The App Store’s Dirty Little Secret
March 15, 2011
What makes one app more popular than another? The Guardian seems to have figured this out, although developers might not like the obvious but hard to crack answer.
Until recently, developing and publishing an iOS app was accomplishment enough. But predictably, most developers would like to make some money too. And to do so, they need to generate strong sales in the App Store. Yet with 350,000 apps available and counting, it’s difficult to get recognized.
UK-based The Guardian, which publishes apps for both the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad, reviewed its app sales, and tried to correlate them with App Store events.
Initially, they assumed sales spiked most often following an app update. In addition, they figured being included on the App Store’s “New and Noteworthy” section also helped.
Nothing, however, affected sales most than when Apple placed the app on one of its many lists. And not just any list: The Guardian’s apps did better when included on Apple’s permanent, as opposed to, temporary lists.
Current lists include: the Apps Starter Kit, Coffee Table Apps, and Music Discovery, among others.
According to The Guardian:
“In a sea of apps, users are looking for filters and highlights. These lists that Apple generates are a primary means of discovery and should be courted by every developer. Although updating your app causes a peak in downloads (the "Pocket God" effect), just by the nature of people upgrading to it, getting onto the right lists – ones with a longer life – has a much greater impact.Therefore, the little dirty secret is this: An app’s success seems to be tied to whether it made a positive impression with Apple. How to get on those lists, unfortunately, is a far bigger question and so far, one without an answer. Anyone have a direct line to Steve Jobs? What do you think? Leave your comments below.