Report: Apple makes big improvements to App Store search results

When searching for something in the iOS App Store, I often find it quicker and easier to simply search for what I’m looking for on Google than to go through the App Store itself. If this sounds like you, you’ll be glad to know that Apple seems to be hard at work to improve the situation.

According to TechCrunch, Apple appears to have recently tweaked its App Store search algorithm to bring up more relevant and accurate results. More specifically, TechCrunch says, the search results you see now take into account a wider array of keyword matches (contextual and partial keyword matches, for instance) beyond the keywords that app developers provide..

TechCrunch says that this is “the first time the App Store has ranked apps for keywords that are not in the title or the ‘keyword’ slot.”

Also, if you search for a specific app, you’ll also see competing apps come up in the search results—another improvement that should make App Store search much more useful.

It’s unclear if these search tweaks apply both to the iOS App Store and the Mac App Store since TechCrunch’s report centers mainly on the iOS incarnation of the store. Also, as far as I can tell, nothing has changed in terms of the layout and presentation of search results, so if you’re unhappy with that aspect of App Store search, you’ll be a little disappointed.

What about you? Have you noticed a change to App Store search results? If so, do you find it to be a change for the better? Let us know what you think in the comments.