Ever liked an ad for a game but gave up downloading it because of its poor app store reviews?
This happens a lot, and it’s completely natural.
App store reviews and ratings have always been important for mobile app success, but today, they’ve reached a whole new level of importance.
Nowadays, app users are surrounded by misleading ads, paid influencer recommendations, and similar not-so-honest advertising tactics. Due to this, today, users crave sincerity and transparency, which they know they can find in the app stores.
Let’s talk about the power of app store reviews and ratings, and what developers can do to turn things in their favor.
The Great Importance of App Store Reviews & Ratings
App store reviews and ratings are closely related.
Ranging from 1 to 5 ⭐, app store ratings show how satisfied users are with the listed app. Reviews dive deeper, providing more detailed insights into what users like and dislike about the app.
According to ASO World, 77% of users check out at least one review before installing an app. With so many users heading to the review section, developers can’t afford to ignore them. Besides creating a first impression, app ratings and reviews directly impact app success in different ways:
- Affecting app store rankings in both app stores
- Influencing app conversion rates
- Providing social proof that builds user trust
What Is a Good App Store Rating?
It’s always difficult to generalize which numbers are good and what isn’t, because this depends on a lot of factors.
Generally speaking, apps with a rating between 4 and 5 are in the green zone.
Intuitively, users tend to avoid apps with lower user ratings. According to ASO World, 50% of app users won’t even consider downloading an app with a 3-star rating, and those with a 2-star rating will drive away 85% of users.
Another thing users look at is the review quantity.
When users see apps with a perfect 5-star rating and just a couple of enthusiastic reviews, they will naturally get suspicious. On the other hand, an app with a 4-point-something rating and thousands of reviews will be perceived as reliable and trustworthy.
Note: Some types of apps traditionally get lower app store ratings on average. For example, hyper-casual games often get lower ratings because they typically serve frequent interstitial ads, which many users find to be disruptive.
Ratings and Reviews: Google Play vs. Apple App Store
The Google Play Store and Apple App Store both follow a 1-5 rating scale.
However, there are some notable differences in how the two app stores handle user reviews.
Review Highlights
- Google Play highlights relevant and recent user reviews from users with similar devices, including those highly positive and negative.
- Apple App Store highlights relevant user reviews from any time, chosen by Apple’s algorithm.
Keyword Indexing
- Google Play indexes app store reviews and developer replies so their content (keywords) can affect search rankings and boost app store visibility.
- Apple doesn’t index the keywords mentioned in user reviews for search visibility but relies on app metadata instead.
App Rating
- Google Play doesn’t allow apps to reset their ratings after an update.
- Apple App Store allows developers to reset their app’s ratings upon releasing a significant update, giving them a chance for a fresh start.
Common Reasons Behind Negative App Store Reviews
No matter how hard you try to prevent them, every app gets some negative reviews.
This is not something to despair over, but to learn from. Some common reasons why apps get negative app store reviews include:
- Technical issues like poor speed, crashes, bugs, and glitches
- User experience issues like confusing navigation and controls
- Too frequent or poorly timed ads
- Difficulty progressing without making in-app purchases
While some users will simply stop using an app they don’t enjoy, others will take the time to express their frustration in the app stores.
This doesn’t make them haters or your enemies.
Negative app reviews may be disheartening, but they help developers understand where their app needs improvement. If one user tells you about an issue, it may be an isolated case, but when multiple users say the same thing — it’s a signal you shouldn’t ignore.
Best Practices for Improving App Store Reviews and Ratings
Obviously, the first step toward more positive reviews is having a quality app users can enjoy.
What are some additional steps you can take to improve your app store reviews and ratings? Let’s go over a few strategies that can help you achieve this.
Ask Users To Rate Your App
The best way to get more app reviews and ratings is to simply ask for them.
App and game developers do this by using in-app prompts. Through these prompts, developers ask users how happy they are with the app, and remind them to leave a rating or review.
The timing of these prompts is very important.
You don’t want to ask users for a review while they are in the middle of something or after they experience something negative in the app. The right time to pop the question is when the user feels positive and accomplished in the app (e.g. after completing a milestone or level).
A/B Test Prompts
Different users might react differently to in-app prompts, so it’s a good idea to test different variations.
For example, when it comes to wording, you can experiment with different messages. For example: “Enjoying the app?”, “How’s your experience?”, “We’d love your feedback!”.
Besides messaging, some other things you may test include prompt timing, frequency, and design.
However, note that these options are only available for Google Play apps. Apple is much stricter with app rating prompts, allowing developers to only use their native prompt and limiting their frequency to three per year.
Simplify the Process
When it comes to asking for reviews, users prefer it when apps don’t beat around the bush.
To encourage users to share their feedback, make sure not to ask them for too much time and effort.
The in-app rating prompt should be to the point and with no excessive steps. Many apps do this by integrating a rating system that leads users to the app store listing, while some use an API for users to leave a rating from within the app.
Reply to All App Store Reviews and Act Fast
By responding to both positive and negative app store reviews, you show users that you care about their feedback.
How to handle reviews?
For positive reviews, express gratitude and highlight that you appreciate the support. Doing this shows users that you’re engaged and might encourage other users to leave positive reviews.
For negative reviews, acknowledge the users’ concerns, apologize if needed, and provide information or solutions on their pain points. For example, if users complain about a bug that you’re already working on, let them know about this — they might appreciate it.
Also, don’t wait for too long to respond. The faster you’re able to reply to user feedback, the better. Imagine being a user and getting a reply weeks or months later. This can be counterintuitive, so if you’re not able to keep up with the replies quickly, it’s better not to respond at all.
App Store Reviews: Over to You
App store reviews have the power to make or break your app. This is one of the rare things developers can’t control, but can certainly influence. The key is to focus on building a quality app, encouraging reviews, and listening to user feedback.
At MAF, we often analyze games, and a few of them stand out from the crowd with superb app store ratings and reviews. If you want to learn from the best, check out our AFK Journey and Dice Dreams analyses and find out how these games got almost perfect ratings.
