How to localize your app store descriptions

Localizing "just" your app is not enough to get it out to your target audience. The popular app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store, etc.) allow localizing the product page information to find clients worldwide. How does this work? Let's take a look at the App Store. If your app has English as the primary language - the English metadata will be displayed across different App Store regions.

If you add one more language, like Spanish, the users with Spanish language preferences and users from the regions where the App Store supports Spanish will see the localized information. Translating primary information allows users to find your app faster and get the information in the native language. As a result, app developers get more profit in parallel with the number of downloads growing. For now, the most popular App Stores support a variety of languages:

• App Store - 175 regions and 40 languages
• Google Play - 44 languages
• Amazon App Store - 7 languages

What is it, ASO?

ASO or App Store Optimization is the list of activities to raise the visibility of the application for relevant user requests. This process is similar to SEO, with the main difference being that SEO is targeted on the search engines (Google and Bing) while ASO is on the app platforms. Also, ASO has fewer tools for promotion - semantic, text content, and visual. Precisely localization supports the matching of these three criteria for successful app optimization.

How to choose the languages for app localization?

Of course, the best option would be to translate the product description to all app store's available languages and get as much audience as possible. But it will take much more money and time than a rational approach because the app product page - is not only about the content but also updating about releases and bug fixing, replying to the comments, etc. The more languages you have - the more everyday activities should be done. To start the app store localization:

1. Define your application's key regions - who are your users, the audience portrait, etc.
2. Consider if your product fits the cultural requirements of your targeted location.
3. Consider the overall interest in mobile applications in the region.

Based on the Statista 2022 report, the following countries have the biggest app downloads.

How to localize your app store product page with Lingohub?

Step 1: Internationalize your app
Internationalization (i18n) is the process of preparing your product for localization. The main internationalization task is separating content that should be localized from the code. During i18n, the development team prepares language resource files for further translation. When using Lingohub, clients can synchronize these files with the system (manually or via smooth integrations with popular repositories and applications). Avoid using the hard code in your application. All the hardcoded data should also be added to the separate language resource files.

Step 2: Include description content in the resource file
The app store description is not part of your application code, and here is a trick. Add the product description in the resource file anyway, as well as a title and keywords. To change the title or not is a decision dictated by region requirement - does your naming sound good in another language, or are there any wrong associations with it?

Note: do not forget about images. All the screenshots, and promo banners, should also be localized. We overviewed this question in our article about "App stores optimization."

For the fast and appropriate translation of visual content (interfaces, landings, etc.) Lingohub provides the Figma plugin - push and pull the texts between Figma and Lingohub for fast text fitting and keeping design quality.

Step 3: Receive translated content
Now that all your texts are up in Lingohub and translators or teammates are working on them, your description text will also be translated. Once 100% translated, export your resource file(s) or push them back to GitHub (or another repository you use), and you are ready to deploy. Just one step missing...

Step 4: Enter multilingual descriptions in the app store
How to do this varies from store to store (in the Apple store, there is an "add localization" button). Now that you have the description texts in several languages go to the input form of your app store, where you already included the description in your primary language. Copy and paste your multilingual content there. There is no simple way to automate this, as each store has a different procedure.

Remember to repeat this process when you make changes. We recommend leaving the description texts in your resource file for Lingohub collaborators (such as translators) to be notified about changes in the original text immediately. Keep track of changes! This method ensures that your description is always up to date in all languages.

Localize mobile applications easier than ever

This article taught you how to localize the app description in the stores. But do not miss other great opportunities Lingohub provides for mobile app localization, namely:

• iOS and Android SDK with OTA to save time,
• iOS and Android conversion for multi-mobile development,
• Public REST API for integration of Lingohub in any of your development processes,
• etc.

Want to get more information? Book a quick demo call to learn more about Lingohub TMS, or try it yourself with a 14-day free trial (no credit card required.) Let's grow together!

Related links:

Apple: iTunes Connect developer guide, internationalization page
Google: Upload applications to Play, supporting different languages
Microsoft: Publishing an app in the Windows store, App submission checklist.