There’s a very good argument for wanting to get users to review your app, and it has nothing to do with vanity. User to review your app – whether it is of a product, service, company, or restaurant – act as a form of social proof, and we see ourselves and others being influenced by this daily. And we aren’t only interested in reviews of high-end products.
The principle of social proof applies to mobile apps too. A recent survey found that users were eight times more likely to download a highly rated app of an unknown brand than a poorly rated app of a known brand. And more than 70% of users will read at least one review before downloading an app. So if you’re struggling to get your customers to download your app, getting a handful of user reviews could change that.
Another argument for encouraging users to review your app is that they can help improve your app’s ranking. When last did you see a poorly rated app in the top results when searching for an app? Of course, a small business with a small app audience will never attract the same volume of reviews as Facebook, etc. But any increase in ratings and reviews can lead to a small increase in the number of downloads. Let’s now look at a few ways you can go about encouraging your app users to review your app.
Develop a Smart App
Good, great, the best. It’s all subjective, but the first step to having someone rate your app as good or great is building one that doesn’t suck. Great apps don’t need to be life-changing. They don’t even need to come with a host of bells and whistles. They do, however, need to be functional, and make something easier to do.
Your App Rating And Review
An unhappy fact is that most users won’t rate and review my app. The ones most likely to actually review your app are those who love it and those who hate it. Avoid upsetting your users by ensuring your app doesn’t crash, doesn’t have a terrible layout, and maybe – just maybe – includes a feature only accessible through the app. This could be anything from the ability to book a table (or service), digitization of your loyalty program, or even special offers exclusive to buy app users.
And don’t torture yourself by trying to release an app with all your planned features already included. If any features you want to be included are difficult to put in place right now, or just not working the way it should, leave it for a future update. It is better to release a fully functional app with limited features, than one with lots of features, but the functionality is terrible.
Don’t ask users for a particular review or rating.
Do ask them if they are enjoying your app. The best way to prompt for a rating and review is to first ask users if they are enjoying your app. If their answer is yes, then you can ask them to rate it. If their answer is no, ask them to email you their concerns.
Don’t ask too often. Apple’s new iOS API specifically limits developers from asking more than three times in a year. Use this as your guide.
Rate App in Settings
Conclusion
Therefore, while getting users to rate and review your app is no easy task, you should stick to following legalize approaches. And regular, incremental updates to the app itself. Ratings are important, but they should not detract you from improving the app.