Pork 'n' Bunny

A quick way for people to know if your app is worth downloading is to look at your reviews. Many users will gladly give a 5 star to apps that is functional and does what it says.  And then you have users who will give you a 1 star because it doesn’t do what it says, it’s missing a feature, needs more features, too slow (even though they have a really old device), it’s “ugly”, it’s got advertisement (even though it’s a free download) etc.  The reality is you can not please everyone.  Every app has a goal and it might not be meet the goal of every users but that’s ok!  There are an abundance of apps from which to choose, but in this case your app’s reputation is at stake. Have no fear!  There are ways you can minimise negative reviews published on Google Play.

1.  Encourage users to send feedback via e-mail from your app

Allow users to easily send feedback to you via email by having a “Feedback” button in your app AND RESPOND to all feedback. Users need an outlet when they feel something is wrong, and a one star review is how some people see as the best way to get attention. Let email be the main channel, hear them out and address their problem. For most users, this experience is better than simply posting a one star review and achieving little. It also allows for far more actionable feedback as their is no word limit in email and you can really dig deep as to the root cause of their problem.

2.  Include a FAQ

There are often many reviews complaining of the same things.  To help minimise the amount of common complaints, providing a FAQ page is always useful to the users.  You can have a website and even link to it from your app. Keeping your FAQ up-to-date is also helpful.

3.  Reply to negative reviews as soon as you can with an understanding tone

Users like to know the developers are hearing them out.  When a negative review has been published, try to understand what the problem is and keep your reply to the point. Be professional and use language that the users can understand. Show empathy if needed. The sooner you can solve the problem, the higher the chance they will turn that review around.  Don’t hesitate to ask them to reconsider their review to reflect the value of app as opposed to a punishment for not fulfilling their every desire. People usually respond well when asked.

A great advice is NEVER treat a one star as if they are someone that hates your product (even if that’s what they actually say), you are on their side, every time. Do not be combative and do not be condescending. Always be professional 😉

Not everyone will change their review but that is not as important as making a good app that people want to use. You keep at that and good reviews will naturally flood the bad ones.

What other ways do you do to minimise negative reviews on Google Play? Please let us know in the comments below.