The Pontiflex Blog

Apple Will Crack Down On Those Manipulating App Store Rankings

February 7, 2012 at 12:28 pm Tiffany Sumner Leave a comment

When it comes to its App Store rankings, Apple don’t play. According to moconews.net, it only took one allegation that some app developers are using download bots to boost their rankings for Apple to respond quickly. According to a developer’s post on Touch Arcade Forums, some third-party services are offering app download bot treatment for $5,000. Services are also offering to place positive reviews on apps.

Apple posted a response to this on its developer site, in an attempt to caution developers against manipulating Apple App Store rankings.

“Once you build a great app, you want everyone to know about it. However, when you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts. Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership. Get helpful tips and resources on marketing your apps the right way from the App Store Resource Center.”

But how would Apple go after all the companies offering these services?

Time will only tell. But app developers should be aware that by using services to inflate app rankings, they are risking being banned from the Apple App Store. They should also come to know that while using incentivized ads may inflate rankings, they won’t lead to an app’s success in the long term.

In fact, a recent Harris Interactive survey found that incentive-based ads aren’t popular amongst app users. Among people interacting with incentivized mobile apps, only 3% use those apps often. Also, 37% said they uninstalled the apps after redeeming the incentive, and 25% never used the app at all.

These survey findings should make developers think twice before attempting to inflate their app rankings. Once they do, they’re sure to find the risks outweigh the benefits of using incentivized app services and mobile ads.

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