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TL;DR
Indie dev Fatima hit 7M+ installs on a single Android app by stacking aggressive Google Play ASO (custom store listings, localized screenshots, developer-page keywords) with patient low-CPI Google Ads. The headline tactic: localize listings by language AND geo, then run cheap install campaigns and let them rest 7-10 days to hit sub-5-pence CPIs. This source belongs to the app-masters-youtube batch.
Biggest lessons
- Localize by host language + geo, not just country. Use the
HL(interface language) andGL(location) URL parameters to find keywords and serve, e.g., Arabic screenshots to Arabic-speaking users in the US — this drove a 68% conversion rate. - Custom store listings are the secret weapon on Google Play. Up to 50 per app; target by search keyword/country and match the screenshot imagery to the keyword. One client went from a few hundred to $5-6K/month this way.
- Run low-budget Google Ads to kickstart, then let campaigns rest. Start ~$50/day (35 GBP), set a low CPI target, and wait 7-10 days for Google’s algorithm to hit it — more installs drives CPI down further. Never scale budget more than 50% at once.
- Ad creative is all-or-nothing. Upload images/video at 100% strength or go text-only and let Google’s AI fill the rest — “average” creative underperforms both.
- Put keywords everywhere, including the developer-page cover image. Re-find niche keywords every 1-2 months; the more keywords you index for, the better.
- Build and validate apps fast with AI (Cursor). Bookland was built in ~2-3 weeks; ship to test the idea, then scale apps that hit KPIs and exit them.
Why it matters
- A concrete, numbers-backed playbook for Google Play ASO — the under-documented sibling of App Store optimization in this wiki.
- Reinforces the batch-wide theme: get installs cheaply first, let organic ASO bring quality users, monetize via AdMob or subs.