Category Archives: AdMob Blog

News, tips, and information on the AdMob developer platform

SDK-less Mediation: An easier way to mediate


Publishers have long used mediation to maximize revenue by showing ads sourced from diverse ad networks. However adding new networks required integrating and testing new SDKs - which often led to wasted development resources, app updates, bugs and bloated code. With SDK-less mediation it is now possible to simply add new networks server side without updating their apps.

Today, we’re excited to announce that we’re adding SDK-less mediation to the AdMob and DoubleClick for Publishers platforms. SDK-less mediation is a feature that lets developers add new ad networks without having to integrate additional SDKs or adapters. This is great for developers who are concerned with SDK size or who simply do not want to deal with the hassle of adding and updating new ad network SDKs. With SDK-less mediation, developers can conveniently add new ad networks to their mediation stack.

"AdMob SDK-less allows us to test new networks without updating binaries. It means we can get more expensive traffic from new networks and increase our overall eCPM (and overall income) just by adding new networks and finding most optimal mediation settings (and all these don't require any programming!)." - Victor Negrutsa, CEO, 1C Wireless

As with AdMob’s existing SDK-based mediation, SDK-less mediation will support all existing mediation features including ad network optimization, Live CPM, and country-specific CPM values. Developers using SDK-less will still be able to leverage SDK-based integrations and the two can be combined in the same mediation waterfall. SDK-less networks will have the ‘SDK-less’ suffix on the AdMob interface.
To launch SDK-less, we’re happy to announce our first round of partners: Aarki, Drawbridge, MdotM and Smaato with more coming in the near future.

For more information on technical integration for SDK-less mediation check out our help center. Not mediating yet? It’s easy to set up and takes very little time to manage. With AdMob, you can focus on building great apps while we do the hard work for you. Here’s how you can get started.
For more about AdMob Mediation, visit our help center, and to stay connected on all things AdMob, follow our Twitter and Google+ pages.



Posted by Arun Balaraman, Group Product Manager

Source: Inside AdMob


Managing your time effectively in the #AdMobSAC16

Here are some pointers for managing your time as your team gets started in the #AdMobSAC16.

  • January to February: 
    • Organize your team; if you haven’t found a team, utilize Collabfinder to ensure you find the best team possible.
    • Assign tasks and deliverables for people according to their strengths.
    • Brainstorm your ideas for your app.
    • Put together your strategy for project completion. 

      Tip: This is also a good time to familiarize yourself with the AdMob app policy, which can be found in the AdMob Help Center.

  • March: As springtime approaches, your team should be in the heart of building the application. Focus on:
    • Design work and developing the basic elements of the app.
    • Aim to have a working prototype by the end of the month.
    • Don’t forget to integrate AdMob ads into your app. This is a key requirement.
    • Open it up for testing among a small group of trusted developers who are willing to provide detailed feedback.Start thinking your app’s promotional strategy.

      Tip: A large portion of #AdMobSAC16 is scored on the success of your app (such as the number of downloads and ratings - check the judging criteria for the full details) - you will need to give yourself enough time to put effort into promoting your app.

  • April: 
    • Complete final testing and make refinements based on user feedback. Your app should be high quality, and part of that is responding to user suggestions. 
    • Release your app on an app store and start promoting it.
    • Remember to submit your app and AdMob account ID to AdMob so we know you’ve built it.
  • May to June:
    • Continue promoting your app. Think about creative ways to do it. 
    • Now will be the time to start readying your business report, which is due on June 28, 2016 by 5:00PM PST. The Challenge website already has a recommended template on it.
    • Remember, your project will be reviewed by a panel of app experts from Google, so your business report will need to be thorough and of professional-level quality. 
Be sure to visit the AdMob website to register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge.


Posted by Jeff MinerAdMob Student App Challenge Team

Source: Inside AdMob


App Monetization Insights: How Hydro Coach rapidly reached 22 new markets

We created The No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization to help you answer a burning question, “What’s the best way to monetize my app?”. Our new 5-part blog series provides additional tips straight from successful app developers.

Hydro CoachThis week, meet Christoph Pferschy, the app developer and designer behind Hydro Coach. Hydro Coach is a drink reminder and water intake tracker that’s been growing in popularity, now receiving over 5,500 downloads a day. Check out these tips from Christoph.

1. Start small to get big


Christoph is best known for his app Hydro Coach, but his company, Codium App Ideas, has a bigger vision. In his words, they’re on a mission “to create useful and high-quality health-related apps that are combinable to a single health & fitness system.”

But right now, Christoph is focusing on just one app – Hydro Coach. Why?

Because he believes the best way to accomplish a big goal is to focus on a critical piece and nail it. He chose Hydro Coach because he’s personally benefited from drinking more water and he saw that there was less competition in the space.

Now that his business is growing, he’s begun moving forward with his larger plan, connecting with other services and platforms. For example, he explains, “we’ve connected Hydro Coach to Google Fit to synchronize users’ weight and we’re also very proud to be featured as a partner app with Samsung’s S Health,” syncing all drink inputs with their platform.”

Consider Christoph’s approach to building a company: start small to get big. Focusing on too much, too early, might not allow you to build an app experience that user’s love.

2. Assess users’ needs before choosing a business model


Settle on a business model for your app before it launches. Spend time assessing your users’ needs and your business goals to get there. Start by asking yourself guiding questions that will help narrow down the decision for you like, “Who is your audience?”, “What value does your app provide?”, and “How do you intend to promote your app?”. Learn more about these guiding questions and business models in our No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization.

Once you do choose your business model, consider continually improving your app’s user experience, especially when it affects monetization. Christoph is meticulous about providing the best experience for all of his users, explaining,

“We try to improve each user experiment segment with small and careful changes over time. For example, we’ve fine-tuned the algorithm that determines when, how and how often ads are displayed, thanks to Manuela (our AdMob consultant). We also invest in small things that mean a lot to our users, like being sure to say ‘Thank you’ after a user makes an in-app purchase and making the flow after a purchase as smooth as possible. It all adds up.”

As you look through your app, be methodical when choosing your overarching monetization strategy. Once you’ve chosen your model, focus on tweaking the user experience and providing the best possible monetization flow.

3. Consider having your users help with localization


Christoph has done an amazing job getting Hydro Coach fully translated into 22 languages. His secret weapon? His users.

As he explains, “It’s no secret that translating the app is the first and most important step. So here’s my tip: ask your users to help translate. It results in a high-quality translation because people who are already using your app have the needed context and interest. There are several services for this that you can use, but you’ll be surprised how many people love to help.”

If you found these tips helpful, don’t forget to check out The No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization. Also, stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter and Google+ pages.

Posted by Joe Salisbury, Product Specialist, AdMob

Source: Inside AdMob


Tips on how you can prevent invalid activity on your apps

Invalid activity is an important topic we'd like to discuss in today's post.

Invalid activity consists of any clicks or impressions that may artificially inflate an advertiser's costs or a publisher's earnings. Invalid activity covers intentionally fraudulent traffic as well as accidental clicks.

Publishers can take many preventative steps to prevent invalid activity on their accounts. If we find invalid activity in your app(s), you may be at risk for account suspension or disablement. We may also refund revenue generated from invalid clicks to affected advertisers.

Publishers must not artificially inflate the impressions or clicks the ads receive, either through automated or manual means. Clicks on Google ads must result from genuine user interest.

We understand that a third party may generate invalid activity on your ads without your knowledge or permission. However, ultimately, it is your responsibility as the publisher to ensure that the activity on your ads is valid.

Here are some tips on how you can prevent invalid activity on your ads:

  • Don't click on your own ads. This includes manually clicking on your live ads and employing automated means, including but not limited to robots or other deceptive software. Testing your live ads by clicking on them is not allowed. Please use test ads (available for Android, iOS, or Windows Phone) to avoid generating invalid impressions and clicks.
  • Don't encourage or ask your friends, family, co-workers, etc. to click on your ads.
  • Don't encourage or ask general users to click on your ads. This includes asking for users to support your app, offering rewards to users for clicking ads, and promising to raise money for third parties for such behavior.
  • Make sure your ad implementations don't encourage accidental clicks. User flow is very important to consider when implementing your ads. For instance, interstitial ads unexpectedly surprising the user, and close proximity of banner ads to other elements within an app, are some of the biggest causes of accidental clicks. Check out our AdMob implementation guidance for more information.
  • Avoid partnering with untrusted / low-quality parties. Some publishers have had issues with invalid activity when partnering with low-quality ad networks or app promotion sites in efforts to increase traffic to their app, which may increase the likelihood of ads being viewed or clicked. Again, it is ultimately the publisher's responsibility to ensure that the activity on their ads is valid. To help determine the source of your visitors, we recommend using Google Analytics for AdMob. For more information please visit our AdMob Help Center.
Posted by Danielle Chang
AdMob Policy Team

Source: Inside AdMob


Trouble Finding a team? Try the AdMob Student App Challenge Collabfinder

For many students, the AdMob Student App Challenge is an exciting opportunity to showcase their app-building prowess, or a new way to display their entrepreneurial skills. However, since the contest is a both a developer and business contest, you may be having difficulty forming the right team or worse yet, considering not participating because of it.

Enter the AdMob Student App Challenge Collabfinder group. This tool allows you to find like-minded students who are interested in participating in the Challenge, who may not have been able to form a team yet. For students with a mind towards business or an app idea, here’s a way to find someone with a passion for app development that you can work together with. Or for someone who already has the skills to build the app, but is not as business-oriented, find a teammate who can help with putting a business plan behind the app idea.

Be sure to visit the AdMob website to learn more and register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge.

Posted by Jeff Miner
External Communications, AdMob Student App Challenge

Source: Inside AdMob


Not your average app building competition: The AdMob Student App Challenge

Did you know that there are more mobile devices than people? In 2014, there were 7.4BN* devices and an estimated 7.2 billion people. Mobile is quickly becoming the most popular way to get online, even exceeding the time spent on desktop computers**. This has contributed greatly to the growth of the app ecosystem, with consumers spending on average 37 hours a month*** on mobile apps. As apps are becoming more prominent in our everyday lives, it’s more important now than ever to learn app development.

That’s why we’re launching the second AdMob Student App Challenge, an app building competition open to students around the world. If you’re a student who loves to code or has a great idea for a mobile app, this is your chance to build an app, learn how to make money from it, and win awesome prizes. The prizes will include a week-long trip to San Francisco and a visit to the Googleplex.


To win the challenge, you’ll need to build a great app (either Android or iOS) and create a sound business plan that shows how you managed the project, gained users, and leveraged AdMob to make money. The contest will be judged by a panel of app industry leaders. To learn more about the judges, visit here.

The winning team will receive:
  • An all expenses paid, week-long trip to San Francisco, including a visit to the Googleplex in Mountain View, CA 
  • A featured spot on the Google Play Store 
  • A promotional video starring you and your app 
  • A healthy amount of Google schwag, including a new Google device 

Last year’s global winner was Phani Gaddipati, who created Stacks Flashcards, an app that lets people create electronic flashcards on any subject, quiz themselves and analyze their performance. Check out his video to learn more.

In addition to one overall winner, the finalist from each of the four global regions (North America, Latin America, Europe Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific) will receive Google devices and see their app featured on the AdMob website.

The challenge starts today, and you’ll have until June 28, 2016 to build your winning app. Be sure to visit the AdMob website to learn more and register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge. .

Best of luck -- we can’t wait to see what you build!

Posted by Henry Wang
Product Marketing, AdMob

* Cisco, Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update 2014–2019 White Paper, February 2015
** eMarketer, US Time Spent with Media, October 2014
*** Nielsen, Smartphones: So Many Apps, So Much Time, July 2014

Source: Inside AdMob


[New eBook] Download The No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization

There are many questions to answer when developing a new app. One of the most important being, “what’s the best way to make money?”.

Research firm Canalys predicts that by 2019, there will be 6.9 billion mobile phones in the world, in the hands of nearly 75% of the Earth’s population.* With growing demand in new markets and so many options for monetization, answering this question can be complicated.

Today we’re launching a new ebook “The No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization”, the latest in our No-nonsense series. This guide is designed for app developers starting to consider how to monetize their app. It provides a comprehensive overview of app monetization and shares helpful examples and practical tips to get you started.

In 10 minutes you’ll learn:
  • What the seven primary app monetization models are and the pros and cons for each
  • How to choose the right monetization strategy for your app
  • Important considerations to keep in mind when implementing your monetization plan

Download a free copy here.

The No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization

Also, within the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing blog posts with app developers sharing candid stories and helpful tips on app monetization. Our next post will highlight the tactic Christoph Pferschy, the app developer behind Hydro Coach, used to scalably release 22 localized versions of his app.

Until then, for more tips on app monetization, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter and Google+ pages.

Posted by Joe Salisbury, Product Specialist, AdMob

* Canalys 2015, “Worldwide smart phones forecast overview 2015-2019”


Source: Inside AdMob


New partners added to the AdMob Mediation platform

Showing ads from multiple ad networks increases competition in your app and can help you earn more revenue. AdMob Mediation offers you a way to manage many different networks to maximize your fill rate, all from a single interface. We’ve been adding new features to our mediation solution, such as ad network optimization, which dynamically generates the highest CPM for each ad from the ad networks in your mediation stack. And we’ve been continually adding ad networks, giving you more choice when selecting ad networks.
Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve added Vungle and Vpon as our newest mediation partners, with Vungle also supporting ad network optimization.




Here’s what developers have to say about AdMob mediation:

After integrating AdMob mediation and opting into ad network optimization, Bangkok-based company Sinoze saw its AdMob revenue grow by nearly 70% and overall revenue by 175%. To learn more about Sinoze’s big revenue uplift with their popular music app Thapster, check out their case study here.

“AdMob delivers extremely high fill rates – up to 99% in some cases, which other platforms simply cannot match and the built-in mediation feature makes it convenient and effective to manage ads from several demand sources to maximize yield. What is more, the ads are varied, and the formats are high quality so the ads that our players see are perfectly in keeping with the premium feel of the app.”
- Chishima Shigeru, Manager, Sinoze

Digitalchemy went global with its popular calculator apps, enabling them to grow from a team of two part-time developers to a full-time app business with a staff of seven. To learn more, check out their growth story here.

“We’ve seen a 30% to 40% bump in revenue since we started using mediation in AdMob. AdMob offers a simple way to work with multiple ad partners to maximize fill rates and revenue. The way AdMob automatically optimizes across multiple ad networks is fantastic.” 
- Micah Koffron, Founder, Digitalchemy

Not mediating yet? It’s easy to set up and takes very little time to manage. With AdMob, you can focus on building great apps while we do the hard work for you. Here’s how you can get started.

For more about AdMob Mediation, visit our help center, and to stay connected on all things AdMob, follow our Twitter and Google+ pages.

Posted by Henry Wang
Product Marketing, AdMob

Source: Inside AdMob


Appkruti, creator of Crazy Helium Booth, doubles income with AdMob by Google

Founded in 2012 in India, Appkruti Solutions’ mission is to put smiles on faces and bring families together through fun, engaging apps. Their popular app, Crazy Helium Video Booth, lets users create videos with funny video and sound effects, and has garnered over 15M downloads worldwide. To monetize its massive user base, Appkruti turned to AdMob because of its global reach. Using AdMob mediation, Appkruti was able to tap many different networks without integrating additional SDKs, helping them to double their income. Watch how Appkruti is growing their business with AdMob by Google.



To check out 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+ pages.

Posted by Henry Wang and Deborah Fray-Chaudhuri
Product Marketing

Source: Inside AdMob


Introducing new interactive ads to drive app installs

Cross-posted from the Inside AdWords blog.

We’re launching two new immersive ad formats to help advertisers drive app installs. As an AdMob developer you may start to see these new formats appear in your apps. If you opt into ‘Image’ as an ‘ad type’ in your account, you’ll be eligible to show the Interactive Interstitial format, and if you opt into ‘Text,’ your app can begin to serve the Trial Run format. At this time, Interactive Interstitials show on Android and iOS apps, and Trial Run Ads show on Android apps only.


Developers are constantly looking for new ways to bring users to their apps. But because people’s attention on mobile is becoming shorter and more intent-rich, finding engaged users of your app is an ongoing challenge — both before and after an install. In fact, we found that one in four installed apps is never even used. We’ve focused our efforts on offering developers advertising tools that engage users and showcase an app at its best. We recently redesigned one of our in-app ad formats, and are building on our desire to create beautiful app ad experiences. That’s why today we’re introducing two new rich, immersive ad formats to our growing suite of creative app install solutions.

Play a game within an ad with Trial Run Ads
Trial Run Ads are an app ad format that lets a user play a game for up to 60 seconds by streaming content from the app before downloading. The immersive demo increases the likelihood that an install is coming from someone who enjoys playing the game. Users get a taste of the game before going through the download process,  and the app developer attracts better qualified users who’ve chosen the game based on their experiences in the app.

Trial Run Ads provide:
  • Ultra-immersive and delightful ads designed for games
  • The opportunity for gamers to trial before download 
  • More relevant ad clicks, app downloads, and pre-qualified app users
Cookie Jam's Trial Run Ad
Get ultra-creative with customized mobile ads
We’re also launching a beta for Interactive Interstitial ads, which are HTML5 ads that offer a completely customized user experience tailored to each advertiser's app. They give advertisers creative freedom to use HTML5 instead of standard templates and pull in data dynamically. Diversity potential is high with this format and it's not limited to just gaming apps. Interactive Interstitials offer a truly custom experience that can include your app’s value proposition and the functionalities you want to highlight, all painted in your personal branding strategy. This is particularly valuable for advertisers who are looking for higher user engagement in installers.

Interactive Interstitials provide:
  • A beautiful and flexible canvas for the advertiser to become truly creative
  • Unique testing and optimization capabilities
  • The opportunity to bring a piece of the app experience to the user before download
  • Unique brand building possibilities
Marketers are already taking advantage of these engaging ads to drive app installs. Zalora built a an ad that allowed users to swipe to discover an exclusive offer.
Zalora's Interactive Interstitial allows users to use a finger to
swipe a screen to discover a special promotion.
Customization can be as big or small as you want — from adjusting standard templates to developing a fully custom creative. Marketers can also use their live app content to create compelling, real time ad formats. With more control over layout and interaction, you can A/B test creatives and try various CTAs to increase conversions. Rather than just telling a user about your app, you can offer them an experience unique to your app that inspires them to want to spend time with your app.

Advertisers can use Interactive Interstitials to showcase their latest product offerings through galleries, highlight elements of their personal branding, and to more powerfully demonstrate the value of their app before someone installs.
Zalora showcases a gallery of products that users can
swipe through in its Interactive Interstitial ad.
We understand that experiences on mobile need to be made for mobile, and an ad is no different. We’re continually exploring new and better ways to build out interactive formats for the small screen.

Trial Run Ads and Interactive Interstitials are currently in beta and available to a limited set of advertisers. Reach out to your account manager if you are interested in joining the betas.

Posted by Sissie Hsiao, Director of Product, 
Display and Pasha Nahass, Product Manager, Display

Source: Inside AdMob