Previously, we learned about keyword research and its importance for ranking higher on the App Store.
Another important factor to ranking higher and staying there is a steady volume of ratings. Whereas keyword research is done before building the app, getting ratings is something you can do after launch and keep optimizing.
It's pretty hard to get ratings with no downloads, and vice versa. Thankfully, Apple gives you a boost with each new app. You can use this to get the first ratings.
As a rule of thumb, 1-2% of users will leave a rating once prompted. To increase our chances, we can use a few tricks.
1. Ask friends & family
This one is self-explanatory. Ask everyone you know to install your app and leave a rating.
Tip: Don't send them a direct link to the app. Ask them to search for it based on your main keyword. Bonus points if they can leave a written review.
2. Onboarding rating prompt
Ask for a rating during the onboarding, after the user received some value. Make sure you put it before the paywall.
Let's look at the famous QUITTR example. They use a few tricks to encourage the user to leave a positive rating:
- Ask for a rating on the screen #26 (towards the end of onboarding).
- Subconscious triggers throughout the onboarding, like the 5-star image.
- Positive reviews from other users.
- "This app was designed for people like you." → The user feels comfortable that they are in the right place.
QUITTR rating prompt
3. Rating prompt after core interaction
Once the user does the key action in your app, ask for a rating.
For example:
- Workout tracker: Ask after the user completes a workout.
- AI calorie tracker: Ask after their first food scan.
- Learning app: Ask after their first lesson.
You can ask more than once. For example, the first time they use the feature or after X interactions.
4. Rating prompt after paywall purchase
This is a safer alternative to (2). It follows the same logic, except the rating screen is placed after the paywall. If they bought your product, they are more likely to leave a positive rating.
Personally, I prefer (2) for higher volume of reviews. Note that Apple doesn't care if it's a 1-star rating or 5-star rating for ASO purposes. The end user might care, though, so don't overdo it.
5. Push notification ratings
Another trick used by a few established apps is asking for a rating in a push notification. This can be as simple as "Enjoying the app? Rate us!" after X hours/days/weeks or after a key interaction.
Results
This should help you get your first 5 ratings or so, and improve your position in the App Store.
Below is an app I launched 2 weeks ago using keyword research with Astro. It uses strategies (2) and (3) for getting more ratings.
Ratings preview
Thanks to the ratings and optimized keywords, it's already ranking #1 for a few good keywords.