Apple Improves Its App Store Search Algorithm

Apple has made a significant change in the search algorithm for its App Store, reports TechCrunch. The site has heard from developers that a series of changes occurred starting on November 3rd, making results more intelligent and more relevant.

“I think it definitely represents a significant shift from changes in the past, where I think [Apple] just changed the weighting around certain variables like keyword input, or what keywords you had in the title,” explains Dan Held, founder of mobile growth consulting firm Analytica.

“It’s their attempt at understanding how different apps rank relative to each other,” he explains, noting that, of course, PageRank is far more complex. “I think this is an attempt to move in that direction…the first step would probably be to benchmark where you rank compared to your competitors,” says Held.


Apple is now ranking apps by a mix of contextual keywords, partial keyword matches, competitor names, and more. For example, a search for Twitter brings up alternative apps like Tweetbot, Twitterrific, and others.

Have you noticed that search results are more relevant now? Let us know in the comments!

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