Monday, December 23, 2013

Understanding the Apple's math equation : App Stores algorithms

Apple is all about user experience. User experience has remained at the core of the company that made it the best consumer brand in the word. Continuing its legacy, Apple is trying to do the same with app stores as well coz it is now focused on giving their users the best application with respect to any keyword typed in iTunes. The math is as simple as that. Your application must be the best among all and you could top the charts. But how does apple determine that and how is app store optimization helps?


Number of installs is not the deciding factor-

Yes, it is true to think that number of install has direct influence on the ranking but the latest change in app rankings in iTunes suggest that a larger influence has been placed upon the rating that users have given to an app. For example, for any given keyword if there are two application with similar functionalities and have same number of reviews. The one with more 5 stars would get the top slot. It simply means that the highest rated apps have more chances of making at the top. Even if there are substantial difference in the total number of ratings obtained, the one with higher average rating is bound to get a higher ranking than the rest of the apps in the competition.

However the algorithm is also considerate of a minimum base rating that an app must carry in order to appear in the list among other popular apps. Ask any iPhone app development company and they will ultimately tell you that the app is the only thing that can make itself work in the end.

A changed attitude

This is again derived from the idea of giving the most appropriate and the best app to the user. Earlier keywords such as gasoline or car tyre would have landed you to a  popular game app but now they are most likely to land you to apps that can find gas stations or tyre repair shops etc. This eliminates the possibility of a biased app suggestions of popular apps and presents all the categories to the users evenly.

App store optimization practices has positive effects on iTunes but note that the ultimate ranking will be decided by the number of good or bad ratings. Even if your app has half the ratings compared to your competitor app, it might show up in the top slot.
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