How to get your app to show up in Google search

Both stores publish a web page for every app, and Google indexes it. The app name and the first lines of the description carry the most weight for what that page is about, so say plainly what the app does and for whom. A name that is only a brand word gives search little to match.

A page on your own domain is the one you fully control. Describe what the app does in plain words, show screenshots, link to both stores, and add Apple’s Smart App Banner meta tag so iPhone visitors get a one-tap install. Verify the site in Google Search Console to see whether the page is indexed and which queries it appears for.

Google Search Central documents SoftwareApplication markup for app pages. For the rich result, Google asks for the name, the price in offers (0 for a free app) and either a rating or a review. Even without a rich result, the markup tells search engines the page is about an app.

Android App Links let links to your site open in the app once you publish the assetlinks.json file on your domain. It ties the site and the app together for users who already have it installed.

People search “best X app” and land on lists and rankings, not on your site. Being listed on directories and rankings adds more pages that name your app. Censuus gives every added app its own page open to search engines; adding it is free. For other places, see our guide to free app promotion sites.