The India storefront is its own search engine. People search in English, Hindi and Hinglish, mostly on Android, mostly on budget phones, and they judge price in rupees. An app listed for India with the same words it uses in the US is leaving most of its searches on the table.
- Definition
- Hinglish: Hindi written in the Latin alphabet, often mixed with English words. "Paisa kamane wala app" (an app for earning money) is a real, high-volume search on Google Play India.
How people search in India
- Short. One or two words. "scanner", "recharge", "typing".
- In three languages at once. English ("budget app"), Hinglish ("kharcha app") and Hindi script ("बजट ऐप"). The store treats each as a different search.
- Job-first. "…wala app" (the app that does X) is a pattern on its own: "video banane wala app", "photo sajane wala app".
- Brand-heavy for the big names, and almost nobody searches a small app's brand. Your job words carry you.
Type your seed words into the Play Store with the country set to India and read the suggestions. Then type the Hinglish version. The suggestions are the demand list; keyword research covers the method.
Where to put Indian keywords
Placing English, Hinglish and Hindi terms
- Name
- App Store: English job words; Hinglish only if it reads naturally
- Google Play: English job words; a Hinglish word if it is the top search
- Second line
- App Store: Subtitle: 30 chars, English jobs
- Google Play: Short description: 80 chars, one English sentence with a Hinglish phrase
- Hinglish phrases
- App Store: Keyword field (counts across words)
- Google Play: Full description, in natural sentences
- Hindi script
- App Store: Separate Hindi localisation of the listing
- Google Play: Separate Hindi (hi-IN) store listing
| App Store | Google Play | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | English job words; Hinglish only if it reads naturally | English job words; a Hinglish word if it is the top search |
| Second line | Subtitle: 30 chars, English jobs | Short description: 80 chars, one English sentence with a Hinglish phrase |
| Hinglish phrases | Keyword field (counts across words) | Full description, in natural sentences |
| Hindi script | Separate Hindi localisation of the listing | Separate Hindi (hi-IN) store listing |
Six changes for the India listing
- 1
Put the top Hinglish search in the Play description's first paragraph
"Paise kamane wala app" in a real sentence, once or twice. Not a list. - 2
Add a Hindi (hi-IN) listing on Google Play
Translate meaning, not words. Ask a Hindi speaker to write the short description fresh. Use Hindi captions on the first three screenshots. - 3
Show ₹ in the screenshots
A price in dollars reads as foreign and expensive. Show ₹199, show UPI, show the plan in rupees. - 4
Use a mid-range Android frame
Most Indian users are on Android. An iPhone frame on the Play listing signals the app was not made for them. - 5
Mention offline and low data if true
"Works offline" and "light app" are real searches and real reasons to install. - 6
Reply to reviews in the language they were written
A Hindi review gets a Hindi reply. It reads as respect, and the reviewer can edit the rating.
Pricing that reads right in rupees
Google Play shows the price of a paid app in search results, in the local currency. On both stores, a monthly plan is judged against what people already pay: a mobile recharge, an OTT subscription.
Free, with a plan inside
Works when: Most consumer apps
Watch out: The free part must be useful on its own, or ratings suffer
Paid up front
Works when: Tools with a clear job, e.g. a scanner
Watch out: The first screenshot must prove the value; show the ₹ price there
Monthly plan
Works when: Apps used weekly
Watch out: Price it against a recharge, not against US pricing
One-time unlock
Works when: Utilities
Watch out: Say "one-time" in the screenshot; people assume monthly
| Model | Works when | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Free, with a plan inside | Most consumer apps | The free part must be useful on its own, or ratings suffer |
| Paid up front | Tools with a clear job, e.g. a scanner | The first screenshot must prove the value; show the ₹ price there |
| Monthly plan | Apps used weekly | Price it against a recharge, not against US pricing |
| One-time unlock | Utilities | Say "one-time" in the screenshot; people assume monthly |
Ten Indian examples
Real names of Indian apps whose listings show the pattern. Search each one in the Play Store and read the first line under the name.
- Kaagaz Scanner: brand plus the job, in English, with Hindi listing.
- Zerodha Kite: brand-first because the brand is searched; job words in the second line.
- Koo, ShareChat, Moj: regional-language names and Hindi listings.
- Khatabook, OkCredit: a Hinglish job ("khata", the ledger) inside the brand itself.
- Navi, Groww, CRED: short brands with long, search-rich descriptions.
The pattern: brand first, job second, Hinglish in the description, Hindi as its own listing, and rupees in the pictures. Check your own India listing against this with the free audit above; it audits the India storefront by default for Indian visitors.
Sources
Questions people ask
Should my app listing be in Hindi?
Add a Hindi listing on Google Play if your app works in Hindi. Keep English as the default. Many Indian users search in Hinglish, so include those phrases in the English listing too.
Do Indian users search differently?
Yes. Searches are shorter, often a single English word or a Hinglish phrase like 'paisa kamane wala app'. Brand searches are common for big apps; job searches are common for everything else.
Does price matter in India search results?
Google Play shows the price in search results for paid apps, in rupees. Free with a clear in-app plan usually wins installs; a paid app needs the value in the first screenshot.