[This documentation is preliminary and is subject to change.]

Your app's name and description play an important role in how customers find and perceive your app in the Windows Store.

To reserve a name for your app, select Submit an app from your Dashboard to open a new release summary page and click Name.

Naming your app

Your app's name is the first thing your customers see when they find your app in the Windows Store. When you're planning and designing your app, pick a name that will capture your customers' eye and draw them in to read more about your app.

How customers see your app

Note  The space to display your app's name is limited in most cases, so think of as short of a name as you can. In most places the name is displayed, the end of a long name won't be visible to customers. If you add differentiating info to the end of the name, your customers might miss it, meaning all your variations could appear to have the same name. If this is unavoidable, consider using different artwork for your App images to make it easier to differentiate one variation or version of your app from another. Review Where your app's name will appear for more info about how app names are displayed to customers.

Be creative!

Be creative and think of a few different names and variations to be ready if someone else is already using one of the names you picked.

Note  When the store is open for app submissions, you will be able to reserve a name for your app. After you reserve a name, you'll have 12 months to submit the app. After 12 months, the reservation expires and another developer can use that name for their app.

Why you might not be able to reserve the name that you want

You might find that you can't reserve a name for a new app, even though you don't see any apps listed by that name in the Windows Store. If so, the most likely explanation is that another developer has reserved the name, but not submitted the corresponding app yet. Names can be reserved for up to 12 months before they appear in the Windows Store.

Don't use names trademarked by others

Make sure to select a name for your app that belongs to you. If you use a name that doesn't belong to you, the owner of that name could have your app removed from the store. If that happens, you would need to change the name of your app and all instances of the name throughout your app and its content before you can submit your app for certification again.

Note  Make sure your app name doesn't include the word metro. Apps with a name that includes the word metro will fail certification and won't be listed in the Windows Store.

If you see another app in the Windows Store that uses a name for which you hold the trademark or other legal right, contact Microsoft.

Where your app's name appears

When naming your app, consider the different places that your app's name will appear.

App names

Where and how the name is defined in your app determines where your app's name is shown to customers. The table shows how these two aspects of your app's name relate.

Note  The number of "W" characters listed in the table indicates how many times the widest character ("W" in Latin character sets) would fit in the element if this was the only character used. This represents the minimum number of characters that will be displayed. The actual number of displayed characters depends on the characters and spaces in your name. For example, in the Segoe UI font that Windows uses, about 30 "I" characters fit in the same space as 10 "W" characters. Because of this variation, be sure to verify how your name appears in each place before you submit your app.

Note  East-Asian characters tend to be wider than Latin characters, so fewer characters will be displayed.

App tile tooltips

Windows displays tooltips when you hover over an app with a name that is too long to fit on the tile:

If your app name doesn't fit on the tile, you can assign a short name for your app in the ShortName attribute of the Package/Applications/ Application/VisualElements/DefaultTile element. Here's how the tool tip displays the DisplayName value while the ShortName is displayed in the app tile.

Other names in your app

When you submit your app to the Windows Store, the Package/Properties/DisplayName value must match a name that you reserved for your app in the Dashboard.

The name values described in the table are displayed to the customer. Before you can submit your app to the Windows Store, your app must also define the Name attribute of the Package/Identity element in the app manifest. That attribute must be the package identity name that the Windows Store created for your app. Windows uses this value to identify your app, but doesn't display it to customers. Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 RC for Windows 8 fills in that attribute when it creates your app's package for the Windows Store.

For more info on other values required to be in the app manifest, see Package details.

For more info on using Visual Studio Express 2012 RC for Windows 8 to create your app's package, see Preparing your app for the Windows Store.

Describing your app

A good description makes your app stand out and helps potential customers decide to buy it quickly. Here are some hints to help you write a description that will catch a shopper's eye.

• Review the listing page of a similar app that's already in the store

  Take a look at how other developers describe their app to see how you might improve on their work. Consider the rest of the items in this list with the listing page in mind. You might want to print an app upload checklist to use for notes. For info about how the metadata listed in the app upload checklist corresponds to the app listing page elements, see how customers see your app.

• Give your app a catchy name

  You may already have named your app, but it's never too late to change it if you think of a better name. For more info, see How to change the name of your app.

  The name is the first text your potential customer sees, so these are the most valuable characters of the description. Treat them accordingly.

  Tip  There is a limit to the number of names you can reserve for an app, so browse the Windows Store catalog for names that you are considering before reserving names for your app. (Some names might be reserved for apps that are not in the catalog yet.) Don't pick a name that might be confused for a competing app. You don't want to send your customers to a competitor by mistake!

• Grab attention in the first sentences

  The first words in your description are the most important words on the entire page (after the app name, of course). If those words don't grab and hold a shopper's attention, the rest of the words on the page don't matter, because your potential customer will never get to them.

  Remember, another app is just one click away!

• Use a length that is just right

  A good description reads quickly, but also includes enough info to get the reader interested. So, it's neither too long nor too short; it is just right. "Just right" depends on the app, but is generally more than 200 words and less than 3000. For example, if your app has a lot of features, or is complex, you need more words to describe it. If it's a simple game, you may only need a few.

• Include a short list of your app's best features or characteristics

  Your potential customers will scan the description, looking for features or characteristics of your app that they find interesting. Help them out by providing your app's top 3-7 selling points in a list. Emphasize the features and traits that make your app stand out from the others.

• If your offer a free trial of your app, describe how it works

  Offering your app with a free trial period is a great way to allow customers to try out your app before they buy it. If you offer a free trial of your app, be sure to explain how that will appear to your customers so they aren't surprised by your app's behavior.

  For more info about offering a free trial of your app, see How to create a trial version of your app.

• Don't forget to check the spelling and grammar

  Ask a copy editor (or simply a friend who can write well) to review your description. Nothing says "this app is unfinished or unpolished" like a description that lacks proper punctuation, spelling, and grammar. You want the text itself to reflect the quality of your app!

• Write using exciting and snappy language

  At the very least, avoid dry language. Your app is great! Your game is fun! Your utility may do something dull, like play elevator music, but someone wants it. So sell it with lively, exciting language. Use adjectives and address the customer directly. For example, instead of saying "This app features 12 elevator music tracks", say "You'll thrill to 12 of the latest tunes rocking elevators everywhere!"

• Include clear and compelling screenshots of your app and its most important features

  Show your app doing what it does best, and in situations that reflect the way people use it. Don't use confusing images, or screenshots taken under less-than-ideal circumstances. (No one wants to see your progress bar, or your save screen.) Use images to communicate the flow of your app's user interface, and the main screens or elements that the user will see.

  For games, this is especially important. Get screenshots that are exciting without being too noisy, and that hint at the story or mechanics in a way that builds interest. Show off your great art assets and special effects, but not at the expense of communicating the feel of the game. (That screen-filling explosion may show some fine programming, but it doesn't make a compelling screenshot.)

  The Windows Store editorial team often features apps in promotional areas of the Windows Store. Make it easier for them to promote your app by including promotional images that will show off your app.

Build date: 5/31/2012