Spotted: Google Testing Expanded Google Play App Listings - Thomas Petit

Feature Image Credit: Thomas Petit 

ASO thought leader Thomas Petit recently spotted a change in how Google is listing apps via Google Play store searches on Android devices. The screenshot in Thomas's Tweet shows an app that is already installed, with a visual that represents a big departure from the traditional Google Play listing (i.e. icon, rating, developer name, feature status) and a move towards how App Store listings are displayed (which include the first and second screenshots) and even beyond by displaying total reviews and downloads.

Indeed, if rolled out to a larger share of searchers, this change has the capability to produce a massive shift in the number installs driven through Google Play and produce a higher focus on screenshot optimization, as is common with iOS ASO.

It's interesting that the feature graphic, which is the most prominent element of an Android app listing, wasn't the visual chosen to be displayed in the expanded Google Play SERP, so far as we know. It's possible that this change may also lead to Google beginning to display app impressions or an equivalent data point in the Google Play console.

The Bottom Line: As Apple ramps up App Store revitalization efforts and trends to 5 million apps by 2020, Google ramps up its own experiments and changes to the Play Store to encourage more downloads and win over a greater share of app developers.

Thanks Thomas for the tip! Original Source: @Thomasbcn Tweet