App Store Optimization (ASO) requires many of the same factors that go into great SEO tactics. Things like metadata, keywords, head titles, description, and geography play a role in the App Store listings. User ratings and reviews do too.
You can leverage tools like in-app messaging to directly ask your users to rate your app in the App Store. But before you blast an app ratings campaign to all your users, consider how you can target users who are most likely to give you a five-star rating.
We recommend a few strategies:
- Avoid sending app rating campaigns to new users who haven't had the chance to fully experience your app. Target users who have had many sessions or completed certain events that are indicative of a highly engaged user.
- Don't send your app rating campaign right at session start. The user opened your app for a specific reason, probably not to rate your app. Trigger the message upon completion of an event or conversion to create a more seamless experience for your users.
- Use Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys to identify your "promoters" -- users most likely to give your app a stellar rating -- and send an app ratings campaign just to those users who rate your app a 9 or 10.
- Send your app ratings campaign after a user has had a delightful experience in the app. For example, target users who are paid subscribers, because they are likely to give your app a high rating.
For a step-by-step walkthrough on using NPS to drive app store ratings, check out this Project.