Negative app reviews: how to deal with them

You probably think your work is done. Once your app is created and published in the app store, but the real work hasn't really started yet. Most app stores have around five million apps available, so you need to make sure your app stands out from the competition.

One of the factors that helps users decide whether to download an app is the user ratings and reviews. Typically, you want to have as many positive reviews as possible, but users will also see negative reviews. Therefore, how you deal with them is crucial. Knowing user feedback can be quite helpful in improving your app.

App Reviews

Rankings are updated using the App Store search and sorting algorithms. There is no “magic formula,” but some factors can help make a difference.

One of them is the number of high-quality reviews and ratings. The average rating will be shown to users when you have at least five reviews, and these have the power to convince users to download the application.

In addition to influencing user interest in downloading your app, ratings also influence App Store algorithms. An app with a high average rating will rank higher in the App Stores, which will lead to more visibility and downloads. It's important to make sure your app's rating is always higher than your competitors'.

Another element that influences the ranking is the keywords, which will help the store's search engine to find the app. The name of the app is also important for the user to identify it, and it would be ideal if the words used are those that most closely match the definition of the theme of your app.

Establish a communication channel with your users

Use all the communication channels available to start a conversation with the user and be quick and respectful in your responses. This can completely change the ratings and reviews you will get in the app store. No matter how obvious it is, always answer all questions.

Negative ratings App feedback is a great tool for improving the quality of a product. In the world of technology and mobile apps, feedback helps developers improve their software and make apps more popular. If your business doesn’t encourage users to rate the app, it’s missing out on a great opportunity to improve its relationship with the end user and gain new insights to improve the product.

Getting feedback through app stores

Most apps ask users for their opinions in the same way: an annoying pop-up that interrupts the user experience and can even lead to negative app ratings.

To increase the number of positive ratings, there are three important steps to follow:

1. Don't interrupt the user experience
2. Don't ask for a rating from users who don't use the app frequently.
3. Don't forget to ask for an evaluation after the user has been able to perform all the activities in your app.

Ask the user for a review only at the best possible time. For example, a hotel app might ask for a review right after the user has booked a room. For a content app, you can ask for feedback only from users who have opened the app several times, within the first week of use. This way, you can restrict the request for reviews to those people who already know how the app works and will be more likely to leave a positive review.

Negative opinions on social networks

App stores aren't the only places where people tend to give feedback on apps. Through sites like Facebook and Twitter, for example, you can keep in touch with users, conduct quality surveys, and even get new ideas. So, in addition to being a cheap and reliable tool, social media can also increase people's engagement with your product.

You can ask for feedback via a contact button or an email form, so you can find out how people use your app and what points need to be improved. Another idea is to create a forum in your app that encourages the exchange of information between users and developers. The latter has been adopted by game developers, who use forums to keep in touch with fans of their games and increase engagement.

User experience

Having an app that requires feedback in a fun and creative way is a great way to get a 5-star rating. In the end, what will motivate users to improve their evaluation of your product is the quality of your app. Speed, good design, page crash-freeness, and usability are critical factors for an app to win user approval and build a loyal community.

Motivated users provide real, unfiltered feedback. Knowing what someone thinks about your app, even if it's a negative one, is critical to the evolution of your work as a developer. Ultimately, this feedback will lead to new solutions and more customized features.