There’s nothing quite like an action game – the intense concentration, the quick decisions that determine victory or defeat, and the feelings of joy when you finally complete a level or conquer a challenging foe. Mobile action games are a very popular genre, meaning that the market is teeming with competitors that are trying to encourage users to download their game instead of yours. Those that stand out from their competition leave the rest to uncover what tactics they took to succeed. There are many App Store Optimization (ASO) factors at play, but one of the keys to standing out is a strong description. Not only does it highlight the game’s core features and encourage users to download, it needs to be formatted to engage the audience on both the App Store and Google Play Store. Developers can achieve this level of engagement by utilizing high-volume keywords that draw in users and make them interested in downloading.
Everyone wants their game to stand out, which means they need to play the ASO game and incorporate keywords throughout their metadata. If you want a great example of an ASO description at work, then look at Zombie Gunship Survival. It’s a new entry in a popular franchise, but it also utilizes high-volume keywords in its title and description to ensure users will find it. On both the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store, anyone searching for “zombie” or “survival games” will find it quickly based on how well it incorporated those keywords into its title, subtitle (iOS) and short description (GP) alone. In the long description, it sprinkles important keywords like “zombie apocalypse” and “tactical operations” throughout to achieve a better reach. While the description does have a focus on keywords that are relevant to the game, it also makes sure to integrate them properly into each line. It doesn’t try to cram in keywords whenever they have a change, but instead integrates them when it’s appropriate. In doing so, the game ensures it will not only be found, but appeals to the specific audiences searching for games of that genre.
While targeting keywords in the description will help users find the game, it also needs to encourage them to download. As such, the descriptions should be formatted in a way that are quick to read so the general idea of the game is easily comprehended. Descriptions can also incorporate quick feature sets or bullet lists so readers can easily understand the game’s core features at a glance. Lengthy sentences can appear as frustratingly large blocks of text, so it’s important that the descriptions be kept short and sweet. Take a look at MARVEL Contest of Champions – the first line users see before clicking “read more” is just “The biggest names from the Marvel Universe are ready to battle!”
This sentence is quick, to the point and already entices users by addressing the game’s core features: fighting and their favorite Marvel characters. The description namedrops familiar names such as Wolverine, Deadpool and Iron Man, which can also be keywords. None of these sections are more than two sentences, although they still take up a good portion of the screen. The description also has sections dedicated to each aspect of the game, with bullet lists that cut right to the key features. Even without reading the lists themselves, the all-caps introductory titles for each section clearly tell users all they need to know.
Action game descriptions should portray a sense of the action to let the users know what features they can expect. If the tone of the description is dull when explaining how users will fight or even explore levels, then it does nothing to entice them to download. Developers need to think of the description as a sales pitch to get users hyped for “ferocious fighting challenges.” Look at Cat Quest – it boasts “a grand adventure of dragons, magic, and cats,” while adding dramatic flourishes like “risk life and limb delving into dungeons for epic loot.” These quick, intense sentences add hype to its features while explaining them. Another key point to address is that a game like Cat Quest incorporates cat puns like “pawesome real time combat” and “faster purr-formance.” These puns represent the overall tone of the company/game, incorporate keywords and effectively portray the game’s features.
If a game reaches a big enough audience, it’s almost certain to be reviewed by a gaming website. Don’t be afraid to share the critical acclaims you receive, especially if it’s from a trusted or renowned source. The same goes for any awards the game may receive. If the game starts receiving praise, you can update the description as acclaim and awards begin to accumulate. Positive reviews, awards and acclaims will encourage potential players to make the leap and download.
Action games need to bring all the intense gameplay and intense fight scenes alive with a proper description. While the ASO techniques listed above may not be as big and flashy as the games themselves, they play an important role in a game’s success. Any developer that leverages an ASO strategy is sure to win the coveted top spots among action games.
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