Google India's Play Store ads irks startup entrepreneurs, Android app developers 

NEW DELHI: Google India's introduction of ads inside the Play Store, its mobile app aggregation platform, has irked startup entrepreneurs and Android app developers alike who lament that now anyone with cash can now pay their way to the top in the Android app store, which was till now neutral to use. 

Startup entrepreneurs say they will have to shell out extra money for displaying ads on the Play Store to protect trademarks besides already sharing app download revenues with Google.  "I will now have to shell out double the money. We were already paying Google about 30% of money made through app downloads or transactions," said Saurabh Aggarwal, CEO of Sequioa Capital-funded Octro. "Now I will have to shell out dollars to buy my own company's keyword to make sure that I remain on top of the app store when a customer types my app's name," he added. 

Google introduced the new mobile ad search policy 40 days ago globally and it is being slowly rolled out in various markets. In India, the ads on Google Play Store emerged last month in various categories. "The move goes against the neutrality of the Google app store because other apps which do not have the budget but are good apps will show lower than the apps that have advertised. Apps with good functionality but small budget may miss out on potential users," says Alan DSouza, CEO, Vavia Technologies

Google India claims that its new policy is aimed to discover apps with search ads. "Our focus has always been to provide a level playing field where everyone has a chance to be successful. Previously, apps got visibility when they ranked high in the app store, and developers didn't have much control over how their app was surfaced in search. These ads benefit smaller players because our ads auctions takes relevancy into account," said a Google India spokesperson. 

Source : Economic Times - India