What are Google Play Custom Store Listings: A Comprehensive Guide

What are the practical benefits of using Custom Store Listings?

Using Custom Store Listings allows you to tailor the content of the app page (Store listing) for different audiences:

• to highlight the most relevant features for different segments of app and game users;
• to showcase specific features for different countries, taking regional differences into account;
• to display alternative versions of the page for users coming from Google Ads or social media campaigns;
• to engage users at the stage of product testing;
• to re-engage inactive users and those who have deleted the app;
• to customize alternative page variants for different groups of search terms.

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Targeting different audiences helps boost the store listing conversion rate.

‍Store listing conversion rate is the percentage of users who installed the app after visiting the page. 

‍Custom Store Listings helps increase the number of search terms for which the app is ranked, as each page is indexed separately.

Why do you need Custom Store Listings if you can just translate the page?

Custom pages allow for more precise consideration of regional differences:

1. Users in different countries may have the same language settings on their devices. For example, people in Latin America may use the Latin American version of Spanish, those in Arab countries typically use standard Arabic, and users in the UK or US often have the English version set, regardless of location. However, the cultural context and specific needs of audiences in these regions can vary significantly.
2. The content and functionality of an app may vary from country to country, even with the same language settings. Therefore, it’s important to highlight features that are truly relevant to each specific region.

‍A detailed guide to localizing text metadata for the App Store and the impact of cultural and national differences.

What Custom Store Listing elements can be customized

You can create up to 50 custom pages at a time. You can add more pages for each one:

• A separate application name (App name)
• An icon (App icon)
• Descriptions (Short description and Full description)
• Graphical elements (screenshots, videos, feature graphics)

Contact details, privacy policy, category remain unchanged for all variants of the app listing page.

What are the available options for customizing the Custom Store Listing audience? 

There are several options available for customizing the audience targeted by a Custom Store Listing.

Targeting the selected country

You can assign one page to multiple countries, but each country can only have one Custom Store Listing page.

In the audience settings, select Country/region or user state, and check the required countries in the checkbox:

Targeting by user state

In the audience settings, select Country/region or user state and one of the two possible user states:

• Lapsed and churned – the page will be displayed to users who have not used the app in the last 28 days or to users who have deleted the app;
• Pre-registration – the page will be displayed in countries and regions where the app is in the pre-registration state. Pre-registration occurs when the application has not yet been released, meaning it cannot be found or installed from the store.

In countries where the application is in release or undergoing closed or open testing, the page will not be displayed.

Targeting by keywords

The page will be displayed to the users who search for the app using certain search terms. 

To make the right adjustments, analyze the needs of user segments that use different search terms and adapt both text and graphical metadata to meet their expectations:

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In the audience settings, select Search keywords, add your own keywords, or use the ones suggested by Google Play. 

Focus on the terms that drive traffic and ensure high conversion rates: 

Targeting users coming from Google Ads campaigns

In the Audience settings, select a Google Ads campaign and enter the campaign group IDs separated by commas:

Targeting by URL

Direct users to an alternative store page using a unique URL in social media campaigns, email campaigns, and online publications.

In the audience settings, select the URL option and generate a URL. Enter a name for the parameter that describes the features of the page or the audience for which it is customized. The generated URL will look like this: 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=[packageName]&listing=[parameter]

How to evaluate the effectiveness of a Custom Store Listing

Before analyzing performance, allow CSL enough time to collect data. Conversion rates calculated based on a small number of views and installs may be inaccurate.

The basic metrics of the page are the number of visits (Store listing visitors) and conversion rate. They are available in the Custom store listings section of the Store presence section of → Store listings. 

Compare the conversion rate of the Custom Store Listing with that of the main page. A higher conversion rate of a custom page indicates its effectiveness:

For a deeper analysis, go to the Store performance section → Store listing conversion analysis. Customize the display by page variant (View by: Store listing) by selecting both the main page and Custom Store Listing. 

If necessary, filter the data by country, traffic source, or specific search terms: 

Compare the values and dynamics of the number of visits, installs, and conversion rates of your main and custom pages:

How to create and configure a CSL in the Google Play Console

Before creating a custom page, read Google Play's guide to creating a Custom Store Listings, as well as the guide to setting up metadata.

The process consists of several steps:

1. Go to the Grow users section →  Store listing, create a CSL:

2. Choose one of the available options for creating a page:

• Create a page in the group;
• page duplication;
• create a new page:

A page created within a group will inherit the default graphical and textual metadata of that group. Updating the metadata in the group will automatically update the metadata for each page within the group. By default, only the main page group (Default Store Listing Group) is available.

To create a new group, go to Grow users →  Store listings →  Create group and configure group metadata:

A duplicate of an existing page inherits its metadata, which you can then change.

3. Fill in the Listing details section by specifying the name of the page that will not be displayed to the user and the target audience:

Select the percentage of the audience to whom the page will be displayed, ranging from 10% to 100%:

Important: after the page is published, this percentage cannot be reduced.

Specify the duration for which the page is displayed in the store. Set the start and end dates (Run for a limited time) or choose to display indefinitely (Run indefinitely - no end date):

4. In the Listing assets section, fill in the App name, short description, and full description for each of the target locales:

You can change the default language or add new locales in the Manage translations menu by selecting Change default language or Select languages, respectively:

Unlike the main page (Default store listing), automatic translation is not available for Custom Store Listings. Therefore, translations for all languages of the target audience need to be added manually.

Text metadata for different variants of the English language can be generated using artificial intelligence. To do this, click Generate suggested descriptions using Gemini above the Short description field, enter a topic, and select Generate:

Google's Gemini AI will prepare two variants of text metadata based on the main page, theme, and target audience settings. 

To get new options, click Regenerate, or Insert draft to add the selected option to the metadata:

5. In the Graphics section, upload an icon, screenshots for different devices, videos, and Feature graphic. Graphic metadata should comply with Google's general graphics guidelines:

The video (Preview video) must be uploaded to YouTube with the status set to "Public domain" and without age restrictions. Monetization must be disabled:

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6. Click Save to save the settings:

7. If necessary, adjust the priority of the pages. Under Store presence → Store listings → Custom store listings, select Reorder priority. Move the page with the highest priority to be displayed to the top:

8. Submit the page for review, and after approval, publish the changes by selecting the appropriate section in the Publishing overview section:

9. After publishing, check how the customized pages appear on different device.

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Best practices for creating effective CSLs

To make Custom Store Listings work for you, follow these tips to increase their relevance to different audience segments and improve conversion rates.

1. Identify the segments of your target audience for whom the content on the default page is least relevant. Creating dedicated pages for these users can lead to the greatest increase in traffic and conversions. For example, a separate page for users arriving through branded search terms allows you to highlight functionality that aligns better with their level of awareness.
2. Create separate pages for countries where the population shares the same language. For example, while many users worldwide use English, their expectations and the app's functionality may vary by country. The content of each page should reflect these regional differences.
3. Create pages for groups of countries that share a common language and have the same app functionality. For instance, a dedicated page for Chile and Argentina may be appropriate if the app's features in these countries differ from those in the rest of Latin America.

Custom Store Listings are not automatically translated. For pages targeted at countries with different languages, you need to add a translation for each language manually.

4. Avoid overlapping audiences between different Custom Store Listings (CSLs) to ensure users are shown the most relevant content. For instance, one page might target a specific country, while another targets popular search terms within that same country. To display the correct version, set clear priorities for page display.
5. Regularly perform A/B testing on creatives and descriptions. An iterative approach is essential for achieving high conversion rates and maximizing traffic.

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