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Apple App Analytics: Referral & Search Data

May 18th, 2017

Apple App Analytics: Referral & Search Data
Anh Nguyen

by Anh Nguyen

COO & Co-Founder at Gummicube, Inc

Apple’s App Analytics update is now giving developers access to specific data on App Store Sources and Referral Data, making it easier to find where their app’s current customers come from. Now, developers can view attribution and conversion metrics with a clearer picture tied to organic versus non-organic installs in iTunes Connect. The updated App Analytics tools will provide key insights to pertinent data regarding how many users find the app via browse and search in App Store, along with data on how many users are directed to an app from another app or the web. Data on where organic users view the app is pertinent to developers looking to improve visibility, conversion and installs. As Apple has stated in the past, up to 65 percent of all downloads comes from search. The data that the new analytics tools provides only proves how important search and organic traffic are to an app’s conversion rate.

Announcement Breakdown

Apple’s updates to App Analytics give developers specific tools that provide data on where users find their app. The breakdown of new features added to App Analytics goes as follows:

  • App Store Browse: Customers who found the app while browsing the Featured, Categories and Top Charts sections.
  • App Store Search: Customers who found the app from searching within the App Store.
  • App Referrer: Customers who were directed to the app from another app.
  • Web Referrer: Customers who were directed to the app from a website in Safari on an iOS device.

Overall, the updated App Analytics tools will help developers understand where their app gets the most traffic to improve marketing campaigns that will in turn increase downloads and installs.

How Developers Can View Source Data

Developers monitor how their app is doing in the App Store to understand where their app generates the most impressions, page views, installs and user activity. There are a few places within App Analytics where developers can view source information.

1. Metrics

By clicking on any one of the charts, developers will be redirected to Metrics. From here, they can add a number of filters, including filters for Source Type. By selecting Source Type, developers can then select App Store Search, App Store Browse, App Referrer and Web Referrer. Here, you can assess how different changes in featuring, marketing or ASO may have impacted your app in terms of visibility (Impressions & Page Views), Downloads (Installations or App Units), and usage (IAP, Sales, Paying Users, Sessions, Active Devices/Active Last 30 Days).

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2. Sources

Sources allows developers to understand the relative proportions of source traffic at various stages in the user funnel – from visibility, to install, to engagement. This section also allows developers to further break apart various sources from within App Referrers and Web Referrers.

  • App Referrers: If developers want information on App Referrers, they will see which apps are directing most users to their app. By looking at usage data such as Sessions or Sales, developers can understand which apps bring the highest quality users.
  • Web Referrers: If developers want information on Web Referrers, they will see which websites from Safari while a user is an iOS device, are directing most users to their app. By looking at usage data such as Sessions or Sales, developers can understand which websites bring the highest quality users.
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  1. Retention** Developers can see how users from various sources are retained over time. The filter options, which are available in Metrics and Sources, will allow developers to see when users first purchased or downloaded their app. Developers can continually monitor how often users opened the app after the initial download. Keep in mind that retention rates are important; they gauge how active users are in an app. The data provided in Retention makes developers more aware of organic vs inorganic downloads and where more app units come from.
retention-edit

The updated App Analytics tools give developers key insights into the current app market and how to adjust based off the amount of traffic their app generates. App Analytics is shaking the developer community and will ultimately affect the way developers market their apps along with increasing revenue for Apple.

App Analytics & the Current Market

Apple is finally providing developers with more detailed analytics and information to source data, essentially creating their own analytics package for developers to monitor users. Apple App Analytics give developers access to more data like App Store Search, App Store Browse, App Referrers and Web Referrers, all tools that can help developers tap into their customer base. The updates to App Analytics are not only benefitting developers, but are also increasing Apple’s revenue. The company could potentially double their services revenue including current revenue from the App Store, which was recently announced to be over 40 percent year-over-year. This monumental announcement brings a new level of clarity to help app developers understand user behavior. The updates to App Analytics show that the mindset is growing toward developers needing to embrace ASO: App Analytics and ASO will aid developers to better connect with users.

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