Incentivized traffic: how it works and when it backfires

This post explains the term, the mechanics behind it, and the way to run it so that the stores do not penalise the app and the budget is not spent for nothing.

Both stores are crowded, and a good app can still go unnoticed. Getting higher in the rankings takes a plan. Plenty of marketers and developers use incentive traffic to become more visible and get more installs, and as with any tactic, the outcome depends on how it is used.

What incentive traffic means

First, a short definition so we mean the same thing. Incentive traffic goes by several names: incentivized traffic, motivated traffic, ASO traffic. In every case it means real people who do a specific thing, such as installing an app or writing a review, and get a reward for it. That is where the name comes from. The reward can be money, a bonus, or some other perk.

The same approach is widely used to promote apps and raise engagement on YouTube and social networks.

Why use it at all

Store search brings more organic users than any other source, and the first few results collect most of the attention: the top three take up to 70% of installs. An app that is not in that range misses a large share of the organic installs its keywords could bring.

Incentive traffic works on the ranking algorithm and moves an app higher in search results.

When someone searches for a keyword, finds the app, and installs it, the store takes that as a sign that the app is relevant to the query and ranks it higher. The app becomes more visible, and organic users start finding and installing it with no reward involved.

In most campaigns incentive traffic is the starting push.

At first, rewarded installs outnumber organic ones. As the app climbs in search, organic traffic grows. When the app reaches the upper positions, you can lower the volume of rewarded installs step by step and still hold them.

Incentive traffic is one of several things that decide how visible and successful an app is. If you want search promotion to turn into a steady flow of organic users, prepare the store page before the campaign starts and make it as convincing as you can.

Where incentive traffic is used in mobile marketing

It has a handful of main uses. The most common are raising an app for particular keywords, keeping the positions it has reached, improving ratings and reviews, and CPE campaigns. Each is covered below.

Climbing for a keyword

When rewarded installs are tied to a keyword, they show the store algorithm that this query is relevant to the app. As described above, people search that keyword, install the app, and the store ranks it higher for it. Higher placement brings more visibility, and over time more organic installs.

This is one of the main ways to get an app seen by more people, especially in crowded categories where organic growth alone would take longer.

Holding a position

Getting into the top results is one task, and staying there can be harder. A small, steady volume of rewarded installs keeps telling the algorithm that the app is still relevant for the query. It also improves the odds of earning back what you spent on marketing. Organic installs mostly go to the apps at the top, so staying there matters if you want growth to last.

Rewarded installs at a regular, controlled pace can also soften drops caused by algorithm updates or seasonal changes in how people search.

Ratings and reviews

A rewarded install that comes with a positive rating, especially five stars, pulls the app's average back up. This works best for apps that collected low ratings in the past and have since fixed their functionality or user experience. Incentive traffic can also be used on individual reviews.

Upvoting positive reviews and downvoting negative ones moves the reviews you want to the top, which tells both users and the algorithm that those are the most relevant and useful ones. Be careful here: stores can flag an app whose ratings look heavily manipulated.

On Rankforge, ratings are available on the App Store as an add-on to live installs. Reviews are not sold on either store.

CPE campaigns

In cost-per-engagement (CPE) campaigns, rewarded users do more than install. They might tap specific parts of the interface, watch a video, fill in a survey, or reach a set level in a game. That kind of activity is stronger evidence of interest in the app and gives you data you can use to improve retention and long-term engagement.

CPE also draws a more committed audience, and some of these users stay with the app for a long time. The installs still count toward visibility, and the extra engagement can show up as higher retention in your own analytics, which matters for the app's success over time.

How to get incentive traffic

You can run it yourself, but it needs a careful plan. There are risks, as noted above, and without experience the results may take much longer or fall short. For many teams a specialised ASO service is the more sensible and efficient route.

The usual setup looks like this: install tasks are published on a platform where rewarded users, real people on their own devices, can pick them up. Once a task is done, the system checks it, and payment goes through only after the action is confirmed.

Rankforge runs these campaigns as live installs on the App Store, in up to 150 countries. A person searches your keyword or opens your link, installs the app, and opens it. You set the keywords, the volume, and the pace, and every account comes with a customer care manager who can go through your keyword list with you.

Weighing the upside and the risks

Used well, incentive traffic works. Brands large and small use it to become more visible and bring in organic users. Because it pushes an app's ranking and rating artificially, it needs care: misuse has consequences, and done properly it can drive real growth.

Upside

• Fast visibility. Rewarded installs are among the quickest ways to climb in search results and lift an app's rating.
• Effect that lasts. A well-planned search campaign can keep paying off. An app that holds a high place for months ends up paying considerably less per organic user.
• Small budget to start. You can test incentive traffic with modest spend and see concrete results. Rankforge has no minimum spend, so a first test can be a single keyword.
• Control and predictability. You can work out how many rewarded ratings you need and estimate how long the target will take.
• Some users stay. A share of rewarded users like the app and keep using it after they have their reward.

Downsides

• Narrow geo-targeting. Targeting by region can be limited.
• Organic traffic is not guaranteed. Rewarded installs can lift the app, but nothing guarantees organic users will follow, especially if the store page is weak.
• A limited pool. Each market has a finite number of rewarded users, which can cap how well large campaigns perform over time.

Staying safe on the App Store and Google Play

Each store has its own rules and reacts to rewarded traffic in its own way, and results depend on knowing those differences. Here is what to watch on each.

App Store

On the App Store, keep rewarded installs in proportion to organic ones. A sudden jump in installs can catch the attention of Apple's algorithms and get flagged as suspicious.

The same goes for a sudden wave of ratings and reviews. If an app normally gets 50 organic installs a day and you add 1,000 rewarded users a day, that can raise questions and hurt the app's ranking.

Overdo it, and the App Store may push the app down in search or send a PLA warning (potential loss of account). To avoid that, control the volume and avoid sharp changes that would look unnatural to Apple's algorithms.

Google Play

Google Play is usually more tolerant of incentive traffic, and sensible use rarely leads to ranking penalties or removal from search.

Apps in some categories, such as casino, betting, and gambling, run a higher risk of removal from Google Play no matter where their traffic comes from. Keep to Google Play's policies to stay out of trouble.

On Rankforge, live installs are available on the App Store only. Google Play campaigns run on automated installs.

The two stores clearly have different rules and habits. If incentive traffic is new to you, talk it through with a specialist before you start. On Rankforge that is the customer care manager, and there is no separate fee for it.

Using incentive traffic with Rankforge

Incentive traffic is a strong tool when it is planned, and it does not suit every app or every goal. Used with a plan, it can help an app climb store rankings faster.

What you get with Rankforge:

• keyword campaigns that help your app rank higher in App Store and Google Play search;
• ratings on App Store live installs, to build credibility;
• a free keyword tracker for up to 200 keywords.

See pricing for the cost per install on each store, or book a demo to walk through a campaign for your app.