Impressions (App Analytics)

Unique impressions are the denominator of conversion rate. Apple calculates conversion as total downloads divided by unique impressions, and its example is 100 unique impressions and 50 total downloads giving 50%. If impressions double and downloads stay flat, conversion halves, even if your page is unchanged.

• A better keyword ranking for a term that people search, because a higher position is seen more often.
• More terms covered in your metadata.
• Other traffic sources, such as browsing or links.
• Apple Ads, which can show your app in more places.

An impression means your icon was shown, not that anyone read your page. Search results can display the rating and up to three screenshots or previews, so some people judge from the result alone. A low conversion with high impressions can point to weak result visuals or irrelevant terms.

A hypothetical habit tracker adds the term "daily planner" to its subtitle. A week later unique impressions rise from 800 to 1,100 per day and downloads from 40 to 48. Conversion falls from 5% to 4.4%, but downloads are up. The new term brought visitors less ready to install, which is common with broader terms.

• Treating a conversion drop as a failure without checking impressions.
• Comparing days with different traffic mixes.

Track impressions together with ranks in App Analytics.