# #ASO Earthquake: Google Play Update Reveals Keyword Installs to Developers

- Link: https://phiture.com/asostack/aso-earthquake-google-play-update-reveals-keyword-installs-to-developers-f5cf2e384eb3/
- Published: 2018-01-11T15:10:52+01:00
- Author: Pablo Penny

#### _New Google Play Console feature breaks up data via traffic sources_

_Pablo leads the ASO team at an __ASO Agency__ called [Phiture](https://phiture.com/)._
[**_We are looking for an ASO Consultant to join our team in Berlin_**](https://phiture.com/careers/)**_._**
[⌊#ASO Earthquake- Google Play Update Reveals Keyword Installs to Developers ⌉](https://phiture.com/)

[**_Phiture_**](https://phiture.com/)_ is an App Store Optimization agency and Mobile
Growth Consultancy that helps large international brands with their ASO strategy._

Google has released new organic search data on the Google Play Console. First announced
as an _#ASO earthquake_ by mobile growth expert and [ASO Stack ](https://phiture.com/asostack/slack-integrations-for-boosting-your-aso-efficiency-9d10ccc146d0/)
member [Thomas Petit on Twitter](https://twitter.com/thomasbcn/status/921406946330267649?lang=en)
in October 2017, doubted by many in the community, however, now confirmed through
different sources. The data has become available for **selected beta-testers** in
the User Acquisition section of the Google Play Console.

### **#ASO Earthquake**

The new feature allows (1) splitting organic play store data into **search **and**
browse**, and, ever more exiting, provides (2) data around **installs per keyword**!

### **1. Organic Play Store Data split between Search and Browse**

⌊Major Google Play Update breaks down search and browse installs-min⌉⌊Major Google
Play Update breaks down search and browse installs-min⌉

_Play Store organic installs split into Search and Browse (dummy data)_

This new data is very similar to the split of sources in the Apple App Store, allowing
users to distinguish between the source type of installs coming through users that
installed the app. Previously, only the total number of store listing visitors, 
along with organic installers, buyers and repeat buyers were available.

Now, installs of those coming in by first searching for a keyword in the store are
shown separately from those that come organically via browsing the play store. The**
Play Store (organic) search **is defined as **“**Unique users who found your app
via Play Store Search”. **Play Store (organic) browse**, is defined as **“**Unique
users who found your app via browsing the Play Store” and thus includes those that
installed the app after for instance finding it in a category, featuring, as well
as from the store listing view of a similar app. The browse data is unfortunately
not split-up further meaning that category browsing, related apps, featuring and
others being combined.

Another caveat from the feature is that none of this data can be split up by country.

_Purely organics? _The question if, similar to Apple iTunes Connect, the “Search”
acquisition source on the Google Play Console is aggregating organic and paid traffic?
This is important as Google’s Universal App Campaigns (UAC) obscure paid keyword
installs, making it unclear where UAC traffic comes from. This also applies to ads
in the browsing sections of the Play Store. Therefore, both Search and Browse data
could very well include paid traffic. This, however, seems **not **to be the case:
these sources are really grouped under “Play Store (**_Organic_**)” and installs
from the “AdWords Campaigns” do not overlap with the other organic sources.

### **2. Installs per Keyword: Data for up to 1,000 search terms displayed**

The second major and even more exciting change concerns installs via keywords. One
of the questions that Phiture is asked most when doing ASO consulting work with 
clients, concerns how many installs come in via which keywords. So far, only rough
volume estimations by various keyword tools existed for this.

Now, in the Google Play Console, Google allows seeing the top **1,000 search terms**
the app is ranking for, along with their **individual conversion rate, **broken 
down into **store listing** **visitors, installers, retained installers **or **buyers.**
By clicking on **“Play Store (organic)” on “Search” **in the Acquisition reports
section of the Developer Console, a separate section opens with the search terms.
Again, the data can’t be split up by country.

⌊Google Play Console data for installers per keyword (dummy data) -min⌉⌊Google Play
Console data for installers per keyword (dummy data) -min⌉

_Google Play Console data for installers per keyword (dummy data)_

Finally, we’ve noted that the Search/Browse data is available from October 1, 2017
onwards. The data itself seems to be somewhat unreliable, but that might change 
once the feature comes out of beta.

—

Although it is still unknown when Google will make these features available to all
developers, this is likely to happen soon. Once that happens it will be interesting
to analyze how much traffic indeed comes from generic search terms. Furthermore,
it will be very interesting to monitor changes in search behavior for all kinds 
of purposes: the effectiveness of a brand campaign, seasonality in search behavior,
and so on.

Clearly, this presents a major change in how developers and App Store Optimization
experts will go about conducting keyword optimization for their apps, making the
run for valuable keywords that do not only lead to installs but rather to paying
installers even more competitive.

### **Stay tuned for further exclusive insights from the ASO Stack with our App Store Optimization Newsletter!**