Tropicats & yellowHEAD find the purrr-fect localization strategy

The Challenge

Wooga came to yellowHEAD with the aim to improve their app store listing performance for Tropicats. The casual game combines the excitement of a match-3 with the fun of a simulation game as you build the tropical cats’ island.

Wooga wanted to improve Tropicats’ overall store listing, thus boosting conversion and increasing search visibility. Luckily, yellowHEAD has a team of ASO pros.

Using our in-depth analytical reports, we quickly realized that several geos, particularly Russia, Germany & Brazil, had a relatively high number of Store Listing Visitors on Google Play, but a low CVR to installs. Together with Wooga’s marketing managers, our team decided to concentrate on the localization strategy and began running AB tests in these three markets.

Our Approach

Through years of experience, yellowHEAD’s ASO team decided to test out one of the many effective strategies from its ASO arsenal. Following a thorough CRO process, including setup, store listings are modified and updated according to keyword performance to help improve the app’s search visibility. By using the Google Play Developer Console’s Experiments, Tropicats’ app listing’s creative assets go through frequent A/B tests to optimize for maximum conversion.

RU Feature Graphic Test

By carefully analyzing GPDC Search keywords data, the ASO team found one particular Russian keyword had a high conversion rate: три в ряд (translation: Three in a Row).

We combined search and conversion optimization tactics to produce a new Feature Graphic that included the Russian keyword. We began by testing a Feature Graphic with the text “3 in a row” against the then Feature Graphic, which didn’t contain text, to find a 13.5% increase in Retained Installers, and applied the winner.

Going on the same hypothesis, we decided to test the same version with ‘3’ written as a word – “three in a row”, which also showed strong popularity in the search terms. The result was consistent with the numerical version, with no statistically significant winner between the two variants after about a month of testing. Both versions could be concluded a success!

DE Feature Graphic Test

We tried a similar process with the German listing. We were able to identify two ‘worthwhile’ German keywords from the GPDC Search data. Since “kostenlose spiele” (‘free games’) had a relatively high CVR for visitors-to-retained installers (30D), we decided to test it in the Feature Graphic – but with a small variation to make it a CTA – “kostenlos spielen!” (‘play for free’).

Search data from the Google Play Console provides insights that can be applied for graphics optimization (for conversion) as well as keyword targeting (for search visibility).

BR Modifications

Meanwhile, the yellowHEAD team provided modifications for Tropicats’ Brazil store listing in Google Play. We focused on improving the positions for “jogo de combinação” (combination game), “jogo de combinação de frutas” (fruit combination game), and “Match 3.” These keyword changes resulted in an increase in organic search visibility as well as improved organic CVR.

These modifications were applied in the store on 05/28 and 06/21:

Below are the ranking trends broken down week-by-week:

Since the modified listings were applied over two installments in May and then in June, the number of ranked keywords in Brazil had increased by July.

Impact on Organic Conversions:

An increase in conversions can be an indication that the chosen keywords were more relevant to what organic Store Listing Visitors were searching for.