There are over 2 million apps for users to choose from, with many sharing features or executing the same task. Competition for new users and downloads has never been harder. So how do you stand out?

Editors choice is one of the tags used by the Google Play store to highlight a featured app, alongside ‘Top Developer’, ‘Top Charts’ and ‘Staff Picks’. By achieving this position you can take an app to the next level.

Here’s how you get there.

What does Editors’ Choice mean on Google Play?

Editors’ Choice is a format used by the Google Play Store to demonstrate the apps which show the best innovation, creativity, and design on Android.

The section features app and game reviews curated by the Play Store’s editorial team. Here, you’ll find a number of lists split by apps and games, for a range of topics such as travel, sport, work and play.

In addition to this, you can read all these features in a web browser, where each featured app is deep-linked to the Play Store in-app download page.

What are the key benefits of becoming an Editors’ Choice App?

First and foremost, getting featured as part of an Editors’ Choice list will see a massively positive impact on your conversions. The Play Store is a busy place, with lots of apps fighting for the same users. Being featured in this way is an effective way to increase your app’s visibility.

Not only that, it’s great for those seeking to attract niche users. Getting featured in one of the Editors’ Choice lists can help find and convert users which will have genuine interest and need for your product.

Consequently, getting these niche users ‘on-board’ will result in a more loyal user base, which will be much more engaged and easier to retain. In addition to this, by committing to an Editors’ Choice strategy, you will see acquisition costs and increased revenue as your app downloads increase.

To put it simply, getting featured as an Editors’ Choice will:

• Improve conversion rate
• Increase visibility
• Attract a loyal customer base
• Increase app retention
• Increase engagement rates
• Lower acquisition costs
• Increase revenue

How do I get my app on Editors’ Choice?

Those who get an Editors’ Choice badge, or end up on one of the Editors’ choice lists, need to make sure their app is doing the following:

1. Ensure your app supports high resolution

A great place to start is to make sure your app supports and presents high resolution imagery, with 720p or above being the ideal pixel counts.

Not only is there no point in designing a great looking app without this support, you want your eye-catching visuals to, well, catch the eye.

2. Create a reliable app

An unreliable app with a litany of bugs, errors and crashes will never get featured.

No matter how useful the app, users will quickly become tired of the problems and uninstall. You will also likely be subject to a number of negative reviews.

Editors are looking for apps that are intuitive, fun to use and are free of any bugs that negatively impact the user experience. Editors are also looking at popular, up and coming apps. If your app downloads are slowing and negative reviews are coming in, it is unlikely they will even glance at it.

To combat this make sure you action any bug reports as soon as they are sent through. Some issues may be one-offs but, if you start to see a pattern, fix them as soon as possible.

3. Make it as accessible as possible

To get noticed for Editors’ Choice you’ll need your app’s UX to be up to scratch. Ensure your product provides a painless user experience and is accessible to a wide range of users as possible.

Your app should also be designed with minimal permissions. If your app asks to change things like Wi-Fi settings, read or write information from users' contacts or send and receive SMS messages, it isn’t likely to get featured as an Editors’ Choice.

A great way of picking up on user difficulties is with a strong user review strategy. AppFollow lets you quickly see and reply to your reviews, helping you keep on top of all your users' experiences.

4. Localize your app

As part of the accessibility of the app you should also try to localize it to the different markets you want to operate in. Localizing your app comes with a range of benefits, such as improved user experience and improved customer loyalty.

Not only that, it can increase the discoverability of the app and in turn, get it noticed by the Play Store editors.

5. Build your app to be Android friendly

To get noticed by the Play Store editors, you’re going to need to make it as Android friendly as possible. This will include following the Google Launch Checklist, incorporating default Android buttons and supporting the latest versions of Android.

You should also make it compatible with as many Android device types as possible.

Alongside this, making it a native Android app (at least at first) will also help boost opinion of it. Just make sure you keep the file size under 100mb and you’re good to go.

6. Have a great ASO strategy

You may have already heard of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which helps your webpage improve rank in the search engine results. Similarly, there is also App Store Optimization (ASO), which refers to the process of optimizing your mobile app to rank higher in app stores.

It’s simple, a higher ranked app will get noticed by the Play Store editors much quicker than struggling to get into the top 50.

We have a more in-depth ASO strategy guide to help you through this, but the core elements to be aware of include:

• That you have an appealing App Icon
• That you’re picking and mapping the most valuable keywords
• That you’re optimizing your App Title
• That you’re optimizing your App Description
• That you’re choosing the right Screenshots

You’ll also want to make sure your ASO strategy incorporates effective review management. This is because the better rating and reviews you have, the more trusted your app will be in the eyes of a user.

Beyond this, it will inform the Play Store editors’ that your app will be a popular choice to feature.

7. Use different channels to market your app

You should be using multiple channels to market your app. Don’t be restricted by just using Google Ads. Think about how you can promote your app through social media platforms such as Instagram or Facebook.

Do you have a productivity app? Try LinkedIn.

What about a home improvements app? Try Pinterest.

Both could hold completely untapped markets for your app.

Don’t limit yourself. A multi-channeled paid campaign can help give your app the initial exposure boost to get it seen by the Play Store editors.