It became tough to keep up the app ratings due to constant changes in Appstore & Google Play review algorithms. And while delivering high-quality non-ever-buggy releases stays the best course of action for receiving good reviews, in addition to that, you can craft a healthy and supportive environment within your community.

Moreover, in-app communities help you reduce service costs and improve user satisfaction by providing a high-quality self-service channel. Such communities encourage user interaction, making them a great place to gain fundamental insights into enhancing your app from the people who use it daily. In other words, the community is a great way to get user feedback and shape your app based on the voice of the customer.

As a general rule, the more active and engaged the customer is, the more satisfied they tend to be. Just take a look at these stats from Salesforce:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/9CauWOHdm38lst82hw9cHNsPIL93f1opvSTAuRLIGyEMiA7944mh1Evc7xrsB4frTKvQQY4hdpHS2_K0kPihOFiOx_e3yXE0BnyBEClA1MPEPUQZCaHe7ncJx-UFsbWFat-zR-6N

Encourage users to share their experience and feedback, and then simply show that you care! Answer their complaints, show empathy, and let them know that you're trying to help. Then, even when a problem is not solved immediately, the user will be satisfied that you acknowledged the issue.


2 Steps to Improve your App's Rating

Rating Impact on Conversion

79% of users check an app's rating before downloading. This number is even more significant when it comes to paid apps. In both Apple Store and Google Play, mobile app ratings are placed in search results and on app pages, so users will see them regardless of whether they came there from the Search, Browse, Ads, a website, or another app.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rk2Vupvf9h7ZyBn-3kgBgKzsiXRF_7getyU0VmTj9CCcAL_NBdDanz-Fs5I5DOknq7suV7jwuFSlKYUvAG6aAQ-ReKt0DI-wn4CF3aJxcR1hQz8bsT1Miyy784msfwkX1WIaRp5Q

Positive app ratings and reviews work as proof that other people are satisfied with an app, rather than just a group of friends with preconceptions. Apptentive interviewed thousands of users about the minimum acceptable rating of apps. This is what they got in response:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qFEdg-d_n1d5tHtwDzTY9GhMK8RVtK7BEFiHUD3sSBIZkoiss0aZl3nQjVwg_jzPyJnKh-W9ji32-KBzuKIhEkEQNv4LtCo3w1sNd3qqo3d89MSWY4lTaTFASTItFVtaDZ-BySxh

An app with a 3-star rating loses around half the downloads, whereas apps rated 1–2 stars lose almost every download. Managing ratings and reviews in the App Store and Google play is challenging. All your optimization efforts become useless if your app has less than 4 stars.

Review Impact on Conversion

Generally, reviews are less critical than ratings. On the App Store, about 17.2%-26.2% of users will be exposed to the review widget (where a user can choose to leave a review), and only 0.25%-1.5% of users will click on reviews to read them on the review screen. Similarly, in the Google Play store, about 13.8%-18.5% of users will be exposed to the review widget, and only 1.4%-2.8% of users will click on app reviews to read them on the review screen.

However, don't forget that users are constantly exposed to the number of reviews, making both ratings and reviews essential marketing tools to convince potential users of your app's credibility. In a world where it's hard to know what to trust, users know they can rely on reviews to be authentic and unbiased, empowering them to make an informed purchase decision.

And indeed, reviews are driving users to purchase. The 2021 UGC Conversion Impact Analysis found that when shoppers interact with ratings and reviews on a product page, it lifts their conversion rate by 120.3%.

Ratings and reviews are now so critical to making purchasing decisions that they've edged out price as the most important factor. 94% of users say ratings and reviews are the most critical factor in their decision, compared with 91% who said price.