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App Store Reputation Management

Build a high rating for improved conversion to installations and foster enduring positive reviews
Ratings are a part of ASO

A higher rating translates to higher conversion to installations

When contemplating the installation of an application, users consider various factors, including the app's relevance to their needs, brand familiarity, and stylistic preferences.However, it's the positive rating and favorable reviews that frequently serve as decisive factors. As per Apptentive, 79% of users consistently check an app's rating before installation, and a rating improvement from 3 to 4 stars can remarkably enhance the conversion rate by 89%.
When do you need to improve your app's rating?
01.Increasing Conversion Rates for App Installations

The install rate significantly impacts the performance of all traffic sources. Even with an impressive Click-Through Rate (CTR), poor conversions on the app's store page can substantially increase the Cost Per Install (CPI). To ensure campaign efficiency, it's crucial to adjust and maintain the average rating, especially in countries where you purchase traffic.

For organic traffic sources, such as actively promoting the app in search, the app's rating becomes even more vital as it appears directly on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

In scenarios with limited information about an application, users rely on others' experiences, and the total number of ratings enhances brand trustworthiness.

02.Establishing Ratings Immediately After Release

When an app enters the market, it lacks a sizable user base to generate reviews and establish its rating. Planning an immediate marketing push without adequate reviews can lead to low conversions, especially in sensitive verticals like banking apps.

Therefore, before entering a market and driving target traffic, ensure the app's page on the App Store and Google Play is appealing and includes a basic number of reviews and ratings. This approach increases the likelihood that users will choose your app, and genuine reviews will follow.

03.Rating Adjustment After Fixing Technical Problems

No app release is immune to bugs, and users tend to express their concerns through reviews or low ratings. While the App Store allows resetting an app's rating after an update, this may not be desirable for apps with numerous existing ratings. In such cases, rating adjustment is an effective solution.

To regain trust and avoid deterring new users, merely mentioning fixes in the "What's New" section is insufficient. Instead, it's essential to restore or improve the app's rating, acquire positive reviews, and elevate them to prominent positions on the app's page. Including details in some reviews about resolved issues signals to users that you actively develop and improve your product, pay attention to feedback, and address problems.

How rating improvement works

The App Store and Google Play employ distinct methods for rating formation but adhere to equally strict publication criteria: in 90% of cases, ratings submitted immediately after release are not considered.

We've developed a method ensuring that 60 to 90 percent of submitted ratings make it to final publishing. Our approach involves our agents installing the application, spending time using it, revisiting on the second and third days, and only then submitting the rating or leaving a review. This technique has demonstrated high performance on both platforms.
For iOS

The app rating is the weighted average of all ratings in a specific region, resulting in varying ratings across countries.

For Android

The app rating is currently formed using classified algorithms. Initially, the overall rating considered all ratings throughout the app's lifetime on Google Play. However, the new algorithm prioritizes fresh ratings.

Initially, Google did not allow resetting the rating, and the new algorithm aims to address low ratings after bug fixes. The updated application experiences a reduction in negative reviews, and users tend to provide higher ratings (5 and 4 stars), leading to an improved overall stance. In practice, such "organic" rating recovery may take several months or may not occur at all. While the number of negative scores decreases, the absence of new positive ratings can impact the overall rating if there are too few new scores.

How long does improvement take?

The primary goal of rating adjustment is to significantly decrease the number of negative ratings. The duration of the campaign may vary based on the difficulty of the adjustment, considering factors such as the total number of ratings, the influx of organic ratings (especially negative ones), and the daily install count.

For example, if an app is installed by 100 people a day, with only 5 providing ratings, the optimal approach is to initiate with a few ratings and progressively increase their number.

On average, the process of rating adjustment typically spans one to two weeks. However, given the uniqueness of each case, we tailor an optimal strategy individually. Additionally, we assign an account manager to each campaign to monitor its performance and regulate the pace accordingly.

Acquiring reviews

Typically, rating adjustment alone rarely accomplishes the entire task. In reality, a high rating lacks persuasiveness when surrounded by negative reviews. This is why rating adjustments are complemented by positive feedback acquisition.

Indexing reviews on Google PlayIndexing reviews on Google PlayPublishing reviews on Google Play can also resolve issues related to search query indexing. By implanting keywords into review texts, you can significantly contribute to their indexing.
Review displayReview displayBy default, reviews are filtered by helpfulness, and users determine this parameter. The higher the number of likes (Helpful marks), the higher the position of the review. Occasionally, negative reviews may rise to the top despite a continuous flow of positive feedback. To address this situation, you can strategically elevate specific positive reviews, allowing you to customize the review feed on your app's page according to your preferences.