Advanced mobile marketing targeting options:
You can target specific operating systems, device models, as well as carriers and wireless networks with a “Display Network only” campaigns. Advanced mobile and tablet options aren’t available for other campaign types. Learn how to set up advanced targeting options.
Types of flexible bid strategies
| Flexible bid strategy | When to use it | Where to apply it | |
| 1 | Maximize clicks automatically sets bids to help you get the most clicks within a target to spend the amount that you choose
Flexible version of automatic bidding |
When site visits are your primary goal
When you want to maximize traffic on long tail terms while keeping within a certain spend |
Campaigns, ad groups, keywords |
| 2 | Target search page location automatically adjusts bids to help you get your ads to the top of the page or the first page of search results
New bid strategy |
When you want more visibility on the first page of Google search results or in the top positions | Campaigns, ad groups, keywords |
| 3 | Target outranking share automatically sets bids to help you outrank another domain’s ads in search results
New bid strategy |
When you want more visibility than other domains in search results | Campaigns, ad groups, keywords |
| 4 | Target cost-per-acquisition (CPA) automatically sets bids to help you get as many conversions as possible while reaching your average cost-per-acquisition goal
Flexible version of Conversion Optimizer |
When you want to get the most conversions with your target CPA | Campaigns, ad groups |
| 5 | Enhanced cost-per-click (ECPC) automatically adjusts your manual bid up or down based on each click’s likelihood to result in a conversion
Flexible version of Enhanced CPC |
When conversions are the main objective, but you also want control over keyword bids | Campaigns, ad groups |
| 6 | Target return on ad spend (ROAS) automatically sets your bids to maximize your conversion value, while trying to reach an average return on ad spend
New bid strategy |
When you value conversions differently and want to meet a target ROAS | Campaigns, ad groups, keywords |
See which features are available by campaign type.
App remarketing lets you target people who’ve used your app. Showing app engagement ads announcing a new feature to people currently using your app. Reminding people who downloaded your app, but haven’t been using it recently. Encouraging people to upgrade to the latest version of your app. You can even segment your target audience based on past actions in order to enhance your ROI and relevance to users.
For example, an advertiser can show a particular ad to people who’ve made a purchase in its app. An app developer can promote a paid version of an app to users who’ve reached a certain level in the free version. And a store can promote boots to people who buy boot-related merchandise within its app.
To run a mobile remarketing campaign, you’ll need to set up a remarketing list. You can also incorporate usage data that lets you create remarketing lists based on how frequently a customer is using an app — and remarket based on this information. Reporting usage data on Android or iOS is possible using the AdWords Conversion Tracking and Remarketing SDK or the server-to-server solution.
Mobile display inventory is made up of two different ad networks.
- AdMob Network- AdMob lets advertisers monetize apps and promote ads. App developers use the AdMob software development kit (SDK) to display ads in their apps. AdMob also has extensive mobile app inventory, giving AdWords advertisers access to a network of hundreds of thousands of mobile apps. You can use placement, app category, demographic, interest-based, and app remarketing targeting.
- Mobile Google Display Network- The mobile Google Display Network is comprised of mobile websites and apps. You can use keyword contextual targeting (KCT), placement, topic, demographic, interest-based, and web remarketing targeting.
Extensions
Call extensions Encourage phone calls to your business by showing your phone number on your ad. Display a clickable call button with your ad (on high-end mobile devices) and it costs the same as a headline click (standard CPC). For call-only campaigns, ads appear only on devices capable of making calls. You can set numbers to show only when your business can accept calls. You can count calls as conversions. Learn more about call conversions. Call extensions can typically increase the clickthrough rate by 6-8%
Location extensions Show your business address, phone number, and a map marker with ad text. On mobile, they include a link with directions to your business. Clicks on ads with location extensions have a standard cost per click. Location extensions encourage people to visit you in person. You can link your account to Google My Business. On average, ads with location extensions have a 10% boost in clickthrough rate
This is a great way to provide access to your website as well as to your app. If your primary goal is to drive app downloads, app promotion ads (which link to apps exclusively) might be the better option.
| Where mobile ads can appear | Ad types |
| On mobile devices with full browsers,
such as smartphones or tablets |
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| Within apps on smartphones and tablets |
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| Only on devices that can make calls |
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Types of mobile ads
App promotion ads (formerly “click-to-download” ads) are the easiest and most effective way to drive downloads: much of the customization is done for you. You can run these ads across search and display using the App/digital content ad format. App promotion ads can be created in these types of campaigns:
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Display Network: “Ads in mobile apps,” “Mobile app installs,” and “Mobile app engagement”
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Search Network: “Mobile app installs” and “Mobile app engagement”
These ads are designed to show on devices where they’ll have the most impact. When you create a new campaign to promote your mobile app, your ads show only on phones and tablets (not on desktop computers). “Mobile app engagement” campaigns are a great choice for advertisers focused on connecting with people who already have their app. These ads can:
- Encourage users to try your app again
- Remind someone to open your app and take a specific action
- Help people complete an activity they already started
- Increase how often people use your app
- Recommend someone try out specific features or levels
Two useful tools in app engagement ads:
- Deep linking: A deep link takes someone directly from your ad to in-app actions with a click.
- Remarketing: Show ads to people who’ve visited your website or used your mobile app.
Mobile app installs
With “Mobile app installs” campaigns on the Search and Display Networks and “TrueView for mobile app promotion” on YouTube, you can create custom app install ads that run exclusively on phones and tablets. AdWords can help you create app install ads based on your app icon and reviews, and these ads can then take people straight to the app store to download it.
Campaign types
This chart shows how an advertiser could use a particular ad type and campaign type depending on their advertising goal.
| “Mobile app installs” campaigns | “Mobile app engagement” campaigns | “Ads in mobile apps” campaigns | |
| Advertising goal | Increase app downloads with ads sending people directly to app stores to download your app. Learn more | Re-engage people who use your app with ads that deep link to specific screens within your mobile app. Learn more | Show ads for your website exclusively in mobile apps. Learn more |
| Campaign type |
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| Available ad formats |
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Google offers an array of flexible ad formats to meet advertisers’ brand needs such as Lightbox, Viewable CPM, and In-app display.
Lightbox
Lightbox is a new cross-screen format platform designed mobile first. It renders beautifully on any screen, and optimizes for taps/swipes on mobile and mouse-overs/clicks on desktops. Viewability measures, in real-time and on an impression-by-impression basis, whether or not a display ad is rendered on screen and for how long. There are two distinct aspects of viewability at Google: buying viewable impressions on CPM for display ads and auction in-stream video ads for Google Video Network and YouTube inventory, as well as Active View reporting.
In-app display
- If you want to experiment with advertising in mobile apps, simply track the performance of your ads that were placed in mobile apps through the Display Network. You don’t have to make any changes to do this: apps are part of the Display Network. Learn how to track the performance of ads in apps in targeting apps through the Display Network.
- If you want to reach certain categories of apps, or you know the apps you want to target, you should create a Display Network campaign devoted to mobile apps. Learn more about these campaigns in reaching specific apps or app categories in the Display Network.
- If you don’t want your ad to appear in apps:
- From the Display Network tab, go to “Campaign Exclusions.”
- In the “Placements” section, paste adsenseformobileapps.com.