What Can Make Your App Ranking Grow in App Store
Being a great app developer is not enough for making your app popular.Whether you are an individual app producer or a marketologist, you shall understand main principles of how App Store works. Successful app marketing may only be possible when you have solid knowledge and are ready to spend some time and efforts promoting your app. App Store offers more than 2 millions apps for iPhone and iPad users and this number is growing daily. High-speed of growing market and diversity of applications make being noticed a really hard or even impossible mission for newcomers.
It’s incorrect to count on app quality or attractive design only. While few years ago, good apps were installed without strong promo-campaigns, nowadays they simply have no chances to be noticed. The first and the most important step what you can make for your app to be seen is growing its ranking. Those applications that have high ranking are placed in top list and stay on the top of search page when a relevant search request appears. Moreover, high-ranking apps will be offered to potentially interested users by App Store. ASO (App Store Optimization) is aimed at making your app ranking higher. It helps user to see and to find your app faster. Good app quality alongside with smart ASO bring great results, making your app popular.
5 Main Factors Influencing Your App Ranking
1. Keywords
App Store has its own search engine that allows sorting apps out and provide users with most relevant results. It’s very important to include keywords in name and description of your mobile application. In that case, search system can identify your application. Choosing keywords it’s important to find those words and phrases that could be popular among other users and, at the same time, wouldn’t have too many competitors. Use narrower concepts to describe functions and benefits of your app, so you will have fewer competitors. You can use special tools that allow evaluating your keywords and will help to find better-working alternative if a keyword is too popular or opposite - not popular at all.
2. Downloads
Number of installs is one of the most important items that may increase your app ranking. You can attract potential customers, making publications about your app, ordering paid ads in web or on social sites and ask your friends and relatives to download your app. It’s also possible to buy paid installs that may increase your ranking fast. It’s not enough to have high number of installs once. App store algorithm will count how often your app is downloaded. For example, if you had lots of installs right after launch and extremely little installs within some months after, that may influence your ranking badly. That’s why it’s important to monitor and control number of your app installs regularly.
3. Reviews and Ratings
The more positive reviews you have, the higher your ranking become. Normally, number of reviews is growing accordingly to number of downloads. You can also ask people you know to leave some positive feedback. Ask your existing users to rate your app, this way you can show that rating is important for you. Be ready to work on your app quality and to answer negative comment politely this will increase your chances to get loyal customers and positive reputation within App Store. Some paid reviews may also work if they are done correctly and look maximally organic.
4. Social Platforms
Using social sites like Twitter or Facebook may influence ranking of your app. Sometimes, social site advertisements bring great results and may increase your app ranking. You can use social sites to create communities and to keep in touch with your loyal customers or use paid promos to attract more attention to your app. Some developers also start blogs where they can share more interesting information about their work and created app. This may bring good results as you can use more tools to promote your application.
5. Launch Preparation
Those applications that have been recently uploaded in App Store have more chances to be noticed. That’s why it’s very important to use first hours after your app is uploaded. Prepare your launch campaign carefully and use all possible opportunities to attract more attention right after your offer is presented. That may include finding advertisement partners, going on social, sending press-releases and notification to interested bloggers and experts.
Summary
App Store has a very complicated algorithm crafted to bring best apps to potential users. There are many more factors that may influence popularity of your offer, comparing to those that are presented in the article. At the same time, these 5 main principles that we’ve already mentioned above are keys to successful marketing strategy and a base that any developer or marketologist can rely on. Using five main principles and building your winning strategy around them will result in great improvement of your app’s position and will increase benefits that it brings.