“Why isn’t my app ranking higher in app stores search results?”
As a freelance mobile app developer or an established app development enterprise, you will hear this question many times. A simple non-specific answer is “There could be a number of reasons”. But a more detailed answer requires thorough analysis and research of the app.
Here at GoodFirms we believe there are few main things that constantly present themselves as barriers to better rankings in app stores. If you are facing an issue in one or all of the following area/s its time for you to take immediate steps as app ranking holds the power to make or break your app’s future:
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Your App is ‘Now’ Targeting the Wrong Keywords
There are thousands of articles floating on the Internet that suggests app developers about targeting relevant keywords while launching the app - a point that you too would have definitely taken care of before making your app public. After the app launch, your app for this very reason would have ranked high on Google Play and iOS App Store.
However, it fails to rank high on app stores now, making you think what went wrong.
An answer to the below question will pinpoint where you are making mistake:
Did you ever analyze the keyword rankings post your app launch?
Analyzing and researching about keywords is not a one-time process, but an ongoing process due to following reasons:
- Updates in app store’s search algorithm from time to time
- New apps getting published in app stores with similar keywords
- Competitor’s change in keyword strategy
It is crystal clear from this that to boost your app’s ranking, it is vital for you to keep testing and experimenting with keywords on a regular basis.
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Your App Does Not Have Sufficient Positive Ratings and Reviews
Perhaps the central reason why apps don’t rank is because they don’t have ample amount of positive reviews and ratings.
Ratings and reviews are an essential ranking factor. For ranking high in app stores, it is not just sufficient to have abundant reviews, but freshness and relevance of ratings also matter.
Your app either might be failing to receive reviews only or might be attracting negative reviews.
Let’s see what steps you can take in both the cases:
If your app is failing to receive reviews only whether positive or negative, the best thing to do is to simply ask! Encourage your app users to leave reviews.
But what if your app is getting negative reviews?
According to an Appurify study, more than 50% of one-star reviews in app stores were due to performance issues. Fix the bugs and release a glitch-free update. Fixing app users problems will ensure you start receiving positive reviews. New positive reviews may lead to higher visibility and higher rankings in app stores.
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Not Picking the Right App Name
Could this be the reason why your app isn’t ranking?
Your app’s name plays the key role in your app’s ranking. It’s the first thing app store’s search engine takes into account when a user enters a search query. This requires your app title to incorporate a dominant keyword which has a low level of competition and high relevance with the subject of your app.
As per an Apptentive study, apps title that includes keywords rank on an average 10.3% higher than their competitors that do not include keywords.
If the title for your app is not appropriate and does not include keywords, simply change it! However, app experts warn against repeatedly changing your title as your app customers may get confused and might also lead to difficulty in creating buzz around your app.
Including keywords in your app name will improve its visibility in app stores which in turn will perk up your downloading rate and if more people are downloading your app, your app store rankings will significantly improve.
Bonus Point: No Proper App Marketing Strategies
Don’t believe?
But this is true.
Your app marketing strategies can have a significant impact on app store rankings. However, it is often ignored as it is not one of the ranking factors considered by app stores.
Though not direct, app marketing has an indirect effect on app stores ranking. App marketing experts believe that a good marketing strongly impacts download numbers which in turn affects ranking in app stores.
This clearly makes sense. Building a great app will not make it next Whatsapp or Angry Birds. Today app stores are floating with millions of app and for breaking into crowded app marketplace you need to have appropriate marketing strategies.
So, how to improve your app marketing strategies and get discovered by your potential customers?
Here are few tactics to consider:
- Get industry influencers to talk about your app.
- Write blogs and regularly post social media updates about the app to generate interest among your online followers
- Create a Google+ page for your app. The more +1s your app gets, the higher the potential rank it can achieve on Google Play store.
By embracing and implementing right marketing strategies, you will start to see your app rankings rise.
Final Thoughts
The list of three main culprits above should clue you into where you’ve gone wrong. A variety of factors can stop your app from ranking high, but these consistently loom large as major hurdles.
Optimizing your app for organic search is a slow but sure process that produces long-term results, provided you go about it the right way. Re-evaluating the factors mentioned in our list will improve your app store rankings, increase download rate and generate more revenue.
Is your app having trouble ranking high in organic search results? What is it that your app needs to fix? Share below!
