Ratings and Reviews
Ratings and reviews influence both ranking and conversion; the average star rating is one of the strongest conversion levers on any listing.
Ratings (the star score) and reviews (written feedback) are among the most powerful ASO signals. The average rating affects conversion directly — the gap between 4.7 and 3.9 stars can move install rates dramatically — and it feeds the store’s ranking algorithms as a quality indicator.
Volume and recency matter too: a high rating backed by thousands of recent reviews conveys trust and momentum, while a stale or sparse rating raises doubt. Responding to reviews (especially on Google Play) can recover unhappy users and lift scores.
Sustained ASO treats ratings as a managed asset: prompt happy users at the right moment, fix the issues that generate one-star reviews, and never buy fake reviews, which risk removal.