Gotta Collect'em All! Mobile Apps and The Race to 5 Stars

It doesn't matter if you run a B2B or B2C company, a marketing agency or a SaaS firm, an eCommerce site, or a brick-and-mortar shop: evaluations are critical for any business.

However, getting individuals to write favorable evaluations about a company might be difficult. "Most pleased consumers will never tell you that they're happy," says Jonathan Aufray of Growth Hackers. Customers who are dissatisfied will let you know."

It has been demonstrated that over 79 percent of users read reviews and ratings before downloading an app and that users are more inclined to post a review after a negative experience than after a great experience. Positive app reviews will undoubtedly propel you to the top of the page rankings, but the question is whether you will allow negative thoughts to tarnish your brand's name and impair your App Store rankings.

Consumers are near as trusting of online reviews as personal recommendations.

Customers who leave positive evaluations for your mobile app become champions for it. If your app has a large number of positive ratings, it will be more visible to potential users, who will then download it. Reviews can also provide feedback on your software, which can help you improve it and fix faults.

Users are more likely to download the first app that comes up in a search result. One element that determines whether an app becomes "that app" amid other lookalikes is app reviews. Unfortunately, it's difficult to know how to efficiently request an app review. We'll show you how critical ratings and reviews are and how to improve their quality and quantity.

What Stands for App Ratings?

The App Store and Play Store have a star rating system that spans from one to five stars. Users can rate your app on a scale of one to five stars, with one being the lowest rating and five signifying the greatest. In general, the happier and more satisfied a user is with your app, the higher their rating will be.

Source: Apple App Store

The summary rating appears in search results and on the app store page in the Apple App Store. It's worth mentioning that the App Store's summary rating is unique to each country.

The success of Flappy Bird in 2014, according to Silverwood, was owing to an abundance of reviews generated by a strategically positioned review button. In fact, Flappy Bird was discovered to have garnered 5,500 reviews in a single day. Isn't it impressive? 

As a result, a high app rating and a large number of reviews can have a significant impact on your revenue. Something along these lines:

SUCCESS = 5-star reviews + your app

Now, you are clear with app reviews' meaning, but why are these reviews so important? We will uncover this statement in our next section. 

Why Does Your App Needs Strong App Ratings and Reviews?

Consumers are conditioned to look at all of the information on the app store page when deciding whether to download an app, including the app store rating, how many stars the app has, how many people are rating the app, and individual reviews. These elements can significantly impact whether or not a customer downloads and utilizes your app.

The success of an app is heavily influenced by its ratings and reviews. Our examination of over 1,000 mobile apps yielded some intriguing findings regarding star ratings. These ratings clearly reflect the importance of mobile applications and the thoughts you get from them. Examine the graph below to observe how your average star rating changes affect your app store conversion.

Source: Apptentive

Remembering app ratings aren't just for show; they're also a terrific tool to build trust with potential customers and enhance your visibility on app marketplaces. So let's go a little more into the subject:

Your potential customers will look at your app's ratings. Your prospects will select your competition over you if you have a poor rating. 

Positive app ratings help your app show higher in the search results, increasing its visibility in the store.

App rankings aid your ASO efforts. App ratings are taken into account for search ranks and top chart rankings. Getting a lot of good feedback and ratings will help you rise to the top!

So let's get started on how to convince your customers to rate and review your app and gain the many benefits that come with it.

Strategies to Get More Positive Reviews for Your App

Consumers are conditioned to look at all of the information on the app store page when deciding whether to download an app, including the app store rating, how many stars the app has, how many people are rating the app, and individual reviews. These elements can significantly impact whether or not a customer downloads and utilizes your app.

If you're having trouble getting consumers to post reviews, consider these tried-and-true suggestions from our respondents:

Avoid Nagging!

It is, in essence, common sense. How would you react if someone kept pushing you, prodding you, bothering you, and asking you for the same thing over and over? Isn't it likely that this isn't the case? 

Sending timely, relevant, and subtle cues is an excellent approach to requesting and obtaining ratings and reviews. However, if not done correctly, this might result in a large number of irritated users who may leave a negative review for your app, and those who were previously enjoying it may be discouraged from using it again.

Offer Incentives for Submitting an App Review

You can give your consumers a cause to evaluate your software by offering rewards.

For example, incentivize users by rewarding them with in-app cash in exchange for providing comments.

Source: Kissmetrics 

Users who rate the game software shown above will receive 200 free coins. Access to exclusive features or bonus points is another perk.

However, be cautious about what you ask customers to do in exchange for a prize. Apps that encourage users to view videos or distribute their apps on social media have been removed by Apple. Apple and Google have their own set of standards for what constitutes a violation of their terms and conditions. Only utilize incentives to persuade people to provide honest feedback to be secure.

Be Sincere

Personality is important. Sincerity is always appreciated.

Pop-ups for app reviews might be annoying at times. They are, nonetheless, advantageous to both the service provider and the clients. For example, many people adore the concept of Snapchat, but what if it's infected with a bug that prohibits them from using it? Snapchat can address issues and make its users happy if users can tell them what's wrong. 

The app improves, and users have access to all of its features. It's a win-win situation. Users will readily assist if they can see the influence of their opinions. Your app rate request isn't just a pop-up, so pay attention to the content marketing. Request a review, and remember to appreciate your customers. Make them feel as if they are contributing. It's a chance for you to get to know them better. They'll notice that you're concerned. It will help you stand out from the crowd.

Try New Ways

Even if you've done a lot of research and put together a fantastic methodology for getting app ratings and reviews, it's conceivable that the strategy isn't working for you. What options do you have? Of course, improvise! This is similar to how you should approach everything else in your app: keep changing, growing, and not stopping until you have something that works flawlessly! 

Directing consumers to a support channel rather than an app store is preferable. Experiment with alternative combinations by adjusting factors such as the number of days you'll wait before prompting a user for another review and the design and structure of the dialogues. It's sometimes the rating system that's to blame.

Respond to Negative Reviews Properly 

It is not sufficient to just respond in any way; you must respond adequately. This means that your response should be succinct and unambiguous. Managing negative reviews cleverly. Stop waffling on about it. Address your user's problem head-on and offer timely solutions. Remember to respond respectfully and professionally. Marketing jargon, personal information, and spam remarks should all be avoided. Instead of arguing, try to be as nice and patient as possible.

Make an effort to be friendly and employ a consistent tone with your entire brand. Avoid utilizing prepared or templated spiel in your review answer as much as feasible.

In Conclusion

In today's fast-paced mobile app environment, it's tempting to take shortcuts to acquire higher ratings and reviews by either buying reviews or offering incentives to customers in exchange for a review. This is unethical, but it is also prohibited by the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. These tactics may not assist your rating, but if discovered, they will certainly result in your app being banned and your developer account being terminated.

True, getting people to rate and review your app is difficult, but you must adhere to legitimate, honest methods.