Previously, we learned about keyword research and its importance for ranking higher on the App Store. If you are still at the research stage, start with this guide on how to search keywords for app store optimization.
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 (no longer recommended)
This strategy used to ask for a rating during onboarding, after the user received some value and before the paywall. We no longer recommend it. See the update at the top of this post.
The original post used this QUITTR screenshot as an example:
- 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 places the rating prompt after the paywall. Moving the same onboarding prompt after a paywall does not make it a workaround for the issue described above. If they bought your product, they are more likely to leave a positive rating.
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. At the time of the original post, it used strategies (2) and (3) for getting more ratings. Strategy (2) is no longer recommended.
Ratings preview
Thanks to the ratings and optimized keywords, it's already ranking #1 for a few good keywords.