Microsoft has announced some changes to the Windows Store on Windows 10 in order to make app rankings more accurate and, more importantly, increase the visibility and discoverability of quality apps. According to Microsoft, the algorithms for both ranking and search have been adjusted and developer support is keeping an eye out for any further issues. Here's the full breakdown from Microsoft:
- More accurate rankings: The algorithm used to rank search results has been adjusted to give more weight to app quality signals such as the number of downloads and ratings. When searching for apps or games, customers now see apps with more downloads and higher ratings earlier in search results.
- Search enhancements: The algorithm to index apps has been updated to make apps easier to be discovered, specifically when searching by app name and related keywords. The Store will continue to limit search visibility for apps that don't meet quality requirements, such as those that abuse keywords or are considered spam, as described in the Give Your Apps More Visibility blog .
- Support process adjustments: Developer support is reviewing tickets opened for app search and visibility issues, to confirm they are solved by the two updates mentioned above or to identify any remaining gaps before a ticket is closed.
In addition to the above changes, Microsoft says that it will start including app reviews posted to the Windows Store by Windows Insiders on the Slow Ring starting in March. Previously, those review weren't included because those on Insider builds may have a different experience than those on release builds, but Microsoft says average ratings differed between the two in any statistically noticeable way.
All told, the changes listed above should go a long way towards remedying some of the issues developers have encountered in making their apps discoverable. However, if you're a developer who is still encountering problems with the Windows Store's search, it's probably best to keep submitting support tickets.
Source: Microsoft
