TL;DR
Localizing widens your download pool beyond your home country. Reuse your screenshots, but translate the title, keywords, and description for each store region.
By default your listing reaches your home region, which is fine to start but leaves a huge audience on the table. Apple's App Store spans dozens of storefronts and Google Play reaches over two billion Android devices worldwide. Localizing the right regions opens your app to people searching in their own language.
What to change when you localize
- 1Reuse your screenshot layouts, they carry across regions.
- 2Translate the captions on those screenshots per language.
- 3Rewrite the title and subtitle with local keywords, not literal translations.
- 4Localize the keyword field with the terms people actually search there.
- 5Translate the description so it reads naturally, not machine-stiff.
The screenshots carry over, but the words do not. People in each region search in their own terms, so a literal translation of your keywords often misses what they actually type. Get the keyword field right for each language rather than pasting a machine translation and hoping.
Avoid stiff machine translations
The real risk of localizing is shipping awkward, machine-translated copy that reads as untrustworthy to a native speaker. A stiff description hurts conversion more than staying English-only would. Get a fluent speaker to check the title and description before you publish that storefront.
Localize keywords with intent. The word people search in one country is not always the direct translation of your English term. Research the local terms the way you did at home, in that language, rather than assuming a dictionary swap covers it.
Common questions
Why localize my listing at all?
Your default listing reaches only your home region, leaving a global audience untapped. Apple's App Store spans dozens of storefronts and Google Play reaches over two billion Android devices, so localizing the right regions opens real download volume.
Can I reuse my screenshots across regions?
Yes, the layouts carry across. What you need to translate are the captions on them, plus the title, keywords, and description, since people in each region search and read in their own language.
Should I just machine-translate everything?
Not blindly. Machine translations often read stiff to native speakers and can miss the terms people actually search. Use them as a draft, then have a fluent speaker check the title and description before you publish that storefront.
Which regions should I localize first?
The storefronts where your app shows real demand, one or two at a time. Start with a language that has clear interest, get the translation right, and expand as downloads justify the effort rather than doing all at once.
Do I translate keywords literally?
No. People in each region search in their own terms, which are not always the direct translation of your English keyword. Research the local search terms in that language rather than assuming a dictionary swap covers it.
How do I handle localized screenshots?
Keep the same layouts and translate the captions per language. Fluent, natural captions in the local language convert far better than English text or a stiff machine translation on an otherwise good screenshot set.
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