Tag Archives: AdMob

New ways to diversify your games revenue

With more than 3 billion people playing games across platforms, the games industry continues to evolve rapidly. Still, one thing remains unchanged: developers need to grow revenue and profitability from their mobile games for long term success. This week, at the Think with Google Gaming Day in China, we shared new ways to help developers like you earn more revenue and attract high-value players.

Strengthen your monetization strategies

The right metrics can make a huge difference to your game’s success by enhancing transparency and clarity in your ads performance. AdMob’s updated Ads Activity report contains new measurement dimensions to help you do just that. Easily analyze earnings including those from third-party ad sources with dimensions like “hour of delivery,” “app version” or “ad source.” Publishers can also better monitor and understand the impact of privacy changes on revenue with report dimensions indicating publisher and user response to the iOS privacy framework.

Screengrab of Google Ads user interface, featuring the ads activity report dimensions and metrics in table format

The Ads Activity report contains new dimensions to help you understand your ads performance

Along with the Ads Activity report, we announced more features to help you diversify and grow your revenue for the long-term:

  • Google Mobile Ads Software Developer Kit (GMA SDK): Implement the latest GMA SDK version to stay updated on new feature releases such as the same app key that delivers more relevant and personalized ads for your apps on iOS.
  • H5 Games Ads (beta): Grow your earnings by easily showing interstitial and rewarded ads in your HTML5 (H5) games today.
  • New bidding partner: Access demand from Pangle, now available on AdMob in addition to more than 200 demand partners competing in real-time for your inventory.

Drive deeper engagement and revenue performance

To drive sustainable growth for your game, you’ll need more than just a strong monetization strategy. It is also important to have the right tools to effectively attract quality players. Now, with the ability to add an audience signal to your Android App campaigns, we’re making this even easier. You’ll be able to use your existing knowledge on the types of players you believe your campaigns would be most successful with to help guide our models to find similar new players who are more likely to convert. This will be available in beta in the coming months.

Add an audience signal to help you find new players who are more likely to convert

As the industry moves away from individual identifiers like device IDs, measuring your campaign performance accurately — along with acting on your conversion data — is critical. That’s why earlier this year, we introduced on-device conversion measurement. With on-device conversion measurement, user interactions with app ads can be matched to app conversions in a way that prevents user-identifying information from leaving a user's device. This helps you to prioritize privacy standards without compromising performance. Explore our developer guide to learn how you can implement this solution for your iOS App campaigns.

We are also releasing other new features to help you grow engagement and performance:

  • New audience lists: Re-engage high-value players with automatically generated lists of past purchasers based on your apps’ play data. This feature is now generally available through App campaigns for engagement.
  • Creative testing for video: Easily run experiments to understand the impact your video creative has on your App campaign performance. This will be available in beta in the coming months.
  • Target return on ad spend (tROAS) for ad revenue: Acquire players who are more likely to engage with ads shown in-app. In the coming months, all developers can send ad revenue from monetization platforms to Google Analytics to improve tROAS bidding in Google Ads.

Scale your reach to third-party app inventory

Lastly, advertisers now have the opportunity to extend their App campaign reach to more users. Advertisers using Google Ads and Display & Video 360 will have the opportunity to participate in real-time bidding integrations with third-party monetization platforms AppLovin (MAX), DT FairBid and Helium by Chartboost.

Also, developers who use third-party platforms will now have easy access to competitive real-time bids from advertisers using Google Ads and Display & Video 360. The program is currently in closed beta and these buying tools will be available as a bidder for approved publishers on these third-party real-time bidding monetization platforms at this time.

Watch the full Ads keynote to hear more about how these solutions can help you drive revenue and profitability for your games business.

Use the new Google Mobile Ads SDK getVersion() method

We heard your feedback that MobileAds.getVersionString() was confusing as it didn’t match the external version. We addressed it by adding a new method - MobileAds.getVersion(). In doing so, we have deprecated MobileAds.getVersionString().

Distinctions between getVersionString() and getVersion()

getVersionString() [deprecated] getVersion()
Sample return value afma-sdk-a-v214106000.214106000.0 21.0.0
Requires calling initialize() first? Yes No

Calling MobileAds.getVersionString() returns an internal version number. The MobileAds.getVersion() method outputs a simplified, external version number that matches the version in the release notes. For example, 21.0.0.

Also as part of the v21.0.0 release, you can call MobileAds.getVersion() before calling MobileAds.initialize(). Previously, you had to initialize the SDK to query the SDK version number, or else the app would crash.

Querying the SDK version number can be accomplished in your Android apps with the following code snippet: 

// Log the Mobile Ads SDK Version.
Log.d("MyApp", MobileAds.getVersion()); // "21.0.0"

// Initialize the SDK.
MobileAds.initialize(this, new OnInitializationCompleteListener() {
    @Override
    public void onInitializationComplete(InitializationStatus status) {} 
});

For the full list of changes in the v21.0.0 release, check the release notes. If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us via the forum.

 - Justin Malandruccolo, Mobile Ads Developer Relations

Celebrate publisher stories on our new website

Video shows a montage of publishers featured on the website discussing the businesses they have created and impact they have had.
10:25

Publishers create the blogs, news, games, tools and videos we all enjoy. But we don’t always get to see the work that goes into building the content on the internet we know and love today. In 2021, the commercial internet helped generate 17 million jobs for Americans — and we’re celebrating just a few of those who were a part of that success.

After sitting down with these publishers, we’ve learned how they use digital ad revenue to grow their businesses, create free and accessible content, impact their communities and most of all, how their passion for their work fuels them to keep serving their audiences.

Check out their stories on Google for Publishers and hear from small and large publishers — in their own words.

Celebrate publisher stories on our new website

Video shows a montage of publishers featured on the website discussing the businesses they have created and impact they have had.
10:25

Publishers create the blogs, news, games, tools and videos we all enjoy. But we don’t always get to see the work that goes into building the content on the internet we know and love today. In 2021, the commercial internet helped generate 17 million jobs for Americans — and we’re celebrating just a few of those who were a part of that success.

After sitting down with these publishers, we’ve learned how they use digital ad revenue to grow their businesses, create free and accessible content, impact their communities and most of all, how their passion for their work fuels them to keep serving their audiences.

Check out their stories on Google for Publishers and hear from small and large publishers — in their own words.

Celebrate publisher stories on our new website

Video shows a montage of publishers featured on the website discussing the businesses they have created and impact they have had.
10:25

Publishers create the blogs, news, games, tools and videos we all enjoy. But we don’t always get to see the work that goes into building the content on the internet we know and love today. In 2021, the commercial internet helped generate 17 million jobs for Americans — and we’re celebrating just a few of those who were a part of that success.

After sitting down with these publishers, we’ve learned how they use digital ad revenue to grow their businesses, create free and accessible content, impact their communities and most of all, how their passion for their work fuels them to keep serving their audiences.

Check out their stories on Google for Publishers and hear from small and large publishers — in their own words.

Level up your gaming business with new ad features

With more people playing games on their mobile devices than ever before, developers have a huge opportunity to grow their gaming business. This week at the Google for Games Developer Summit, we’re announcing new ways to help you reach more players and increase your app revenue for the long term.

Attract valuable players quickly and effectively

Finding players is critical when you launch a game — and you only get one shot at a strong first impression. An effective user acquisition strategy can help boost your game's success.

With App campaigns for pre-registration, you can attract players and build excitement for your game early. Previously, you had to wait for your app to launch before creating App campaigns for installs. In the next few months, you’ll be able to set up App campaigns for apps that are in pre-registration state in the Google Play store — helping you prepare your app for a smooth launch.

You’ll then need to engage your high-value players and develop a monetization strategy. Last year, we introduced target return on ad spend (tROAS) for ad revenue, which allows you to earn more from ads shown in-app. Soon, you can improve your tROAS campaign performance by sending all AdMob revenue, including mediated revenue, to Google Analytics for bidding — with just a click of a button in the AdMob user interface. Third-party ad revenue in Google Analytics also allows you to import revenue from any monetization platform into Google Analytics for tROAS bidding. tROAS for ad revenue is currently in closed beta.

Earn more from your games

Players are spending more time in-game — in fact, our recent study shows that existing players increased their playtime by 42% in 2021. AdMob’s monetization solutions can help you make the most of this surge.

Most publishers aren’t able to fully measure user revenue from their ads strategy without building their own internal systems. With AdMob’s impression-level lifetime value (LTV), you can estimate the average LTV of user segments and identify user acquisition strategies with the highest return on investment (ROI). To make this even easier to activate, impression-level LTV has been integrated into top app attribution platforms Adjust, AppsFlyer and Singular.

Screengrab of strategy board mobile game Ludo SuperStar, featuring the button for players to watch ads to earn free coins

BlackLight Games boosts ROI with AdMob iLTV feature

For example, BlackLight Studio Games, the creator behind the popular strategy board game Ludo SuperStar, wanted to expand into new markets and boost their ROI. The team used AdMob’s impression-level LTV to measure ads revenue and identify markets with the highest ROI based on user acquisition cost. The team then increased App campaign spend in select markets and achieved a 45% increase in overall revenue.

In addition to AdMob’s impression-level LTV, we’re announcing even more features to help you grow your app revenue for the long term:

  • Firebase Remote Config personalization (beta): Using machine learning, automatically find the optimal experience for each user. Learn how Halfbrick used personalization to increase revenue by 16%.
  • AdMob rewarded optimizations: Benefit from more impressions and revenue with display ads in rewarded ads. Display ads will run alongside videos or other playables for a lightweight user experience.
  • More demand sources with AdMob: Get access to a diverse range of more than 200 demand sources available for real-time bidding, with Vungle and Snap in beta and more onboarding soon.

To hear more about how these solutions can help you drive growth for your games business, watch the Google for Games Developer Summit keynote and check out other sessions.

Google for Games Developer Summit returns March 15

With over three billion players showing strong engagement worldwide, the games market continues to remain resilient and grow beyond expectations. As we look ahead this year, the influx of new and returning players creates a great opportunity for developers to grow their games business.

TheGoogle for Games Developer Summit returns digitally on March 15, 2022 at 9AM Pacific. From mobile to cloud, learn about our new solutions for game developers that make it easier to build high-quality games and reach audiences around the world.

The event keynote kicks off at 9AM Pacific and is open for all. Check out the full agenda today at g.co/gamedevsummit.

4 ways to set your app business up for success in 2022

2021 has been a big year for app developers — global consumer spend has reached new heights; expectations around digital security continue to shift; and mobile platforms and regulators are introducing changes to better protect user privacy. These will likely continue to be major themes in 2022, so we’re sharing some monetization strategies to help you drive business growth in a fast-evolving landscape.

Diversify your demand sources to deliver more value

As the industry pivots to real-time bidding, strong demand sources can help you make the most of your unique inventory. Access to a diverse range of buyers in particular can deliver strong effective cost per thousand impressions (eCPMs) for your inventory.

Google AdMob supports many demand sources to help you earn more across real-time bidding and waterfall mediation. The AdMob network includes demand from Google Ads, Display & Video 360 and more than 200 demand-side platforms (DSPs). Soon, we’ll introduce software development kit (SDK) integrations with buyers like Snap to further enhance performance — with more to come in 2022. For direct-sold inventory support, you may want to consider Google Ad Manager.

After mobile game developer Me2Zen saw strong performance from the AdMob network, they decided to move to the AdMob platform. The team adopted both bidding and waterfall mediation and saw a 15% increase in their average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU).

Simplify operations to free up resources

An effective suite of tools to manage operational tasks can save time and help you focus on growth. For example, a robust A/B testing strategy can help you decide what levers to pull to optimize performance with confidence. With AdMob, you can set up an A/B test with a few clicks and get actionable insights to earn more.

Onboarding and testing can be another manual and time-consuming task for developers. With tools like ad inspector, you can test adapter setups, demand sources and more with the shake of your hand — which accelerates the testing process and adds a bit of fun.

Animation of a hand shaking a mobile device to demonstrate how the ad inspector tool works.

RisingWings, a fast-growing casual game company, cut operational costs by 50% and saw ARPDAU increase by 8.7% after switching to AdMob. The team took an integrated approach with in-app ads for all their hybrid games, and built a reliable revenue stream without affecting user retention.

Use data and insights to drive growth

The right insights can uncover new opportunities beyond monetization. A broad understanding of user lifetime value (LTV) can help you refine your user acquisition strategy. And insights on how ads influence user retention can help you optimize total revenue while maintaining a good user experience. With resources like the ads activity report and cohort report available on AdMob, you’ll get a clear picture of ads performance and user LTV. You can then use these insights to find more high-value users through solutions like target return on ad spend (tROAS) for ads revenue.

During the transition to a hybrid model, game developer IGG combined LTV data from AdMob with internal ROI analysis to identify new growth opportunities in their top markets. These insights helped the team double their user base by increasing spend on regional App campaigns.

Apply strong brand safety controls to maintain user trust

As people’s expectations around digital privacy continue to rise, it’s critical to build trust through engaging and brand-appropriate ads. While a meaningful ad experience can complement your app and increase trust, a bad experience can lead to an uninstall or, even worse, a loss of trust in your brand.

To ensure brand safety, your platform should have a high bar for the quality of advertiser demand and provide controls to help you deliver an optimal ad experience. With AdMob, you can block ads from certain categories or specific competitors, or use the Ad review center to review ads flowing through the AdMob network and manually block them if needed. We’ll expand these same ad quality controls to third-party buyers participating in bidding in 2022.

We’ve learned so much in an industry that’s changing faster than ever. As we head into 2022, we look forward to continuing to partner together to shape the future of app monetization.

Prioritize and fix issues in the new Policy center

A few years ago, we introduced the Policy center in Ad Manager, AdMob and AdSense to provide publishers with a single, centralized hub to review and monitor policy violations and appeals. This helps ensure they have the information they need to monetize their inventory and remain policy compliant.

Starting today, our Policy center has a brand new look. As part of this update, we’re introducing new features — like the ability to report the number of ad requests affected by policy issues, and advanced filters that are designed to help you better understand, prioritize and resolve issues.

What's changing?

Improved account health summary

The new and improved account health summary now provides a quick overview of the total number of sites and apps with issues, highlighting the number of issues that are a “Must fix.” This can help publishers better prioritize the issues that require their attention. The account health summary also shows the impact on ads serving for any given page where ads have been disabled or restricted.

A white chart with progress bars and section titles ‘Total items affected’, ‘Must fix items affected’ and the percentages of ‘Disabled ad serving’, ‘Restricted ad serving’ and ‘Ad serving at risk’ as well as ‘Regular ad serving’.

Robust filtering

We have added more robust filtering and search capabilities across the issue table, which lists current issues waiting to be resolved in the Policy Center. Publishers can now filter the tables using single or multiple columns, such as all issues reported on a given date that are a “Must fix.” A list of issues can also be downloaded as a CSV file for a filtered view.

A white filter bar showing the ‘Must fix’ and ‘Ad request’ filters, with an option to Download CSV in blue text.

Comprehensive issue table

Issues across sites and apps are now part of a single issue table, so Ad Manager publishers have a more comprehensive view of issues across their inventory. We have also introduced a new aggregate column — “Ad requests - last 7 days” — to help publishers understand the impact of each issue and prioritize them accordingly. The full table can now be sorted by column.

A white graph with columns for affected sites and apps, the issue location, status, issues, ad requests, date reported, and action. In the "Action" column, there is an option in each row to "Fix" in blue text.

What’s next?

We're bringing more changes to help you solve issues faster, including enabling screenshots of issues in the Policy center. This will help you pinpoint exactly where the issue is, and give you the context to fix it quickly.

To learn more about the Policy center, check out our Inside the Policy center video series.

Final reminder to migrate to the AdMob API

On October 12, 2021, you will no longer be able to retrieve AdMob data from the AdSense Management API v1.4. To retrieve AdMob data programmatically, migrate to the AdMob API.

What do I need to do?

Follow the instructions in the migration guide to migrate your API workflow. Review these additional resources to support your migration:


Start migrating from the AdSense API to the AdMob API as soon as possible. If you don’t complete the migration by October 12th, 2021, you will lose access to AdMob data through the AdSense API, which may impact your ability to make data-driven business decisions.

Feel free to reach out to us via the AdMob API Developer forum if you have questions or feedback regarding the AdMob API.


 - Amira Badreldin, AdMob API team