Store conversion rate

Where it sits next to rank

Rank decides how many people SEE your listing for a term; conversion rate decides how many of those viewers install. The two are separate problems with separate fixes — a rank problem is fixed with metadata and reviews, a conversion problem is fixed with screenshots, preview video and the first line of the description.

Chasing rank on a keyword whose traffic doesn't convert is a common trap: the number that matters isn't impressions, it's installs, and the two only meet through this rate.

How store conversion rate is calculated

The formula is installs divided by views, times 100. Say your app is seen 2,000 times in a week and 60 of those viewers install it: 60 ÷ 2,000 × 100 = a 3% conversion rate. The numbers here are hypothetical; the arithmetic is the same in both stores.

What counts as a "view" is where the two stores differ. App Store Connect divides downloads by unique impressions, and an impression includes seeing the app in search results or while browsing, not only opening its product page. Play Console's store listing report divides acquisitions by store listing visitors — people who opened the listing. Because the denominators measure different things, an iOS rate and an Android rate for the same app are not directly comparable.

Conversion rate in retail vs in app stores

In retail, conversion rate is the share of shoppers who walk in (or visit an online shop) and buy something. In app stores the "purchase" is the install, even for a free app. Whether that user later pays — a trial that becomes a subscription, an in-app purchase — is a separate conversion that happens inside the app and is not part of the store conversion rate.

The other difference is where the visitor comes from. A store visitor often arrives from a search for a specific term, so conversion depends on how well the listing matches that term. Ranking for a term your app doesn't really serve brings impressions that don't install, which pulls the rate down.

What changes store conversion rate

• Icon and first screenshots — often all a searcher sees in a results list before deciding to tap. Sizes and rules are in the screenshot specs guide.
• Rating and recent reviews — shown next to the name in search results; see review and rating strategy.
• Keyword fit — a term that matches what the app does converts better than a broader one with more traffic.
• Preview video and the first lines of the description — for visitors who open the product page.

To read conversion next to rank, Storelift's install sources view pulls impressions, page views and installs from your own store accounts.

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