Hidden Perils of Acting on the Temptation to Buy Android Keyword Installs
It's tempting to think of the decision to buy Android keyword installs as a magical carpet ride, instantly catapulting your app to the top of the Play Store rankings. Indeed, on the face of things, it looks like an easy shortcut to success. But is it all as rosy as it seems? What doesn't the rose-tinted brochure tell you?
- Astoundingly low user retention rates
- Damaging your reputation
- The risk of being penalized or banned by Google
These are hard pills to swallow, but all too often, app developers in quest of shortcut to glory fall into this trap. A careful analysis uncovers some fundamental issues that make buying Android keyword installs a high-stake gamble, not often worth wagering your app's future on.
User Retention: The Achilles' Heel
In the world of app marketing, user retention is king. Without a solid base of loyal, engaged users, your push for success is akin to building on quicksand. All too often, when you buy Android keyword installs, yes, you exert transient spurts onto the rankings, but these users are not sticky.
The very nature of these installs being driven by the promise of incentives means the users hardly ever are interested in the app itself, leading to poor engagement and abnormally high uninstall rates. Let’s consider a workshop we held at our agency, AppInsight. After buying Android keyword installs, the app we were testing did achieve a brief spike in downloads. However, our analytics tools displayed a depressing narrative of over 90% of these users uninstalling the app within the first week.
Murdering Reputation: A Price too High?
Any seasoned marketer knows you can't put a price on your reputation. When you buy Android keyword installs, the damage done to your branding can often be irreparable. Let's peek behind the curtain and see why.
Not only do these incentivized installs rarely convert to loyal users, but they also often lead to poor reviews. Users quickly get frustrated by an app they had no real interest in initially. Negative feedback arises, and before you know it, waves of poor reviews are swamping your app listing. This reputation damage is a stark deterrent to potential organic users, thereby defeating the original purpose of improving the app’s credibility.
Upsetting Big Brother Google: Playing with Fire?
Finally, perhaps the most alarming risk is that Google can penalize or ban your app when you buy Android keyword installs. Google's algorithms are becoming ever more sophisticated at detecting artificial behaviors and installs, and it doesn't take such manipulations lightly.
So, you may just be setting yourself up on a collision course with Google. And in such a fight, the underdog doesn't often win. As learned the hard way through one of our own early client engagements at AppInsight. It ended up in a frustrating exercise in damage control, as we see the app being wiped off the Play Store for inconsistencies in user acquisition patterns detected by Google.
Road to Redemption: Adopting an Ethical Stance
So, we've delved into the abyss; it's honestly dark and peppered with pitfalls that could prove deadly for your app. But remember, it's not all gloom. As seasoned veterans of the app marketing battlefield, we at AppInsight suggest a conscious pivot towards ethical and organic acquisition practices.
From keyword-optimal app listings, social media savvy promos, to engaging in-app content capable of snagging the user's attention – hone these levers to pry your app's way up the Play Store rankings. These practices might not offer the instant rocket fuel that bought installs promise, but they’ll assure you a stable long-term trajectory catapulting you to your desired target.
Venturing the vast ocean of app marketing is undeniably intimidating. Tall waves, unsuspecting maelstroms are only some of perceived perils. Yet brave hearts have always drawn maps, crafted cutting-edge navigation tools, and triumphed against all odds. Why shouldn't you? Let your journey blaze trails, your conquests legendary advocated. Embark with vigor, equipped with knowledge, strategic insights, and ethical conviction, you surely are set for your date with destiny. Navigate smartly, stay the course!
