6 Ways to Improve App Store Ratings

App Store ratings and reviews play a huge role in how successful your app is. It’s important because, as social beings, app store users will more readily download and use an app if it has a good rating and  positive reviews. One of the strongest triggers to get someone to take an action is a social proof, so making use of user testimonials, ratings, and reviews is critical to app store rating improvement and rating maintenance. Below we have outlined 6 methods on how to improve app store ratings.

1. Creating a Quality App

First and foremost, having a quality app from its inception is another critical element to app store ratings, or at a minimum, improving on quality with each release. After all, the features and functionality of your app is the primary determining factor in whether users are happy with it. If your app meets the needs (and preferences) of users, then you can be certain that they will leave you high ratings and positive reviews. One of the best ways to ensure a quality app experience is through Kobiton mobile device testing.

2. Ease of Contact

It’s also important that you give your users the means to contact you. You should encourage them to reach out when they experience a glitch or problem with your app, which can save you from negative ratings. Instead of having users express their dissatisfaction with your app, give them the chance to reach out to you first for a solution. Your contact details should be easily found by a user.

3. Responding to Feedback

You should respond to user feedback. After all, users love to know when they’re being heard and acknowledged. It’s not just the simple task of receiving feedback, you need to leave a response – whether the user feedback is positive or negative. Simply offer acknowledgement and thanks for positive reviews, which goes a long way. For negative feedback, take the time to assure the user that you’re always interested in receiving feedback and that you are looking into whatever their issue might be and working to constantly improve your app.

4. Ratings Reset

One of the most important things to consider (and know!) in regards to app store ratings is that, as the app admin, you can reset app ratings. The Apple App Store gives you this option when you release a new app version. Knowing when to refresh your ratings can be critical to app store rating improvement as it allows your ratings to only reflect the latest version of the app. But you need to know when and where to use this, because lack of ratings can also be a negative signal to users.

5. Do Not Purchase Reviews

You also do not want to buy reviews. The biggest reason why you shouldn’t do this, is because it’s considered a blackhat app store optimization (ASO) strategy. Though many would think this method would be beneficial to app store rating improvement, it can be a major hindrance to improving your overall app store ratings. When you buy reviews, you take a huge risk in the potential of being heavily penalized by the App Store and its crawlers.

6. Timing

You can still ask for ratings, though. When asking for ratings and reviews, you need to make sure that your timing is on-point. Never ask for reviews, for example, when a user is in the middle of a game or actively using your app. Rather, ask for a rating and review when they’ve completed an action – be it a level or a task. You just need to ensure that doing so doesn’t interrupt their app activities. Proper review request timing is critical in how to improve app store ratings.

Try Kobiton today!

Now, this is where Kobiton app testing services come in. Here at Kobiton, we test your app to ensure that it’s working at optimal performance and that you work out all the obvious, app-killing bugs and problems. Utilizing an app testing service makes a huge difference in the success and viability of your app. Visit Kobiton online today for more information.