, while we see many of the top-ranked apps with just a few words of description. This may confuse you as a newbie in the field. And you might be thinking of which school of thought to follow.
Well, every app has a different target audience with some specific preferences, likings and dislikings. So a better idea is to A/B test different app descriptions before sticking to the final one. Fortunately, Google Play Console offers you the feature of A/B testing, where you can run different experiments to see what works the best.
A/B testing is the best way to see if longer app descriptions work better for your app than the shorter ones. Here below you can see a screenshot that can assist you in locating the A/B testing feature in Google Play Console.
Once you have reached the “Store Listing Experiments” section, you will have to find out how to start a test.
Creating Different Versions of App Description
You will need different versions of app descriptions. Start by crafting a shorter version. Make it very descriptive and information-rich because we will be using it to draft longer versions. This shorter version should tell all about the app and its features.
Now we need expanded versions or longer ones. You can write it yourself, hire some writer or you can even get help from AI writing tools to get expanded versions of app descriptions.
I would suggest AI writing tools and here, as we already have a shorter version, sentence expander can do the best job here. Simply give the tool the write-up that you already crafted and it will expand it in a more descriptive manner.
If you are not satisfied with the output length, expand it more and you will get the version of the desired length. You can use the expanded version and the shorter version for A/B testing.
Select the audience chunk, i.e., the percentage to whom these different versions will be shown. After a week or 2 weeks of test running, you will get enough data to decide which version worked best for your app. You can implement the result to apply that app description as the final one on your app store listing.
Final Talk
When it comes to Google App Store listings, we see different opinions about the length of the app store listing. Every opinion has its logical grounds and all seem valid. And when you observe Google PlayStore, you see many apps performing well even with shorter descriptions, while others may have hundreds of words to cover keywords.
In such confusions, A/B testing is the best idea to see what works best for your specific app. You will need a shorter description and some expanded versions to run an experiment. Once the test is complete, you can implement the version that worked best.
