{"id":663,"date":"2021-02-19T01:06:34","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T01:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrikal.io\/blog\/?p=663"},"modified":"2021-02-19T01:06:36","modified_gmt":"2021-02-19T01:06:36","slug":"black-hat-aso-how-it-works-and-why-you-shouldnt-do-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrikal.io\/blog\/black-hat-aso-how-it-works-and-why-you-shouldnt-do-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Hat ASO: How It Works and Why You Shouldn’t Do It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever wondered what Black Hat ASO is? No, it\u2019s not about wizardry or magic. It has something to do with various tricks and methods people use to increase their app ranking<\/a>, gain more popularity, and earn more profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you know what black hat ASO really is, you would soon realize that it is illegal and outright deceitful. That\u2019s why it is worth knowing what it is, how it works, and the reasons you should avoid black hat ASO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is black hat ASO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Black Hat ASO is the malicious practice of using various techniques to increase an app\u2019s visibility and ranking but at the expense of breaking the rules and guidelines of app stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The forbidden techniques of ASO may lead to a sudden but temporary increased number of downloads. Its results are more of quantity rather than quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The graph shows a sudden spike in the number of app downloads due to black hat techniques. (Source: MobileAction<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You might have heard about black hat SEO, which is used in search engines to trick the system. Black hat ASO or app search optimization is similar to this, but only, black hat ASO is used in app stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are unfamiliar with what ASO is, please read our beginner\u2019s guide to app store optimization<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opposite of black hat ASO is the white hat ASO. With white hat ASO, app owners only use techniques and methods allowed by the app stores. So, in effect, you can think of the black hat ASO as the villain while the white hat ASO is the hero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do people use black hat ASO tactics?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a lot of reasons people use black hat ASO tactics, but the most common reason would be to increase their app ranking. The problem is, there are already established apps in the app stores and it is difficult to rank higher when you are faced with fierce competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider this, according to Build Fire<\/a>, \u201cThe Apple App Store has 1.96 million apps available for download. There are 2.87 million apps available for download on the Google Play Store. 21% of Millennials open an app 50+ times per day.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"With
With millions of mobile apps available in the app stores, it is difficult to gain visibility.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Can you imagine trying to make a name for yourself in a fully saturated market? So, some folks get too smart and try to cheat the system. Instead of playing fairly, they try to find a loophole in the system and use that to their advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, competition can make people work harder, but others simply want to get the prize without doing the necessary work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does black hat ASO work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Black hat ASO works by using deceitful, illegal, and forbidden methods to artificially boost the visibility and popularity of an app. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To better understand how black hat ASO works, you need to know its many techniques. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll know exactly what we are talking about by reading the following black hat tactics ASO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keyword stuffing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the oldest trick in the book, keyword stuffing was born when people discovered how search engines work. Every time someone looks for something on the Internet, they use words and phrases. Search engines use these keywords to locate and provide the search results to a user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, in theory, the more targeted and related keywords that you use on your website, landing pages, blogs, and app pages, the more search engines would see your content as relevant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you know, keyword stuffing originated in search engine optimization (SEO). However, its practice spilled over to ASO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us give you an example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A normal URL for apps in Google Play Store would look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Facebook's
Facebook’s Google Play Store link.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, a URL infused with keyword stuffing would look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An
An example of Google Play Store app link with stuffed keywords.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, the second URL comes with a lot of unnecessary words and details. Instead of simply having the name of the app in the URL, you would see words such as \u201cgames,\u201d \u201cfatlion,\u201d \u201ccrafting,\u201d \u201cdating,\u201d and a lot more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from URLs, people also do keyword stuffing with their app description section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"This
This is an example of a description section in Google Play Store<\/a> where keyword stuffing is done.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, this app description doesn\u2019t seem to be written for humans, but for the algorithm. It is difficult to scan and read. It doesn\u2019t make sense sometimes. For the owner of this app, it is more important to add targeted keywords rather than write the description for the users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using irrelevant keywords<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, keyword stuffing would include irrelevant keywords. In the hopes to attract more people, some developers would place keywords in their titles and description field that have nothing to do with their app. Keywords may even include brand names of competitors.

When the iOS 8 was released, Apple introduced a new feature. In the search section, there\u2019s a \u201ctrending\u201d searches section, which you can find just below the search box. Apple designed this new feature to highlight popular apps in any given period of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trending
Trending searches on Apple App Store (Source: TechCrunch<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some black hat programmers check this list and then add these keywords in their metadata even if they are not related to their app. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also times when a keyword is trending. For instance, seasonal keywords such as \u201cChristmas\u201d or \u201cHalloween.\u201d These keywords might be popular at a certain time of the year. But if you add them to your app even if it is not related, then you may be guilty of doing a black hat technique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of using irrelevant keywords or performing keyword stuffing, you must learn how to optimize app store keywords the right way<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fake installs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Among the most important metrics for apps would be the number of installs. The more people installing your app on their devices, the higher your chance for Top Charts to include your app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, it is not difficult to see how some people use black hat ASO techniques to get a lot of installs. Here are some of the things they do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n