Grow · App Store
Use App Store Connect's growth features
A map of App Store Connect's growth features: analytics by source, peer benchmarks, app tags, in-app events, custom pages and featuring nominations.
In brief
Read App Analytics by source (Search, Browse, referrers) because each needs a different fix. Use peer benchmarks as context, check the app tags Apple generates from your metadata, and nominate major updates for featuring weeks ahead.
What App Store Connect gives you for growth
App Store Connect has more growth features than most teams use. A quick map:
| Feature | What it does | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| App Analytics | Impressions, page views, downloads, sources, retention, proceeds | Your weekly numbers |
| Peer group benchmarks | Your conversion, retention and monetization against similar apps | Context, not targets |
| Product Page Optimization | Tests icon, screenshot and preview treatments | One idea at a time |
| Custom product pages | Up to 70 extra pages with their own URL, keywords and deep link | Audiences that need a different pitch |
| In-app events | Event cards on the App Store and in search | Timely content, challenges, launches |
| App tags | Labels Apple generates from your metadata | Checking how Apple understands your app |
| Featuring nominations | Tell Apple's editors about launches and updates | New versions and events worth a story |
Read analytics by source
App Analytics splits traffic by source type: App Store Search, App Store Browse, app referrers, web referrers, and campaigns. Read each source separately; a fall in Browse (often featuring ending) and a fall in Search (often a ranking change) need different fixes.
Apple's standard conversion rate is total downloads and pre-orders divided by unique device impressions, not by product page views. Many third-party tools use page views, so their "conversion rate" isn't comparable with Apple's. See the metrics glossary for each definition.
Use retention views by acquisition source and date to see whether a source brings people who stay.
Use benchmarks as context
Peer group benchmarks compare your app with apps in the same category and business model. They help you see whether a number is unusual. They aren't targets: your audience, price and markets may differ from the group's.
Check your app tags
Apple generates app tags with large language models from the metadata you provide in App Store Connect. They help people understand and filter apps. Review the tags shown for your app; if they describe your app wrongly, your name, subtitle or description probably needs to be clearer.
Nominate updates for featuring
You can nominate a new app, a major update or an in-app event for featuring in App Store Connect. A nomination doesn't guarantee anything, but it's the official way to tell editors about your work. Make the case concrete: what's new, why people will care now, which countries and devices are ready, and which approved assets support the story. Nominate weeks ahead of the date, not on launch day. The featuring guide covers the form and lead times, and in-app events covers the event limits and media.
A monthly hour in App Store Connect
- Look: conversion and retention by source, last 30 days versus the previous 30.
- Compare: your numbers with peer benchmarks.
- Check: your app tags and the latest reviews.
- Choose: one change: a keyword update, a test, a custom page or a nomination.
- Log: the change and the date.
Do this today
- Open App Analytics and compare conversion for Search and Browse separately.
- Look at your peer group benchmarks for conversion and day-7 retention.
- Check your app tags and note any that are wrong.
Official sources
Checked 2026-10-16. Store rules change; confirm anything submission-critical on these pages.