Category Archives: AdMob Blog

News, tips, and information on the AdMob developer platform

Go local to go global

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.
2015-08-25_15-04-03.png
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

Source: Inside AdMob


Re-engage your users with an app update

When was the last time you updated your app? According to a VentureBeat study, 60% of apps are never updated after release1. Plus 4 in 5 app users prefer updates at least weekly or monthly2. 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


Fixes
Identify technical errors in your app
Key report: Google Analytics Crashes 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

2 Source: AdMob & Parks Associates Research, 2014

Source: Inside AdMob


Celebrate 30 years of Super Mario Bros.!

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

Source: Inside AdMob


AdMob helps Etermax crack the global games market

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

Source: Inside AdMob


Beautiful New Designs for Full-Screen In-App Ads

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.
New Version of Full-Screen In-App Ads
The previous design of our app install ads on the left, and our new version on the right.
Different Examples of Color Matching for Full-Screen In-App Ads
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.
prev_wayfair.png               new_wayfair.png


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

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1) Mobile App Marketing Insights: How Consumers Really Find and Use Your Apps, Google & Ipsos Media CT, May 2015

Source: Inside AdMob


[NEW VIDEO] What’s the most important growth metric for your app?

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

Source: Inside AdMob


[NEW VIDEO SERIES] Watch App-etizers, Bite Sized Insights for App Developers

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

Source: Inside AdMob


Meet AdMob at Casual Connect SF #AdMobCC15

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

Source: Inside AdMob


[New eBook] Download The No-Nonsense Guide to App Growth

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:
The No-Nonesense Guide to App Growth
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

Source: Inside AdMob


AdMob Story: DivMob

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

Source: Inside AdMob