Are app ratings and reviews really important for app success?
This has become one of the hottest discussion in the app development industry worldwide. At present when there's a cut throat competition in the market, people seem to wonder, 'Do app ratings and reviews really play a vital role? Can your app succeed even if it doesn't have good ratings? Excitement can be felt everywhere!
A few days back I was having a similar discussion with my colleague in the office who talked about the vital role that app ratings and reviews play in deciding the ranking and fate of an app. There are apps with top ranking, on both Google Play Store and Apple App store due to their excellent ratings.
On the other hand, as per my knowledge, an app can even make a mark by offering incredible user experience, without having good ratings. For this, I showcased some examples where many apps are widely admired by users despite a few ratings on the app store.
Although the discussion continued for about an hour or so, we still couldn't reach to a proper conclusion. Hence, we decided to do a little more research.
And guess what? The results we found were totally surprising!
After analysing various sources on the web – I realised that my colleague indeed had a point. Reviews and Ratings does play a prominent role in deciding whether users will admire your app or not. You can't ignore them and solely rely on the quality of your app. This is the sole reason, I felt the need to share my experience in helping to clarify some of the biggest misconceptions about app reviews and ratings and also, give a better insight. So, let's step in:
How Users Actually Download Apps from Stores
First of all, it’s important to understand how users actually download apps? Here's an insight into the process:
Downloading apps from the Store is just like purchasing things from a store. All items are same for you. You clearly have no idea about which apps you must install – except for the few, which you might have heard from your friends or read on some blog
Now, interesting question here is, how will you decide which apps you must install?
It is certain that you will do it on the basis of app ratings and app reviews. You try apps that have excellent ratings and reviews – as it is automatically assumed that they're the best. Apps that have average or below average ratings and reviews gets simply ignored.
You my friend, are not alone here, since everyone has the same approach.
This makes the statement more strong that app ratings and reviews play a vital role in deciding if users will download your app or not.
What Stats Say?
Most of us prefer to rely on stats while taking decisions – rather than believing in plain theories. So. with the help of little research, mentioned below are some stats for your reference:
- 92% of people read online reviews
- 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- 40% people form their opinion after reading up to three reviews
- 94% people prefer apps with 4-star rating
- Only 8% people don't read app reviews
All these stats prove that a brilliantly designed app will keep the user interest alive and ensures that he/she keeps using it. However, the excellent app ratings and reviews will tempt a user to download your app. So, you can't ignore the importance of app review and ratings.
Benefits of App Ratings and Reviews
App ratings and reviews have the following benefits:
- Ratings Define the Quality of Your App
One of the major advantages of the app reviews and ratings is that they determine your app's quality. For example:
- 5-stars means that your app is excellent
- 4-stars signifies that your app is of good quality
- 3-stars define an average app
- If your app is below 3-stars, then it's not up to the mark.
This way, users can easily figure out the quality of your app and decide whether to download it or not.
- Reviews Offer Valuable Feedback to Users
While ratings help users to know the app quality, app reviews offer the valuable insight. They briefly guide users whether they should install the app or not.
- They Detail the Scopes for Improvement in Your App
Not only users but app developers also have a benefit with app ratings and reviews. It helps them to figure out what their clients want, identify the domains in which their app needs improvement, and gradually make their app better.
What to Learn From this Post
App reviews and ratings are equally important as other factors like the app design, user interface, icons, etc. This will certainly help in making your app a huge success.
So, spare a minute and and shower some attention towards the reviews and ratings of your app. Remember, the quality of your app will not have any significance – if users don't download it from the store and app reviews and ratings are an important part in doing so. Otherwise, you'll just wonder that despite being so feature – your app failed to make a mark.
In the end, there is one question that might be popping inside everyone’s mind:
How to ask for genuine and meaningful reviews without sounding desperate?
Well, the answer lies in the question itself or perhaps in the parting few words. Find out!
