Best Tips Choosing a Category for Your App or Game

The goal of many app marketers is to rank higher in the top charts. However — at least on the App Store — ranking high in your app or game’s category will not provide that much extra visibility, and ranking optimization might not be the best way to increase Browse visibility on the App Store.

To find the top charts on the App Store, a user must scroll all the way to the bottom of the Apps or Games tab, choose their category of interest, and then scroll all the way to the bottom again to see the ranking. On Google Play, top charts are a bit more visible via the navigation at the top of the screen.

Nevertheless, your app category tells the store about the nature of your app and provides the algorithm with more information regarding when and where to index your app in search and Browse results. Therefore, it is recommended to select your category carefully.

You can choose two categories (primary and secondary) on the App Store; on Google Play, you can only list your app in one category. On both stores, games can select a subcategory (or two on the App Store) associated with the specific type of gameplay.

Keep the following tips in mind when choosing your app category:

• Your app’s purpose: Your primary category should best describe the app’s main function or subject matter.

• User intent: Understanding your audience will help you identify the category in which they will likely look for your app. Will they consider your product as more of a “social networking” app or rather a “photography” app?

• Look at similar apps: Research how similar apps are categorized. Do you want to be listed in the same category as these apps or not? If you would like your app to be shown alongside competitors’ apps in suggestion collections, it is recommended to choose the same category as your competitors.
• • Competitiveness and volatility of each category: How many daily downloads do the top ranked apps receive? Could you match that number one day? How stable are the apps at the top? Are new apps or games able to break through and outrank those at the top?
• • Category keyword(s): Is the category keyword a priority in your keyword list? If so, you should consider listing your app or game in that category to maximize ranking opportunities.