Category Archives: AdMob Blog

News, tips, and information on the AdMob developer platform

Introducing the redesigned AdMob with new tools that make it even easier to earn

It has been a busy time here in Mountain View as more than 7,000 developers joined us at Shoreline Amphitheater for this year’s Google I/O. We made a number of big product announcements but I can’t help being most excited about one in particular — the newly redesigned AdMob!

Many of you rely on in-app ads for revenue — in fact, over 1 million apps now use AdMob to earn across iOS and Android. And to date, we’ve paid out over $3.5 billion dollars to developers like you. But we knew we could be doing even more to help you be successful. So we rebuilt the AdMob platform from the ground up to help you build a profitable business faster and to stay profitable as you scale.

Simple to use with a brand new user interface

Your time is valuable and we want you to spend it growing your business, not navigating our screens. With the new AdMob, everything from navigation to dashboards has been organized around your apps. The tools and features you need most are right at your fingertips. We’ve also applied Material Design across the entire AdMob platform to make your experience intuitive and productive at every step.

When you log in to the new experience, you’ll see a streamlined interface that surfaces key growth trends and gives you a quick snapshot of how your apps are performing. Whether you have one app or fifty, the new app picker will help you rapidly navigate through the new AdMob experience. In addition, we’ve added a simplified dashboard with a complete breakdown of your revenue. From here you can see how ads are impacting critical metrics like lifetime value, engagement, and retention for each app.
With the new AdMob, it’s easier to find your way to what you need

Richer insights with a deep integration with Firebase

We know that you have many different options when it comes to making money for your app business. Whether you decide to use in-app purchases, subscriptions, ads, or commerce, we know how valuable a holistic view can be for making decisions and monitoring how even slight monetization changes can impact user experience. Historically compiling all of this data has required multiple tools and has been time consuming at best and impossible for most. So we’re putting comprehensive analytics at your fingertips through an integration with Google Analytics for Firebase.

With this integration you can see new reporting across all of your revenue sources and dig deeper in Firebase to see how both lifetime value and user behavior are affected.

To get started, link your AdMob and Firebase accounts and update to the latest version of the SDKs. Once linked, you'll have access to detailed ad revenue data and user insights like time spent in the app and in-app purchases—all in one place. Your Firebase account can now access your ad signals and AdMob can access your app usage signals for deeper level insights. With instant access to detailed ad revenue data plus consumer insights like session duration and ad exposure you no longer have to deal with endless spreadsheets or make wild guesses.
Power a smarter monetization strategy with the right data, all in one place.

With a more complete view of lifetime value, you now have the data you need to create a monetization strategy with complete confidence. Marcin Krakowiak, co-founder of Byss Mobile, is already a fan: “Creating a sustainable monetization strategy has been the core focus of our team as we continue diversifying our portfolio of apps. Having meaningful, accurately connected data sources is key to developing that strategy. This new integration between Firebase and AdMob does just that. We are finally able to analyze lifetime value of both in-app purchases and ads to test and create a more profitable monetization strategy.”


Advanced controls to help you scale with Mediation Groups

If you already use AdMob, you know that mediation is a great way to monetize across multiple ad networks. Well, mediation just got even better with the addition of mediation groups.

Historically, you needed to configure mediation for every ad slot and geography. Developers using mediation often found this process extremely time consuming. We’ve introduced mediation groups in AdMob, to make all of this easier. Just set up mediation once and then assign that group to different ad units and countries across all of your apps in a single step. You can also make calls to outbound networks up to three times in a mediation chain, helping you to maximize revenue.
Set up and activate a new mediation group with just a few clicks.

We hope you’ll take advantage of mediation groups and everything else the redesigned AdMob platform has to offer — because it’s been built with you in mind! We’re here to support your success as an app developer, and we’re really excited to see how you use these new tools to grow your business. Become a part of the millions of apps using AdMob by putting our new monetization tools to work.

Visit the Help Center or contact your Google account team to see when you’ll have access to these great features.

Posted by: Duke Dukellis, Group Product Manager, AdMob











Source: Inside AdMob


Google I/O: New Ways to Put Users at the Center of Your Apps and Payments

I/O is a magical time at Google. Every year, thousands of developers gather in Google's backyard to share new product ideas and learn about our latest innovations in computing.

We're meeting at an exciting time for the developer community. It's a time when consumers have more choices than ever before—like where to shop, what to watch, which games to play and how to communicate with friends and family. Your product needs to stand out. You need tools to help your business grow. And you need to make sure your users are happy.

We think we can help.

This afternoon, my team and I will share 3 new innovations for developers to make it easy for users to pay for your services, build profitable businesses and grow your user base. Check out our live stream here or at the end of this post.
Enabling users to pay with Google

Starting today, our suite of payment solutions will be expanding. The Google Payment API enables merchants and developers to turbocharge checkout conversion by offering your users an easy way to pay with credit and debit cards saved to their Google Account. Users will have multiple Google payment options at their fingertips, like a credit or a debit card previously saved via Android Pay, a payment card used to transact on the Play Store or a form of payment stored via Chrome. And they'll be able to use these saved payment options in third-party apps and mobile sites, as well as on Google Assistant when they are on-the-go.
Paying with Google for Panera Bread on Google Assistant

For users, this means faster checkout. Now they'll never miss a deal because they're stuck on a bus and don't want to pull out their credit card in front of strangers. They'll no longer experience the pain of stumbling on a sale that ends at midnight when they're tucked in bed with their credit card out of reach. Users can save time and headache by using credit and debit cards they've already saved to their Google Account whenever they see the option to pay with Google on supported apps or sites.

For developers, this API is a significant innovation that can enable faster checkout, drive more conversions, increase sales and reduce abandoned carts—all with a simple integration. Learn more about our Google Payment API here.
Earn more from your apps with the brand new AdMob
People turn to their mobile devices throughout the day to shop, communicate and stay entertained. For developers, in-app purchases are one way to monetize. Ads are another way.
AdMob was built to support the app ecosystem. With over 1 million apps across iOS and Android, AdMob has paid over $3.5 billion dollars in ads revenue to developers. But there's more we can do to help you succeed.

Today, we're introducing a completely redesigned AdMob. Rebuilt from the ground up, AdMob is now simpler to use and delivers richer insights about your users' in-app experiences.

Simpler to use: We've applied Material Design to all aspects of the AdMob look and feel to deliver an easy-to-use and intuitive experience across the entire platform—on mobile and desktop. You'll get more done in less time. Below you can see how easy it is to pick an app that you're monitoring, check out its key metrics and then quickly take action to fine-tune its performance.

Redesigned AdMob experience

Deeper insights:
We've also integrated Google Analytics for Firebase into the core of the redesigned AdMob so you have quick access to the metrics that matter most for your business. Once you linkyour AdMob and Firebase accounts, you'll have access to detailed ad revenue data and user insights like time spent in the app and in-app purchases—all in one place.

Google Analytics for Firebase dashboard in AdMob
Know your user, find your user with Universal App Campaigns
Earning money from your app is one piece of the puzzle. You also need to think about how to grow your user base.

Google's app innovations have delivered over 5 billion installs from ads and we are now helping developers drive over 3 billion in-app events per quarter—like users adding something to their cart or reaching level 3 of a game. Developers have gravitated toward Universal App Campaigns (UAC) as the "one stop shop" campaign type that scales your reach and maximizes app installs across Google's largest properties: Google Play, Search, YouTube, Gmail and the Display Network. UAC uses Google's machine learning technology to evaluate numerous signals in real time, refining each ad to help you reach your most engaged users. We're continuing to double down on UAC, with all new innovations being built into UAC to make app promotion even more effective.
Engage users in key moments of discovery with new UAC placements in Google Play 
Android reaches more than 2 billion active devices every month, with Google Play available in 190+ countries around the world. It's the place users come to discover new apps and games. Beyond searching for apps to try, users are increasingly browsing the Play store and finding recommendations for new apps. 
To help those users discover more of your apps, we are introducing new ad placements on the home and app listing pages in the Google Play Store. These new placements, available exclusively through UAC, help you reach users in "discovery mode" as they swipe, tap and scroll in search of their next favorite app. 
New ad placements reach users browsing in Google Play

Discover more of your best users with new bidding options in UAC 
Some users are more valuable to your business than others, like the players who level-up in your game or the loyal travelers who book several flights a month. That's why we're expanding Smart Bidding strategies in UAC to help you acquire more of these high-value users. Using Smart Bidding, you can tailor bids for your unique business goals - target cost per acquisition (tCPA) or target return on ad spend (tROAS). UAC delivers the right users based on your objectives: installs, events and, coming soon, value. This update starts rolling out to iOS and Android developers and advertisers in the coming months. 
Introducing App Attribution Partners, a new measurement program 
Many developers rely on third-party measurement providers to measure the impact of ads and gain valuable insights about how users engage with your app. To help you take action on these insights in a faster and more seamless way, we are introducing App Attribution Partners, a new program designed to integrate data from 7 global companies right into AdWords.

Welcome to adjust, Adways, AppsFlyer, Apsalar, CyberZ, Kochava and TUNE... we're thrilled to have them onboard!

AdWords' integration with these partners ensures that you have consistent, reliable and more granular data where you review app metrics. Now you can take action with confidence and stay on top of your business performance.
As consumers live more of their lives online, it's increasingly important for developers to build user-centric experiences in everything that you do—from the apps you design, to the experiences you deliver, to the ways you help people transact. We know it's not always easy, so Google is here to help.

We look forward to continuing on this journey with you.

Posted by Sridhar Ramaswamy, Senior Vice President, Ads and Commerce

Source: Inside AdMob


AdMob is heading to Google I/O 2017

Google I/O 2017 is one week away (May 17-19th), and we’ll be there. Google I/O brings together developers from around the globe for an immersive experience focused on exploring the next generation of tech.

This year there will be dozens of talks discussing important topics that matter to you like design & development, growing your business, the latest in mobile tech, and more. We’ll also give you a look into “what’s next” for AdMob.

Be sure to catch the keynotes to be the first to hear about the latest AdMob innovations:

Wednesday, May 17th

Google Keynote
10:00 AM PST, 5:00 PM GMT
Join Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, as he gives a “first look” into all the latest and greatest technology innovations at Google.
Watch the livestream | Add to Calendar

Growth & Monetization Keynote
3:00 PM PST, 10:00 PM GMT
Hear from Sridhar Ramaswamy, SVP of Ads & Commerce, on how new ads and monetization innovations can help you build a customer-centric business.
Watch the livestream | Add to Calendar

Here are some of the other key sessions to check out at I/O 2017:

Wednesday, May 17th

Analytics with Firebase: Overview and Updates

4:00 PM PST, 11:00 PM GMT

Analytics is at the core of your ability to build great apps, grow your user base and earn more money. In this session we will show you what's new with Firebase and how we are building simpler and more powerful reporting that gives you real-time insights into what is happening in your app.

Watch the livestream | Add to Calendar

Thursday, May 18th

Build Great Monetization Experiences with the ALL NEW AdMob 

4:30 PM PST, 11:30 PM GMT

Successful developers use a combination of payments, ads, and sophisticated analytics to earn more from their apps. In this session we will show you how AdMob has strengthened its platform to give you a more holistic picture of those revenue sources with deeper insights and a more intuitive user experience.

Watch the livestream | Add to Calendar

Friday, May 19th

AdMob and Firebase: Better Together 

8:30 AM PST, 3:30 PM GMT

Come learn how AdMob and Firebase seamlessly work together to help you optimize and generate more advertising revenue in your app. This session dives into how you can use AdMob and Firebase to understand how ads impact user experience, how different audiences interact with ads, and how to think about lifetime value.

Watch the livestream | Add to Calendar

Find your Apps’ Best Users with Google’s Machine Learning 

10:30 AM PST, 5:30 PM GMT

In this session we will show you the data you need, the best mathematical models for calculating lifetime value (LTV), and how machine learning is the missing link that converts LTV into actual high value users for your app.

Watch the livestream | Add to Calendar

You can check out the complete Google I/O 2017 agenda here.

If you can’t attend in person, visit an I/O extended event near you! We’ll be live tweeting and sharing posts from the event on our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ channels, using the hashtags #io17. We hope to see you there!

Posted by: Duke Dukellis, Product Manager, AdMob

Source: Inside AdMob


Cheetah Mobile Improves User Ad Experience While Increasing App Performance with AdMob’s Native Video Ads

Seven years ago, Cheetah Mobile began as a small company of ten employees that built software for PCs. Today, they are a leading developer with over one thousand employees. Their popular apps Clean Master and Battery Doctor have been downloaded by millions around the world and Clean Master itself has over 600 million MAU worldwide.

The Problem

With an ever growing user base, Cheetah Mobile needed to find creative ways to help them reach their global user base while monetizing their apps with innovative new ad formats. They needed to be able to use diversified high-quality ads to improve their revenue while also preserving the user-focused experience of their apps.

The Solution

Cheetah Mobile work with Google, using AdMob to find new ways to improve the performance of their apps. Cheetah expanded on their use of native display ads by introducing the newly launched native video format. By doing this, Cheetah was able to diversify the ad mix and increasing user engagement by tapping into the branding power of video. Opting in to video ads alongside display ads resulted in higher overall performance.

The Results

By implementing these simple changes and taking advantage of Google newest native ad format, Cheetah Mobile saw a lift in eCPM’s of +34% and were able to increase their revenue by +31%. By placing video ads optimally within the flow of the app - on the results page after the intended user action was complete - Cheetah was able to maintain a highly engaging, but non-intrusive ad experience. Customizing the video ads to match the look and feel of their apps further ensured that introducing new ads did not disrupt the user experience.

“Native ads are the leading format in utility apps, and video ads are the next big thing in mobile advertising. AdMob provided the perfect solution for both: native video ads. The performance we have seen from AdMob is very encouraging and has already resulted in a revenue boost.“ -- Chen Yong , SVP of Cheetah Mobile.

To check out our other success stories, visit us at at the AdMob website. Remember to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

Posted by Jessica O'Brien, Mobile Product Specialist

Source: Inside AdMob


Mobile Ads Garage: Episode 15 – Mediation adapters

A new episode of The Mobile Ads Garage has hit YouTube! If you haven't seen it before, The Mobile Ads Garage is a video tutorial series that covers how to use the Mobile Ads SDK to display ads from AdMob and Doubleclick for Publishers. Each episode covers one aspect of the SDK, breaks down the feature, and shows screencasts of real implementations on both Android and iOS – all in a friendly format.

After hearing from publishers that you’d like a smoother path to integrating mediation, AdMob has worked with a bunch of network partners to open the source for their mediation adapters. For those of you unfamiliar with the our mediation platform, mediation adapters allow the Mobile Ads SDK to interface with third-party ad SDKs to fetch third-party ads on your behalf.

Open source mediation adapters have a few key benefits. First, there are now two repositories on GitHub with adapter source that publishers can refer to for a look at the inner working of the adapters themselves. Second, it allows AdMob to take those adapters up to bintray, where they can be targeted with jCenter packages and CocoaPods. That means that instead of hunting down individual JAR files, publishers can simply add a line to their podfile or build.gradle, and get the adapter they need!

Included in this video is a breakdown of the new resources, as well as screencasts of Android Studio and Xcode that show how to import adapters for several networks.

If you like the video, save the Mobile Ads Garage playlist to your YouTube Playlist collection and you'll never miss an episode.

We’d love to hear which AdMob features you’d like to learn more about. The comment sections for the videos are open, and you're welcome to share ideas for new episodes and examples you'd like to see. If you have a technical question relating to something discussed in one of the episodes, you can bring it to our support forum.

Remember to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

Posted by: Ram Parameswaran, Mobile Ads Developer Relations

Source: Inside AdMob


How to test your rewarded ads

Have you started using AdMob rewarded video, but feel like you could be getting more out of it?

We know it can be hard to get it right the first time, so we recommend A/B testing when implementing rewarded video in your app. Why? Because rewarded video gives you so much more flexibility and even the smallest tweaks can make a huge difference in your app revenue or give you peace of mind that you’re improving your user experience. With that in mind, here are four steps to help you run an effective A/B test.

1. Start with a defined goal and a hypothesis: Step back and decide on a single hypothesis that has the most potential to improve your business and start there. So where should you start testing?  One good place is the design elements in your ad template and how it can impact greater user ad engagement.For example, if you have a hypothesis that font sizes impact clarity and user engagement then you could create two variations with different font sizes (10pm and 13pm) to test key metrics like click through rates, ad revenue and of course, app exit rates. Meanwhile, key metrics to look for would be click through rate, ad revenue, and app exit rates.

Example variables that you could test are:

  • Font size
  • Ad size
  • Reward settings
  • Ad placement within app

2. Remember to test only one variation at a time for it to be a true A/B test: The testing stage will require two variations of your app screen – the current version and your re-designed version. When creating these variations, using an A/B testing platform will make it easy to design, run, and monitor your tests.

3. Run the experiment: Time to test your results. Set up your app to randomly show your original set-up to half of your users (i.e., the “control group”) and the second variation to the other 50% (i.e.,  the “experimental group”). By using a control group, you’re collecting baseline data to compare against your results. Without it, you can’t tell the difference between the response to your new designs or other variables, like seasonal chance.

4. Make a decision: Once the experiment is done, it’s time to crunch the data. First thing to do is to revisit your initial goal and hypothesis, and make that all-important final calls on whether the new variation is worth changing. Don’t be too hasty to lock in a new look. If the changes are significant, it’s smart to run the experiment over several time periods to ensure the results aren’t due to seasonality, or other variables.

As you continue to run more tests, remember that even with helpful tools, testing takes time and resources. Don’t waste time testing elements that won’t significantly impact your goal. Use app analytics data to help uncover spots in your app with a lot of opportunity and potential (think: screens with high traffic, high engagement, or large user drop off, for example). A good idea might be to have a devoted team member spend 25% of their time on monitoring analytics, identifying ad optimization ideas, and testing them.

Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

The AdMob Team

Source: Inside AdMob


It’s time to share your feedback on AdMob

To improve our product and service, we send out a survey to our developers every 6 months.

In the past, we have used your feedback to improve our service model, product interface, and ad formats. This year the survey is shortened and mobile friendly. Our questions should only take about 10-15 minutes to answer.

You may have received a survey by email over the last few weeks, if so please take the time to respond to it as we value your input.

To make sure that you're eligible to receive the next survey email, please:

Whether you’ve completed this survey before or you’re providing feedback for the first time, we’d like to thank you for sharing your valuable thoughts. We’re looking forward to feedback!

Posted by: Susie Reinecke, Publisher Happiness Team

Source: Inside AdMob


Winning with rewarded Video: Two app success stories

AdMob’s rewarded video is a quick and simple way to monetize your app effectively. Two developers share their learnings and success stories of using rewarded video ads to grow their revenue and business.

1. JOYCITY: Game of Dice

JOYCITY, a leading mobile-first developer of games and entertainment for iOS and Android, released Game of Dice, a fast-paced, quirky game that has amassed a legion of fans worldwide.

How they use rewarded ads

JOYCITY aimed to monetize non-spending users in the in-app-purchase (IAP) heavy game without cannibalizing IAP revenue. By implementing AdMob’s rewarded video ads demand and by including multiple third party demand sources via the AdMob mediation feature, JOYCITY were able to incorporate rewarded video ads into their gaming app and increase revenue.

Results

JOYCITY saw overall revenue of Game of Dice increase, with their IAP revenue in particular increasing by 10%, while also maintaining their daily active user rates.

Somin Oh, Ad Monetization Manager for JOYCITY said -

“Implementing AdMob rewarded ads helped us not just monetizing non-spending users but increasing overall revenue of the game, including IAP revenue. Also, AdMob mediation made it easy to compare our ad performance across ad networks.”

2. Cheetah Mobile: BADLAND 2

BADLAND 2 is the brainchild of, one of the world’s leading developers, Cheetah Mobile, and won the "Most Beautiful" reward of Google Play "Best of 2016" in Great Britain, Australia and India!.

How they use rewarded ads

Cheetah Mobile aimed to monetize BADLAND 2 without interrupting user’s gaming experience. They were able to implement AdMob’s rewarded ads at natural breaks in the game and offer a valuable reward in exchange for the viewer watching a video. This allowed Cheetah Mobile to ensure a great user experience while monetizing the app effectively.

Results

By using AdMob rewarded video ads and other rewarded local networks, within one week Cheetah Mobile saw a 40% increase in eCPM and a fill rate in the US of over 93%. Rewarded video also had a positive impact on monthly user retention rates.

Chen Yong, SVP of Cheetah Mobile said -

“AdMob rewarded video showed excellent performance among all networks on fill rate and eCPM in our main marketplaces. With rewarded video ads implemented in suitable scenarios in our games apps, we even see better user engagements.”

Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

Source: Inside AdMob


Duolingo keeps education free with AdMob native ads

Duolingo is an online education platform that helps millions of people around the world learn languages and also one of the most popular educational apps globally. It was selected by Apple as iPhone App of the Year in 2013, and by Google as Best of the Best for Android in 2013 and 2014.

The Problem

Building, supporting, and expanding on a platform used by that many people can be expensive and complex. Thus, Duolingo faced a profound challenge — how could they monetize a free, beloved product without undermining their mission or hurting the trust of their users.

The Solution

Duolingo saw ads as a way to build a sustainable business while still placing product value as the most important feature. When implemented properly ads can have a transformational effect on a business's ability to grow. However, if implemented poorly they can be intrusive, poorly designed, erode trust and result in a bad user experience.

So to ensure the best user experience, Duolingo chose to use AdMob native ads — a format that allows fully customized ads to be placed in ways that don’t disrupt their student’s learning flow. Below you can see what the app looked like prior to the update and then after Duolingo integrated AdMob’s native ads solution.

The Results

Duolingo had tested different ad formats, image sizes, designs, and messaging with the goal of increasing click through rate (CTR) without hurting user retention. Through these tests, they found that using large images, calling attention to the visuals of the native ad, and fully styling ads to match Duolingo’s distinctive visual brand delivered the most striking results. For example, Duolingo saw a 101% improvement in ad CTRs and an RPM increase with a single change by switching from small images to larger ones and emphasizing the call-to-action buttons within the ad unit.

Remember to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

Posted by Dmitry Mazilo, AdMob Business Development Lead

Source: Inside AdMob


Three ways AdMob make UX a priority with Rewarded video

At AdMob, we know how important user experience is to creating a great app. Non-intrusive ads make for happy users and higher ad engagement rates, and we think rewarded videos are the next step in meeting and exceeding a users expectations for a great experience. Here are three ways AdMob can help improve your user experience with rewarded video ads.

1. Consistency

With reliable UX patterns, you’ll form clear breaks in your apps where users are expecting to see engaging ads. And when it comes to rewarded video, ads that appear at just the right moment will provide a mutual benefit to both user and publisher. For example, in a gaming app, you might want to reward your user with extra lives in exchange for watching a video at a moment when the game would otherwise end. Your users will thank you for it!

2. No tricks

A rewarded video is still an ad, so it is important to make the value exchange between user and publisher transparent. Users are presented with a clear description of the action required from them and what they will get in return, before choosing whether to opt-in to view the rewarded video. And while advertisers pay for an install, the option to install an app as a result of watching a rewarded video is not incentivized: the user is rewarded for viewing the message and the action to install is optional.

3. Optimum engagement

We use Firebase Analytics to help you understand your audience better. With Firebase, A/B testing is simple and can ensure you are getting the most out of your exchange with the user. Optimizing reward value, frequency of ads, and ad placement in app all contribute to a successful rewarded strategy that results in happy users.

Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

Source: Inside AdMob