UK Marketing Reasons & Solutions: Why Your App downloads Suddenly Drop?

Recently some of our clients and developers have met the same question, their app downloads suddenly drop and they don't know why. In this blog, we list some reasons for this phenomenon and provide some solutions for you. We have already talked about several possible reasons in the past, check it here. But this time, we will analyze some of the less obvious reasons.

1. You have made changes to metadata recently

If you recently changed your metadata and noticed a drop in app downloads, this could be the cause.

The details of your app are referred to as metadata. App name, app description, title, developer name, icon, promotional images, and videos are examples.

You may believe that your metadata is unimportant to your ranking. That, however, could be a mistaken conclusion. Because a change in your metadata could result in your app being pushed to the sidelines of the app store.

Solution

Examine your metadata to see what changes you made. Make a note of everything you've changed and when you made the changes. Keep an eye on your app downloads and other key performance indicators (KPIs). If you notice a negative shift, you may need to reverse your changes right away.



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2. Your app has been stopped featuring by App Stores

App stores would feature an app at various times. For example, the Apple App Store gives new apps a certain amount of exposure in their first few weeks. On the Google Play Store home page, there are various featured apps categorized as "Recommended for you," "Top free apps," "Top paid apps," "Top grossing apps," and much more. Apart from that, app stores highlight apps in search results when users browse the app store.

When you are featured, your visibility increases, and thus your chances of being downloaded increase. If you are no longer featured, you can expect a decrease in app downloads.

Solution

App stores frequently feature high-quality apps. So, if you've already been featured, you're doing something right. To keep your app featured, simply maintain its quality, consistently receive positive feedback, and continue to improve it.

3. Neglected ASO leads to a drop in app downloads

Another important reason your app downloads are decreasing is a lack of App Store Optimization. Don't fall into the trap of viewing ASO as a one-and-done process.

Solution

The exact opposite is true. You must keep track of mobile app competitors. Examine which keywords you rank for, which keywords they rank for, and so on. The initial ASO requires daily attention, and maintenance should be performed every week or two.

The app stores can be chaotic, with rankings changing daily. This is a massive subject. So make sure to read our comprehensive guide to app store optimization. It will walk you through the various aspects of ASO, how to perform it, and what makes an ASO campaign successful.

4. Competitors are using paid advertisements

Another way competitors can harm your app downloads is through effective and aggressive paid advertising.

Paid ads in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store can quickly and easily increase the visibility of an app. When this happens, people will go to your competitors — people who would have landed on your app page otherwise if it hadn't been for the paid ads. For example, you can use apple search ads to increase the visibility of your app. 

Solution

You can do a few things to keep app downloads from dropping. To begin, you can run your own paid ad campaigns. Hopefully, this will be enough to counteract your competitor's advertisements.

Another thing you can do is simply improve your app, its metadata, and other elements that make it successful to the point, where you remain on top, regardless of what paid ads your competitors use.



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5. Your keyword ranking change

Keywords are too important to overlook in the app store. When looking for apps, people use a variety of keywords. Your app metadata can easily rank high in search results if it contains the right keywords.

If you already have a significant presence in keyword ranking, chances are you are effectively preventing app downloads from dropping. As more people discover your app, you should see a surge in app downloads.

Consider the possibility that your app's keyword rankings are declining. Instead of ranking first in search results, you may end up ranking second, third, or even last. This would result in a sharp decrease in your downloads.

Solution

To avoid decreasing downloads, you can do a few things to keep up with changes in keyword trends. You can look at what keywords your competitors are ranking for and try to emulate their strategy. If you want to see all of the ways you can check your competitors' keywords, check out our Keyword Research Guide. You can also look at our customer's ASO case studies for examples. 

6. App errors

Although your app may have been running smoothly, errors can occur at any time. Without regular updates and maintenance, your app may encounter a variety of issues from time to time.

Users can be easily turned off by errors, bugs, unresponsiveness (ANRs), and crashes. The issue with these errors is that they will affect almost all users, not just one or two. As a result, if you have a major problem with your app and don't address it quickly enough, your app downloads will suffer.

Solution

The solution is simple. Make sure your app is up to date. Ensure that the code is bug-free. Always read customer reviews because they can tell you whether or not your app is bug-free.

Hire a professional app developer or engineer to double-check your code for any potential issues. This should help you avoid dropping app downloads.