Inside AdMob
Google’s official blog for news, tips, and information on the AdMob developer platform
Gram Games: Growing revenue 7X with AdMob’s in-app advertising
October 20, 2015
While building engaging games was never an issue for Gram Games, promoting and monetizing them was a challenge. Turning to Google, Gram Games found success with AdMob. By switching from a premium model to an ad-supported model through AdMob, Gram Games generated $5K earnings in a single day, increasing their revenue sevenfold. Thanks in part to AdMob, Gram Games is now one of Turkey’s fastest growing startups, producing original mobile games ranging from strategy to casual, mid-core and more. Check out their full story
here
.
Gram Games’ highly addictive game
1010! Puzzle
has over 5 million downloads on Google Play alone. A challenging but simple puzzle game,1010! Puzzle lets users piece together puzzles within 30 seconds and compete with their friends in the process.
Posted by Henry Wang
Product Marketing, AdMob
A new look for the AdMob logo
October 15, 2015
We’re making a few changes to the AdMob logo which you’ll see appearing on the AdMob
website
,
UI
and our social channels over the next few days. We’re introducing a larger font and a bolder design that makes it easier to see across devices of all different sizes. Check out the new logo below.
Posted by Mike Schipper
Product Marketing, AdMob
Find answers fast with the new AdMob Help Widget
September 23, 2015
To make it easier for you to access help while you're using
AdMob
, we've added a new, built-in Help Widget. The Help Widget lets you easily search and read help center articles directly from within AdMob.
To use the widget, click the “Question Mark” icon
.
A pop-up will appear displaying
help center content
related to your current location in AdMob. You can also use the widget to search for other articles. Click any article you’re interested in, and it will still be shown inside the widget, all without leaving AdMob! Once you find your answer, you can leave the widget open on the side to easily follow the steps listed in the article. If you’re done using the widget, you can close it by clicking the “X” in the corner.
If you've been to the help center recently, you may have noticed a little box at the bottom of some of the pages. We've listened to your feedback and added a little human touch. In that box, you’ll find a picture of the “androidified” author of the article so you can get to know more about the people who worked on creating this content.
Next time you’re reading a help center article, don’t forget to scroll down to take a look at the author and maybe give them any feedback you might have. They'll be able to use your feedback to keep improving the article's content.
Omar Kassem
AdMob Support Specialist
AdMob Banner Ad Implementation Guidance
September 22, 2015
We’ve recently made some updates to our AdMob Help Center to help provide further guidance on implementing banner ads. These best practices, along with examples of what you should and shouldn’t do, are designed to help developers implement banner ads.
Mobile devices have limited screen size, which means that careful planning for your ad placement is especially important. Improper implementation can lead to accidental clicks, and our goal is to build a strong ecosystem that benefits users, advertisers and developers in the long term.
Close proximity of banner ads to other elements within an app is one of the biggest causes of accidental clicks. To avoid accidental clicks, banner ads should not be placed next to interactive navigational buttons, such as a “next” button or on a game play screen where users are continuously interacting with the app.
For example, separating the banner ad from app interactive elements helps reduce user confusion and the likelihood of accidental clicks. Poor ad implementations often cause high levels of invalid activity due to the proximity of the ad to app clickable elements:
Do This
Don’t Do This
More examples and details, along with additional visual examples of best practices can be found on the
AdMob help center
.
Posted by John Brown
Head of Publisher Policy Communications
Bring users back to your app with push notifications
September 18, 2015
With one simple sentence, a
push notification
can bring users back to your app more often. If you design notifications with your users in mind, you’ll build loyalty, increase your regular active users and earn more revenue.
It’s easy to design a push notification experience that your users look forward to. Follow these 3 principles and you’ll be pushing in the right direction.
1. Valuable
Users love your app for a reason: you took the time to craft a great experience. Extend that experience outside your app by using push notifications to alert users to something of value, like a special offer, to bring them back again and again.
2. Personal
Rather than broadcasting one message to all users, be data-driven. Send different notifications according to the user’s time zone, location or past behaviour. Get permission from users: let them control what notifications they’d like to get and how often they’ll receive them. Sending notifications too often could bother users.
3. Actionable
Keep title and text short, with one action per notification. Test and measure which notifications result in the most app opens.
Bonus tip: You can manage push notifications and more for free with the powerful
Google Cloud Messaging API.
% of app users that would
start using an app again
given prompts*:
30%
Discount or coupon
24%
Exclusive or bonus content
16%
Notification of new features
You can find more tips to grow and retain your users by reading
App Best Practices
series.
Posted by Amelia Walkley
Marketing Communication Specialist, AdMob
*
U.S. Consumer Mobile Apps Study, 2014, Google/Ipsos MediaCT
Go local to go global
September 17, 2015
Making your app and store listing available in the right local languages could improve your app’s discoverability and lead to further download growth. Get your app ready for worldwide users with these simple steps.
Decide where to focus
Check
where your traffic is coming from
in AdMob geography reporting. If you have users from the
top 5 markets
downloading apps, you could also focus there.
Translate those text strings
Translation doesn’t need to break the bank. Get your text strings localized with one of these easy options:
Free
Google Translate
:
For simple words or phrases, Google Translate is a quick and free option.
Affordable
Google App Translation Service
:
Purchase professional translations through Google Play’s Developer Console.
Of course, you can always find your own translation vendor, or see more options in
this guide
.
Consider the culture
Considering cultural contexts is important when fully localizing your app. Start with your title, description and icon, then
test what works best for your users
.
How to localize
Title
Make sure your app title fits the local market. Keep your title focused: it should be unique and accessible, avoid common terms, and reinforce what your app is about.
Description
Descriptions should be short and sweet, with the first sentence summing up what your app does and what users will get from it.
Icon
Take a look at different examples in each market you want to target. Users in Asia tend to prefer the cute and the colorful, while for US and European users, keep icons simple and focus on one or two features.
To learn more about app localization, visit
Localization Checklists
on the Google Developer website. You can find more tips to grow and retain your users by reading
App Best Practices
series.
Good luck! Bonne chance ! ご幸運を祈ります! 행운을 빌어요 ¡Buena suerte! Удачи! Boa Sorte!
Posted by Amelia Walkley
Marketing Communication Specialist, AdMob
Re-engage your users with an app update
September 15, 2015
When was the last time you updated your app? According to a VentureBeat study, 60% of apps are never updated after release
1
. Plus 4 in 5 app users prefer updates at least weekly or monthly
2
. A new, improved version of your app could re-engage inactive users and reignite your app’s success.
App Update Checklist
Features
Read your app reviews
Ask your users for feature ideas
Understand where users are dropping off or exiting your app
Key report:
Google Analytics Behavior Flow
Fixes
Identify technical errors in your app
Key report:
Google Analytics C
rashes and Exceptions (
Android
/
iOS
)
It’s good practice to
update your app
as often as your schedule permits – aim for once a month at the very least. Once your update is released, remember to
describe what’s new in your app
.
You can find more tips to grow and retain your users by reading
App Best Practices
series.
Posted by Amelia Walkley
Marketing Communication Specialist, AdMob
1 Source:
Mobile User Acquisition: How the most successful developers get better users for less money
, VentureBeat, 2014
2
Source: AdMob & Parks Associates Research, 2014
Celebrate 30 years of Super Mario Bros.!
September 11, 2015
What were you doing back in 1985? Perhaps you were throwing some moves to Duran Duran, or wished you could time travel like Marty in Back to the Future? More than likely, you spent a good many hours trying to help a hero from the Mushroom Kingdom rescue a princess from a bad-tempered Koopa.
This Sunday marks 30 years since the launch of Nintendo’s iconic platform game, Super Mario Bros. The game, first launched in Japan in 1985, became one of the most popular video games in the world and influenced a generation of game players and game developers!
Think you know all about Mario and his epic battles with Bowser? Test yourself with our Super Mario Bros. infographic, which tells the story of the game, and its enduring popularity, powered up by Google data. It’s part of our new infographic series, Game Stars (#AdMobGameStars), which takes a look at classic titles through a Google lens.
For more Game Stars, and to stay connected on all things AdMob, follow our
Twitter
and
Google+
pages.
Posted by Mike Schipper
Product Marketing, AdMob
AdMob helps Etermax crack the global games market
September 8, 2015
Question: Which trivia game has more than 160M downloads, making it one of the most popular apps in the world? Answer: Trivia Crack!
Máximo Cavazzani, founder and CEO of Etermax, describes his business as ‘a great ideas company’. One of those great ideas led to the creation of a game called
Trivia Crack
, and the company’s laser focus on user experience catapulted it to the top of the Google Play Top Apps list.
Based in Buenos Aires, the team worked closely with Google to build a global business, starting with Google Play to grow their users. Initially focused on Latin America, nowadays 60% of people who play the game are in the US. With so many users spending time in the app, Etermax needed an ad platform that could help them maximize the revenue opportunity with reliable fill rates and innovative ad formats. In May 2015, Etermax
announced
an exclusive ad monetization partnership with AdMob for iOS and Android versions of the app. Sneak a look into how Etermax builds great apps and works with AdMob in the video below.
You can download the PDF of the Etermax case study from the
AdMob success stories
page, and stay connected on all things AdMob by following our
Twitter
and
Google+
page.
Posted by Mike Schipper
Product Marketing, AdMob
Beautiful New Designs for Full-Screen In-App Ads
August 27, 2015
Nearly 60% of smartphone users expect their favorite apps to look visually appealing. We’ve always believed that in-app ads can enhance an app’s overall experience by being well designed. So today we’re announcing a completely new look for our interstitial in-app ad formats - also known as full-screen ads - that run on apps in the AdMob network and DoubleClick Ad Exchange.
Inspired by
Material Design
, the new app install interstitial comes with a beautiful cover photo, a round install button, and matching color schemes. Technology called “color extraction” makes the ads more consistent with the brand's look and feel -- we extract a dominant color either from the cover photo or app icon and apply it to the footer and install button. We found that having a greater variety of designs and colors can improve conversion rate.
Other features include the app’s rating, and a screenshot gallery which appears when a user taps ‘More images’, so users can learn more about the app without leaving the ad.
The previous design of our app install ads on the left, and our new version on the right.
Different examples of color matching.
Our app install formats have driven more than a billion downloads across Android and iOS. You can use these new designs automatically when you run a
mobile app install campaign
on the AdMob network in AdWords. That’s right, no extra work required!
Next, our new text-based ads are easier to read, and contain a larger headline and a round call-to-action button that clicks through to a website.
On the left, the previous text ad interstitial design, and the new version on the right.
As with other ad format innovations, our ads UI team test multiple designs - ten in this case over the course of a year - to find final versions that increase clicks and conversions for advertisers, and a positive experience for users. Both app install and text ad formats appear within the app and can be closed easily, so users can return to what they were doing with a single tap.
As we
announced at Google I/O
this year, the volume of interstitial impressions has more than doubled across AdMob since last July, so now’s a great time to get your business in front of more app users.
If you’re a developer looking to learn more about earning with in-app interstitial ads in your app, visit
AdMob
now. These new designs will also be available to developers monetizing their apps with DoubleClick Ad Exchange.
Posted by Pasha Nahass, Product Manager
____________________________
1) Mobile App Marketing Insights: How Consumers Really Find and Use Your Apps, Google & Ipsos Media CT, May 2015
[NEW VIDEO] What’s the most important growth metric for your app?
August 6, 2015
In this week’s App-etizers, Max shares what’s the most important growth metric for your app. If you’ve been
following the series
, we last recently discussed how the secret to rapid growth is to not focus on growth at first, but instead focus on user engagement. Likewise, the most important growth metric to focus on isn’t a traditional growth metric at all. Watch the episode to learn more:
To discover more insights about app growth, download our eBook,
The No-Nonsense Guide to Growing Your Mobile App
. Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our
Twitter
and
Google+
page.
Posted by Raj Ajrawat
Product Specialist, AdMob
[NEW VIDEO SERIES] Watch App-etizers, Bite Sized Insights for App Developers
August 3, 2015
Today we’re launching the first episode of a new YouTube series called App-etizers, bite sized insights for app developers. For this first episode, watch Max (Google AdMob Specialist) share the secret to growing your mobile app.
To learn more about app growth, download our eBook,
The No-Nonsense Guide to Growing Your Mobile App
. Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our
Twitter
and
Google+
page.
Posted by Raj Ajrawat
Product Specialist, AdMob
Meet AdMob at Casual Connect SF #AdMobCC15
July 30, 2015
The Google AdMob team is excited to attend the Casual Connect conference in San Francisco this year. If you’re attending, be sure to visit the Google booth. We’d love to hear about your game and share ways that you can supercharge monetization with AdMob.
We’ll be hosting two sessions at the conference. First, Google's US Gaming Partnerships Lead, Alejandro Manchado, will talk about how to use Google Analytics and AdMob to build data-driven monetization strategies for your game at 11am on Wednesday, August 12th.
Secondly, Sampada Telang, Strategic Partner Lead, will talk about native ads and how they have impacted free-to-play games at 5pm on Wednesday, August 12th.
We’d also like to invite you to Google's workshops on how to monetize using
native
ads and
in-app purchase ads
with AdMob. There are limited seats at the workshop, so if you’re interested, please fill out this
form
, and we'll follow up with details.
If you can’t attend the event this year,
sign up for our mailing list
now and we’ll send you exclusive content filmed live at Casual Connect.
We’ll also be live tweeting and sharing our app-themed musings on
Google+
and
Twitter
, so stay in the loop with what’s happening with #AdMobCC15.
So see you there or online,
The AdMob Team
[New eBook] Download The No-Nonsense Guide to App Growth
July 27, 2015
What’s the secret to rapid growth for your app?
Play Store or App Store optimization? A sophisticated paid advertising strategy? A viral social media campaign?
While all of these strategies could help you grow your user base, the foundation for rapid growth is much more basic and fundamental—you need an engaging app.
This handbook will walk you through practical ways to increase your app’s user engagement to help you eventually transition to growth. You’ll learn how to:
Pick the right metric to represent user engagement
Look at data to audit your app and find areas to fix
Promote your app after you’ve reached a healthy level of user engagement
Download a free copy
here
:
For more tips on app monetization, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our
Twitter
and
Google+
pages.
Posted by Raj Ajrawat,
Product Specialist, AdMob
AdMob Story: DivMob
July 16, 2015
Founded in 2012 in Vietnam, DivMob has produced over 10 gaming apps, garnering over 23M downloads worldwide. Watch their story on how they partnered with AdMob to grow their company.
To check out
DivMob’s success story
, or any other of our other success stories, visit us at at the
AdMob website
. Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our
Twitter
and
Google+
page.
Posted by Henry Wang
AdMob Marketing
Going global with AdMob: CocoPPa
July 10, 2015
Japanese company United’s
CocoPPa
app has been a huge hit internationally, with over 37M downloads and 80% of those downloads coming from outside Japan. CocoPPa enables smartphone users to customize their homescreens and share their customizations with others. Watch United’s story on how they used AdMob to identify valuable markets and grow their revenue with users across the globe.
To learn more about
CocoPPa
and our other app stories, visit Success Stories on the
AdMob website
, and stay connected to all things AdMob and more by following our
Google+
page.
Posted by Henry Wang
AdMob Marketing
AdMob Story: Backflip Studios
July 8, 2015
We recently did a case study with Backflip Studios, a wildly successful gaming company with over 300M downloads of their popular games Paper Toss and Ninjump. Founded in April 2009 in Boulder, Colorado, Backflip Studios started out with the idea that mobile was going to change the landscape and ecosystem of gaming. They created free engaging games and grew a huge user base but weren’t sure how to build a sustainable gaming business. Watch their story on how they built their company with AdMob.
To see more stories like this, visit Success Stories on the
AdMob website
, and stay connected to all things AdMob and more by following our
Twitter
and
Google+
page.
Posted by Henry Wang
AdMob Marketing
The App Developer Business Kit: Now available in 10 more languages
July 6, 2015
Today we’re excited to launch
The App Developer Business Kit
in 10 more languages. The website includes tips for new app developers on building, promoting and monetizing your app. Check out the Business Kit in your language:
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Spanish
British English
To help you make decisions about growing your app business in other regions, we’ve added 6 new market reports providing great insights about app users in Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil, France, and Russia. Did you know that Brazilian smartphone users engage with ads more frequently than users in the US and Japan? Or that while nearly 2/3rds of French users exclusively download free apps, only 31% of Brazilian smartphone users do? Check out statistics like these about exciting regions around the world
here
.
Stay connected on all things mobile apps by following us on
Google+
and
Twitter
.
Posted by Sean Meng
Marketing, AdMob
[New Video] AdMob Ad Formats
June 25, 2015
It’s important to have a monetization plan in place before building an app. How you monetize depends on the type of content you’re offering and how users engage with it. If you plan to monetize with ads, AdMob offers various ad formats that are easy to integrate with your app. Find out what they are and which ones are most suitable for your app by watching our video.
To learn more about monetization, sign up for our free
App Monetization Playbook
, and stay connected on all things AdMob and more by following our
Twitter
and
Google+
page.
Posted by Henry Wang
AdMob Marketing
[New eBook] Download Making Money: The App Monetization Playbook
June 17, 2015
The future is bright for mobile apps and their developers, but the road to success isn’t always smooth. With challenges all along the way – in designing, developing, growing and monetizing mobile apps, the process can be overwhelming without the right tools and resources to help.
In a survey Google conducted last year, 25% of app developers had a hard time finding quality resources and support around monetization. That’s why we’re releasing a new eBook today called
Making Money: The App Monetization Playbook
.
We are thrilled to help bridge that gap for app developers like you by providing a detailed map of Google's tools and resources. Whether you’re part of a large company building multiple apps or you’re just getting started building your first app on your own, you’ll find helpful tips and best practices that you can use right away. Download a free copy
here
.
For more tips on app monetization, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our
Twitter
and
Google+
page.
Posted by Shirley Bartov,
Content Marketing Manager
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