I went with a small sample of five apps for this study, the only criteria for which were that:
#App store download rate android
The first, and most straight forward of the five studies involves tracking daily movement in app store rankings across iOS and Android versions of the same apps to determine any trends of differences between ranking volatility in the two stores. Study #1: App-les to app-les app store ranking volatility (For the purpose of brevity, I'll stop here with the assumptions, but I've gone into far greater depth into how I've reached these conclusions in a 55-page report on app store rankings.) Over the next five studies, however, we'll revisit this function before ultimately attempting to compare the weights of each of these four variables on app store rankings. Of course, right now, this generalized function doesn't say much. Ranking = fn(Rating, Rating Count, Installs, Trends) I've simplified this formula to a function highlighting the four elements with sufficient data (or at least proxy data) for our analysis: Keyword density of the app's landing page ( Ian did a great job covering this factor in a previous Moz post).
#App store download rate download
Growth trends weighted toward recency (how daily download counts changed over time and how today's ratings compare to last week's).App usage statistics (how engaged an app's users are and how frequently they launch the app).Uninstalls (what retention and churn look like for the app).While neither Apple nor Google have revealed specifics about how they calculate search rankings, it is generally accepted that both app store algorithms factor in: These studies, therefore, single out the rare exceptions to the rule-the top 500 ranked apps in each store. Of these apps, nearly two-thirds have not received a single rating and 99% are considered unprofitable. Apps ranking in the two stores should, theoretically, be on a fairly level playing field in terms of search volume and competition. In the process, I hope to assess and quantify any perceived correlations between app store ranks, ranking volatility, and a few of the factors commonly thought of as influential to an app's ranking.īoth the Apple App Store and Google Play have roughly 1.3 million apps each, and both stores feature a similar breakdown by app category. Google Play) apps, I'll attempt to set the record straight with a little myth-busting around ASO. Apple App Store) and the top 500 Android (U.S. Over the course of five studies analyzing various publicly available data points for a cross-section of the top 500 iOS (U.S. Unlike SEO, however, very little research and theory has been conducted around what goes into these rankings. Like Google and Bing, the two leading app stores (the Apple App Store and Google Play) have a complex and highly guarded algorithms for determining rankings for both keyword-based app store searches and composite top charts. Simply put, better rankings mean more downloads and easier discovery. Apptentive's recent mobile consumer survey shed a little more light this claim, revealing that nearly half of all mobile app users identified browsing the app store charts and search results (the placement on either of which depends on rankings) as a preferred method for finding new apps in the app stores.
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In the world of apps, ranking is just as important when it comes to standing out in a sea of more than 1.3 million apps. One tiny rank up or down can make all the difference when it comes to your website's traffic-and revenue. Hence, I thought it was due time to put some longstanding hypotheses through the gauntlet.Īs SEOs, we know how much of an impact a single ranking can mean on a SERP. Yet, the deeper into the rabbit hole I go, the more untested assumptions I leave in my way. It's been my personal goal for some time now to pull back the curtains on Google and Apple. Working with Apptentive to guide enterprise apps and small startup apps alike to increase their discoverability in the app stores, I've learned a thing or two about app store optimization and what goes into an app's ranking. After seeing Rand's " Mad Science Experiments in SEO" presented at last year's MozCon, I was inspired to put on the lab coat and goggles and do a few experiments of my own-not in SEO, but in SEO's up-and-coming younger sister, ASO ( app store optimization).