Skip to main content
ASO

How to Find a Competitors Google Play Short Description

Why Google Play Short Descriptions Matter for ASO

Did you know that Google Play’s short description (the 80-character snippet under your app name) plays a critical role in ASO?

In this video, I’m going to show you a cool Chrome extension which I have been using a lot for ASO on Google Play. It allows you to see, through Chrome, any app’s short description. As you may know, in Google Chrome ranking, the app name made up of 50 characters, the short description which consists of 80 characters and then the long description which has 4,000 characters all play a part in your ranking. Having keywords in different sections will boost your rankings. You can also use this tool to figure out what your competitors are using in their short descriptions.

If I am aiming for a keyword, I tend to repeat them a lot in all sections: in the app name, in the short description and typically in the first line in the long description.

The Chrome extension that I have been talking about is ASO – Google Play Short Description.

Without the extension, you can look up your competitor’s short description by:

  • Right click on the page, click View Page Source.
  • Click Find > type Main-Title
  • It will highlight an area for you and you will see the short description in this line.

Once you install the extension, you will see that there is an added section showing the app’s short description compared to the version where the extension is turned off.  Upon doing ASO, look up competitor pages and study their app name, their short description and their long description.

Links:

The Power of Google Play Short Descriptions

Google Play’s algorithm weighs keywords in this order:

  1. App Name (50 characters) – Highest ranking impact

  2. Short Description (80 characters) – Strong influence

  3. Long Description (4,000 characters) – Supports rankings

Pro Tip: Repeating high-priority keywords in all three sections can boost visibility.

Real-World Example:

Steve’s team helped a client jump from #3 to #1 for a competitive keyword by adding it to their short description.

How to Spy on Competitor Short Descriptions (Without an Android Device)

The Old Way (Manual Hack)

  1. Right-click on a Google Play app page → “View Page Source”

  2. Search for meta name="description" → Extract the short description

The Easy Way (Chrome Extension Hack)

  1. Install the “ASO Google Play Short Description” Chrome extension (linked here)

  2. Visit any Google Play app page → See the short description instantly

Example:

  • Without extension: Only the long description is visible.

  • With extension: The 80-character short description appears clearly.

3 Actionable ASO Tips for Indie Developers

✅ Test Keyword Placement – Does adding a keyword only in the short description improve rankings?
✅ Analyze Competitors – What keywords are rivals using? Can you out-optimize them?
✅ Update Regularly – Refresh short descriptions with seasonal keywords (e.g., “Halloween sale”).

Want More ASO Secrets? Join App Masters Academy

Steve’s team is running exclusive ASO tests on Google Play, including:

  • Which ASO tools give the most accurate data?

  • Case studies on keyword ranking boosts

  • Black-hat vs. white-hat ASO strategies

For $25/month, get access to:

  • The Complete ASO Masters Course

  • New Google Play optimization tactics

  • Live Q&A sessions

👉 Join now at AppMastersAcademy.com

Leave a Reply