How to Increase App Downloads With Localization
Downloads are not meeting expectations, and your global ambitions feel stalled. Users in new market regions are not finding your product, and the few who do are not downloading it. The app feels foreign to them, not like a tool built for their needs.
The solution is a strategic focus on app localization. A successful localization strategy will make your app discoverable and desirable to a global audience, a step that has been shown to increase app downloads by as much as 128% in new markets. The following framework provides simple steps to localize your app effectively and increase downloads.
The Core Difference: Translation and Localization
To build an effective strategy, a differentiation has to be made between two different concepts: translation and localization.
Translation is a linguistic task that involves converting text from one language to another. It ensures your words are understandable. Translating “Search” to “Buscar” in Spanish, for example, is a necessary step, but it’s only one part of the localization process.
Localization is a product and market adaptation task. It’s the process of adapting your entire user experience to feel natural and relevant in a specific target market. In such, an effective mobile app localization strategy involves changing visuals, user interface elements, date formats, and currencies to align with local expectations.
Instagram is one stark example. When localizing for its Hebrew-speaking user base, the company did more than translate the text in its iOS and Android apps. It redesigned its interface to support a right to left layout, completely altering how users navigate the app. One action is translation; the other is deep product localization.
The Highest ROI Move: Localize Your App Store Listing First
Before you alter code inside your app, it’s worth localizing your App Store listing. A user’s decision to download your app happens here, on your product pages right in the App Store and Google Play. So improving your app’s store presence is the most effective way to see a fast return on your localization efforts. Focusing on just your store page listing is such a powerful first step, as research shows that 65% of users prefer to browse in their native language.
There are three main things to focus on for localized app store listings.
1. Keywords Are Global, but Search Is Local
Your English keyword strategy will not work in other languages. A direct translation of your keywords typically fails because users in different countries search for apps using totally different terms and phrases. To achieve visibility, you need to research what your target users are actually typing into the app store search bar. App Store Optimization (ASO) tools like AsoMobile can help you discover high volume keywords for specific regions. Creating a localized keyword list is fundamental for app store optimization!
2. Your Title and Description: The First Impression
Your app title and app description are your most important marketing copy. A localized app name, if appropriate, can dramatically increase relevance. The app description needs to be more than translated; it has to be culturally persuasive. It should incorporate your localized keywords from the above step naturally and speak to the values and needs of the target market.
3. Screenshots and Videos: Show, Don’t Just Tell
Users rarely read the full app description. They scroll through the screenshots, so your visual assets need to communicate your app’s value instantly. Create localized screenshots with translated captions. Show the app being used in a way that reflects the local culture. For a fitness app, instead of showing someone jogging in Gramercy Park, show them in a setting recognizable to users in the respective region. It’s more relatable. These visual cues build trust and can have a direct impact on the decision to download, so don’t underestimate them.
A Pragmatic In-App Localization Strategy
After optimizing your app store listing, the next phase is the in-app experience. A pragmatic approach makes this task manageable for even a small team.
Start with a Localization MVP
You don’t need to localize every screen and feature at once. Create a localized minimum viable product by focusing on the most critical user flows. The essential parts to localize first are the onboarding experience, the core features of your app, and any in-app purchase screens. A successful MVP of your localized app lets a new user sign up, understand the value, and pay you.
It’s More Than Words: UI, Dates, and Numbers
Technical localization is also critical. Your user interface has to be flexible enough to handle text that may be longer or shorter than the original English. You’ll also need to adapt how your app displays dates, times, currencies, and units of measurement. An American user expects prices in dollars and dates written backwards in a MM/DD/YYYY format. A French user expects euros and DD/MM/YYYY. Getting these details right is hypercritical, as it directly impacts revenue. In fact, one study found that localizing an iPhone app can increase revenue by 26% per country.
For a more detailed look at the localization process for both Android and iOS app platforms, the team at App Radar has a good overview:
Choosing Your Battles: A Simple Approach to Market Research
If you’re a solo developer or have just a tiny team, don’t attempt to localize for the entire world at once. Use a data-driven approach to select your first market:
- Examine your existing data. Where are your few organic international downloads coming from? Your current analytics are your first clue to discovering a receptive market.
- Analyze competitors. Look at similar, successful apps in your category. See where they are getting their downloads worldwide. Their success provides a roadmap.
- Consider language complexity. For your first localization process, you might choose a market where the language or culture is closer to your own. A successful first project builds momentum and provides valuable lessons for tackling more complex regions later on down the road.
Localization Is Your App’s Growth Engine to Get More App Downloads
Executing a smart app localization strategy is the most reliable way to fuel your app growth and increase app downloads. It requires a commitment to understanding your users on a deeper level.
- Start with your App Store and Google Play listings for the fastest impact.
- Localize the in-app experience pragmatically. For more complex apps, focus first on a core MVP.
- Use data to pick your first new market wisely.
You worked hard to find product-market fit in your home country. Localization is the process of finding product-market fit again in every new market you enter. It’s the engine that turns a local success story into a global one.
