Ratings and Reviews (ASO Impact)

Apple uses ratings as a quality proxy in its ranking algorithm. A high volume of ratings signals genuine user engagement — many users installed, used, and bothered to rate the app. This engagement signal contributes to ranking weight across the app's keyword set.

Rating score matters less than rating count at the algorithm level. An app with 50,000 ratings at 4.1 stars will typically outrank one with 200 ratings at 4.9 stars for the same keyword. The volume of ratings is evidence of at-scale user satisfaction in a way a perfect score from a tiny sample is not.

Rating velocity — the rate at which new ratings come in — also matters. A sudden drop in rating velocity (few new ratings after a period of activity) may signal declining engagement, which can affect ranking. Apps that prompt for ratings at the right moments in the user journey (moments of success, not frustration) generate more ratings and better ratings.