Effective Strategies to Rank Your App in the App Store

So you’ve finally built your first app.

It’s a big step for your company and your career.

If this is your first time building an app, you’ll quickly learn that the building process is only the first step.

You’ve still got to get people to download your app and find a way to actually make money.

In order to do both of these things, you’ll need to get your app ranked on the Apple App Store.

Nobody will be able to see, find, or download your app if it’s not ranked properly.

It all comes down to search optimization.

You may be familiar with this concept if you’ve done search engine optimization (SEO) for a website.

Well it’s the same idea here, but the rules and algorithm are slightly different.

If you’re not sure where to get started, fortunately, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve got experience building my own apps as well as apps for other people, so I’m an expert when it comes to getting ranked in the App Store.

Every time I do consulting with a company, there’s always someone in the room who doesn’t think that the search ranking is important.

Let me take a minute to address this points in case you or someone in your company feels the same way.

I tend to hear something along the lines of, “We’ve got other ways to promote our app. We can generate downloads from our website, social platforms, email, and other marketing strategies.”

While I won’t argue that those are all valid ways to promote your app, the data still suggests that your app store ranking will significantly impact downloads.

Here’s a study that shows how people discover various apps.

Two of the top three most popular ways that people find apps has to do with your search ranking.

Now that I’ve explained the importance of getting your app ranked, I’ll show you exactly how to do it.

It’s not as hard as you might think, but it definitely requires some effort and attention to detail.

Here’s what you need to know.

How do you get your app ranked

It all boils down to the Apple App Store algorithm.

While there’s not an exact blueprint that shows exactly how much each factor is weighed, we know that it has to do with the following components:

• Description
• Keywords
• Download rate
• Reviews
• Title
• Category assignment
• Ratings

Here’s something else that you should take into consideration.

Aspect	Apple App Store	Google Play Store
Algorithm Factors	Keywords, Description, Download Rate	Keywords, Description, User Engagement
Ranking Impact	Heavily influenced by reviews and ratings	Focus on user engagement metrics
Optimization Strategy	Focus on concise, keyword-rich descriptions	Emphasize user engagement and retention

If you’ve built an app in the past and successfully got it ranked on the Google Play Store, it doesn’t mean you’ll automatically have the same triumph on the App Store.

While there are certain similarities between the two platforms, there are also some key differences.

This graphic displays the impact of different aspects, so you can use it as a reference.

I’ll go through each component that factors into your App Store ranking and let you know how to optimize the search results.

Description

The description of your app should emphasize some key features and benefits.

What makes your app unique?

Here’s the chance to talk about how it functions and your competitive advantage.

Stay away from generic terms such as “the best app you’ll ever download,” or something like that.

Including that in the description doesn’t tell anyone what exactly your app does, so it won’t help with your ranking. It’s just a waste of space.

Users may not even read the entire description, so try to keep it short and put the most important information in the beginning.

Hook the user’s attention with your opening lines.

Use short sentences and avoid long paragraphs.

Remember, these descriptions are going to be read on smartphones and tablets, so you want to cater the readability accordingly.

Use bullet points as well so users can skim the content and find what they’re looking for.

Here’s a great example from Airbnb.

Let’s analyze this for a minute.

Look at their opening lines.

You know exactly what this app does just by reading two sentences.

It even speaks to the two different types of users on the app.

1. Travelers
2. Hosts

As you continue reading, there’s a much more detailed description that speaks to the functionality of the app.

Airbnb explains how many homes are available and how many countries you have the option to visit.

They included bullet points as well for both travelers and hosts.

Everything is clear and organized.

If you’re interested in downloading this app to rent out your home, you can clearly see the host section and skip over everything else.

You can consider using this description as a template for your app and try to lay things out in a similar way.

Over 82,000 people have reviewed this app.

It has 4.5 stars out of 5, so it’s safe to say that this company is having success with this strategy.

Keywords

Your description and everything else that’s written about your app needs to have relevant keywords.

Think about what users may type when they’re searching for an app.

While certain search terms such as “food,” “jobs,” or “car” may be popular, it’s a competitive space.

So consider using other terms that are more specific to your app’s functionality.

You can use the same keywords or phrases multiple times, but don’t oversaturate it or the algorithm will pick up on what you’re doing.

You’re not allowed to use:

• Unauthorized trademarks
• Names of celebrities without their permission
• Any protected words, phrases, or slogans
• Keywords that aren’t relevant to your app

Try using a service like Keyword Tool to help with your search optimization.

This will help improve your App Store ranking.

Download Rate

You need to get downloads.

Think of it like the Google search algorithm for your website.

If you’re not getting any visitors, it will impact your ranking.

Same goes for the iOS App Store.

Billions of app downloads happen each month on this platform.

That’s right. I said billions.

So there’s plenty of opportunity in the market.

It’s just a matter of figuring out how to do it.

If you already have an existing business and you’ve built this app as an extension to improve the customer experience and generate profits, you have an advantage.

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Why?

Think about all the existing marketing channels that you already have in place.

Use those platforms to reach out to your current customers.

These people already know about your brand, so you don’t need to pitch them on that.

All you need to do is tell them that you have an app and give them a reason to download it.

How many followers do you have on social media?

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Promote the app on all of these sites so it’s exposed to a wider range of people.

If your app hasn’t launched yet, use social media to build hype around your app.

That way when it comes out, your customers will rush to the App Store to get it right away.

Use your website as a marketing tool as well.

Find a place on your homepage that directly links to a download.

Write about the functionality of the app on your blog.

Use guest posts on other blogs to expose your app to a new audience.

Don’t forget about email marketing.

Look how Nuzzel promotes their app with this email newsletter.

Aspect	Recommendation
Title	Use up to 30 characters, make it unique, avoid generic phrases, and ensure it reflects the app’s functionality.
Subtitle	Optional, but can provide additional context about the app’s purpose or features.