Google Launches App Promotion Ads On Search And YouTube

Google took an initial step in increasing its offerings for app developers last spring when the company introduced app install and app re-engagement ads. In June, these ad formats rolled out on Google’s mobile AdMob Network, and this week they have been made available globally on Google search and YouTube.

Google’s mobile app install (or click-to-download) ads can appear on both Android and iOS devices. For Android users, ads will automatically be excluded from showing up on devices that have already installed the app. When a user uninstalls the app, they’ll be automatically added back into the targeting. While a Google spokesperson stated that they expect to roll out this functionality on a wider scale in the future, at this point, ads are not automatically excluded from showing up on iOS devices that already have an app installed.

Traditional keyword selection is used for the targeting for search ads. Google has altered its keyword suggestions for app install campaigns in search to pull queries used for finding the app on Google Play and Google Search. Android apps enjoy another benefit in that conversions are tracked automatically in AdWords, whereas for iOS apps, conversion tracking must be manually set up. These ads are automatically generated using the app’s icon and reviews on Google Play or iTunes and are linked to the app’s store page.

Advertisers on YouTube can target users based on their interests and demographics as well as by the videos that they’ve watched. The ads link the app ID to TrueView for mobile app promotion campaigns, and bidding on YouTube is on a cost-per-view (CPV) basis. App video ads on YouTube are automatically generated using a link from the YouTube account and the app ID, with the app name, icon, price and ratings being displayed next to the video ad.

App re-engagement ads can be used to deep link users to specific pages of apps that are already installed on their mobile devices. For example, if a user searches for hotels in a specific area on Google, an ad for the Booking app that they have already installed will link directly to the page of that area’s hotels that exists in the app. Google warns that app conversion numbers can take up to three days to be updated in AdWords and AdWords for Video reporting due to delayed interactions between a user’s mobile device, Google, and third party tracking services.

Facebook and Twitter have both experienced a great deal of success by catering to app developers, with Facebook recently reporting that over 1 billion app links have been created on its platform. Twitter’s app install and engagement units rolled out globally this past June, and both Facebook and Twitter have their own publisher ad networks. However, Google’s expansive reach across search, YouTube and its mobile publisher network provide the company with a massive advantage in achieving success in this realm.