Open Radar

 
Summary:
App Store search is incredibly important to the long tail of apps in the App Store and is one of the primary means of finding new apps on iOS: http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/03/roughly-half-of-users-are-finding-apps-via-app-store-search-says-study/?ncid=rss

The App Store editorial team spends countless hours sifting through the App Store trying to find the best, most relevant apps to feature on the main page, category pages, and in the new Explore tab. Apps that get featured typically see a big increase in downloads when featured, but often drop quickly afterward and get completely lost in the App Store. If the editorial team thought them worthy of being featured, it's likely that users would benefit from seeing these apps higher in search results. If a meaningful weighting were given to featured apps this would benefit users in helping them find better apps while searching the App Store and wouldn't prevent other apps that weren't featured from being found.

As it is, all-time downloads seems to factor heavily in search rankings, which makes it very hard for new apps to gain much traction, even ones that have been featured.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Release a great app on the App Store
2. Get featured on the App Store
3. Have a great first week as customers easily find your app and respond well to it

Expected Results:
Place relatively high in relevant search results once the app is no longer featured which helps make the app more sustainable and worth continued investment.

Actual Results:
Watch helplessly as downloads drop like a rock once the app is no longer featured and impossible to find on the App Store.