Losing Track of Your Users? Demystify App Store & Google Play Traffic Attribution

Since the launch of the App Store with the first iPhone in 2008 and Google Play in 2012, competition among apps has become increasingly fierce due to the explosive growth of app stores. For instance, in 2022, Google Play had 3.5 million apps, while the App Store had over 1.8 million apps. Both Apple and Google continuously optimize platform reporting data to help developers analyze app data, improve app visibility, conversion rates, and organic traffic in app stores. However, some developers may not understand how to identify the differences between all traffic sources and what each source includes when analyzing traffic in depth.

Next, I will explain all the information about Google Play and App Store traffic sources. Once you understand this, you will have a clearer understanding of traffic acquisition logic and be better prepared to make data-driven decisions in the future.

What Is App Store & Google Play Traffic Attribution?

App store traffic attribution determines where the traffic (users, visitors, potential customers, etc.) comes from. Simply put, it helps you understand where users come from and how they enter the app product page or item details. You can find the answers in the user acquisition reports of the App Store and Google Play.

The traffic sources for both app stores can generally be divided into three dimensions:

  • Search Traffic: Users who find the app using keywords in search results. Traffic can be categorized based on the keywords users search for.
  • Browse Traffic: Users who discover the app while browsing the non-search sections of the store, ultimately clicking on the app through one of the highlighted positions and reaching the app page.
  • External Traffic: Users coming from outside the app store, including social media ads (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), Google App Campaigns, other app advertisements, blogs, specific URLs, etc.
In store trafficAppleGoogle
In Store AdsApp Store searchor App Store browseThird-party referrer
Organic SearchApp Store searchGoogle Play search
Organic BrowseApp Store browseGoogle Play traffic

Google Play Traffic Sources

Google Play divides traffic sources into three categories: Google Play Browse, Google Play Search, and Third-Party Referrals.

Google Play Search Traffic

This category includes the number of users who visit an app’s product page and install the app after searching for keywords on Google Play.

Note: Before November 2022, search traffic also included all traffic from ads in the store’s search results. After November 2022, Google announced that paid traffic sources would no longer be included in the acquisition report for product details. This is a significant improvement as it makes the distinction between search and paid traffic clearer.

What Are the Differences in Traffic Sources Between Google Play and the App Store?

Google Play Browse Traffic

Google defines browse traffic as “unique users who find an app or game from non-search results on Google Play.” This includes users who:

  • Scroll through the apps or games tabs
  • Browse category rankings
  • Download apps from similar app cards on app pages or app store search results

Note: Starting February 20, 2023, Google began attributing “category search” to browse traffic instead of search traffic. Category search refers to specific keywords talking about categories or types of games (e.g., racing games). Google stated that navigational searches would continue to be classified under search traffic. This includes brand-specific terms, such as app names and variations or misspellings of app names.

What Are the Differences in Traffic Sources Between Google Play and the App Store?

Third-party recommendation

Users access product details through “non-organic traffic” and eventually install the app. This traffic primarily comes from outside the Play Store or from ads placed on Google Play. It is worth mentioning that some organic traffic from outside the store, such as SEO traffic, may also be included.

Having covered the classification of traffic sources on Google Play, let’s now look at the differences between the App Store and Google Play in terms of user visits.

What Are the Differences in Traffic Sources Between Google Play and the App Store?

App Store Traffic Sources

The traffic sources for the App Store might look similar in name, but the results are quite different from Google Play’s traffic sources.

App Store traffic sources are divided into the following categories:

App Store Search Traffic

This includes all traffic generated when users tap on the search tab, search for keywords, or click on trending terms to find applications. It is important to note that users can download applications directly from the search results without actually visiting the product page. Apple Ads also appear in the search results, meaning that App Store search traffic includes paid traffic from Apple Search Ads campaigns.

According to Apple, approximately 65% of app downloads come from search, with search ads appearing at the top of the search results. It has been reported that in 2016, when Apple Search Ads were launched, some agencies inadvertently discovered cheat codes that would automatically rank a fixed keyword between 8 and 10 to achieve organic ranking whenever a search ad appeared in the search results. However, with Apple’s continuous updates and upgrades, this is no longer the case today. Nevertheless, what we commonly refer to as ASA (Apple Search Ads) can still work synergistically with ASO (App Store Optimization) to boost traffic.

What Are the Differences in Traffic Sources Between Google Play and the App Store?

App Store Browse Traffic

This includes all traffic from users who view the “Today,” “Games,” or “Apps” sections and eventually download an app from the product page. This can also be considered as organic browsing traffic, but it also includes traffic attributed to in-app events or traffic brought by Apple Ads displayed in the “Today” tab, “Search” tab, and app product pages.

What Are the Differences in Traffic Sources Between Google Play and the App Store?

App Referrer: This refers to traffic from users who click on a link within another application and eventually land on your app’s App Store product page. It also includes all traffic using the StoreKit API to load the product page. Additionally, traffic from links displayed on websites in non-Safari web browsers is included in this category.

Web Referrer: In contrast, if links on a website within the Safari web browser point to the app’s product page, this traffic is categorized as Web Referrer. This also includes traffic from web searches conducted via Safari.

There are also some minor traffic sources with currently low prevalence, such as app clips, organizational purchases, and unavailable traffic.

App Clips: These are lightweight versions of applications that appear outside the App Store and serve as shortcuts to access the app. Users can click on links within an app clip to be directed to the product page to download the full app. This traffic is categorized under “App Clip.”

Organizational Purchases: Downloads generated from Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager are collected under this category.

Unavailable Traffic: Lastly, users who downloaded your app before Apple began tracking different traffic sources in Apple Analytics are classified as unavailable. Apple launched this attribution system on April 15, 2017.

What Are the Differences in Traffic Sources Between Google Play and the App Store?

Attributing traffic sources in the App Store and Google Play can be somewhat confusing, particularly when it comes to external traffic, which includes all traffic originating outside the stores. For instance, in Google Play, all external traffic is categorized as third-party referrals, excluding direct installs. These installs do not require visiting the app page and can be completed with just a single tap. Unfortunately, these installs are not tracked.

External trafficAppleGoogle
Web searchWeb referrerThird-party referrals
Web adsApp referrerThird-party referrals
Web referrer
(another website)
Web referrer (Safari)
or
App referrer (other browser)
Third-party referrals
App referrer
(another app)
App referrerThird-party referrals
Installs without app page visitApp clip traffic,
institutional purchases,
or unavailable
Not tracked

As we understand the distribution of traffic sources, it is essential to analyze these sources carefully. Once this is done, we need to know how to build the perfect app and optimize its product details, which requires time and extensive testing. Below are the most important factors for starting your app journey:

  1. Choose the best category for your app. Analyze the specific category your app fits into and consider the categories chosen by your competitors.
  2. Test the visual effects and metadata of the app’s product page by monitoring potential competitors. This helps you better understand which keywords are interesting to target in your app’s metadata.
  3. Consider a soft launch in smaller markets that share similar languages and cultures with your target market.
  4. Run pre-registration campaigns or make your app available for pre-order in the app store to generate buzz and hype before the official launch.
  5. Offer in-app rewards or incentives to encourage users to pre-order/register, thereby increasing app downloads and conversion rates.

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