Google App Campaigns: The Best UAC Guide For 2024

What is Google App Campaign

Google app campaigns, formerly known as Universal App Campaigns (UAC), are a paid advertising channel. They come under the umbrella of Google Ads campaigns and are specifically designed to advertise apps across the web.

Google app campaigns help advertise apps on all of Google's important platforms like YouTube, Google Play, Google Search, and Google Display Network. The ads on these platforms will lead users directly to the app link when they engage with the ads.

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Brief History of Google App Campaign

Earlier, Google App Campaign was known by a different name. In 2015, Google launched Universal App Campaign (UAC) to provide advertisers with a one-stop system to promote apps across multiple platforms. It was built to give advertisers a self-optimizing campaign tool.

In 2017, Google Adwords was integrated into Universal App Campaigns. Here, Google migrated all its app install campaigns for Google Adwords to UAC. This new system enabled advertisers to run Google Search, YouTube, and AdMob ads.

In 2019, Google renamed Universal App Campaigns as Google App Campaigns.

How does Google Ads App Campaign work

In Google App Campaigns, advertisers do not need to create ads for different ads for each placement. But if certain assets are fed to Google, Google will create the ads automatically. The app developer must provide assets like text, images, videos, budget, and starting bids. But they must still set certain metrics manually. These metrics include the daily budget, target Cost Per Install or Cost Per Action, target language, location, and campaign start date.

What are the different types of app campaigns

Google app campaigns offer developers the benefit of easily garnering huge audiences through multiple platforms. Let's now discover what are the different types of app campaigns that can be enabled on Google app campaigns.

Let’s examine the three campaigns closely.

Why is conversion tracking critical for Google UAC campaigns

App developers must understand and track their conversions to ensure their app campaigns' success. Doing so will help developers understand their advantages and pain points and make improvements accordingly. This can be done in a two-step process on Google Universal App Campaign.

We have already covered the three types of campaigns supported by Google. Each campaign has different metrics that must be tracked to progress. The various metrics for Google Ads App Campaigns are as follows.

• App Install Campaigns: For Google app install campaigns, developers must track Cost Per Install (CPI). Developers must follow downloads that get automatically registered on Google Play. Secondly, they must track first opens (the number of times a user opens and launches the app for the first time) using a third-party attribution tool.
• App Engagement Campaigns: Here, developers need to focus on the in-app actions of the existing users. Metrics like purchases and promotions need to be focused on. The key metric to track in these campaigns is Cost Per Action (CPA).
• App Campaigns for Pre-Registrations: The main conversion developers need to focus on is Cost Per Pre-Registration (CPpre). The prerequisite for this campaign is that the developers ensure that their app is ready for pre-registration, which can be availed only for Android apps.

The conversion window is the time period taken to record and recognize conversions after the ad interaction.

Simply put, if a user views an ad or clicks on it, and the conversion happens within a certain period of time after the interaction, it will be recorded as a valid conversion. The conversion window is the time taken to peg down conversion and recognize it. It can be adjusted for each campaign, excluding pre-registration campaigns.

App Install and App Engagement Campaigns have their own conversion window based on user actions. We will illustrate the distinctions below.

1. Click-through conversion window:

   Here, the ad click leads to an app install in an App Install Campaign. But, in the case of an App Engagement Campaign, it leads to an in-app action.

   The default window for the app install campaigns is 30 days and the adjustable time frame is 7 to 30 days.

   The default window for app engagement campaigns is 90 days and the adjustable time frame is 1 to 30 days.

2. Engaged view conversion window:

   This refers to a video view of at least 30 seconds that leads to an app install in the case of an App Install Campaign. In the case of an App Engagement Campaign, it means a video view of 10 seconds that leads to an in-app action.

   The default window for the app install campaigns is 2 days and the adjustable time frame is 1 to 3 days.

   The default window for app engagement campaigns is 1 day and the adjustable time frame is 1 to 3 days.

3. View-through conversion window:

   In the case of App Install Campaigns, it means viewing an ad leads to an app install. In the case of an App Engagement Campaign, it means viewing an ad leads to an in-app action.

   The default window for the app install campaigns is 1 day and there is no adjustable time frame.

   The default window for app engagement campaigns is 1 day and there is no adjustable time frame.

App developers must select a conversion window that aligns with the objectives and metrics they seek to track.

If their app has a 20-day promotion, setting a conversion window for 20 days would be suitable. The conversions that occur after this period will not be taken into account. If users opt for a promotion after it ends, extending the conversion window to 30 days will help capture all the conversions.

How do I launch an app campaign

Setting up a Google App Campaign is a simple process. The following steps will illustrate how to do so.

1. Create a Google Ads account. Log in to the account and click the “Campaigns” button on the left.

   Step-1: Google Ads Account Creation

2. Click on the blue colored plus button

   Step-2: Click Blue Plus Button

3. Click on the “New Campaign” button.

   Step-3: Click New Campaign

4. In the window that opens, click on the “App Promotions” option. This will take you to the next section- Campaign Type, where you must click the “App” button.

   Step-4.1: Click App Promotion
   Step-4.2: Select Campaign Type App

5. In the next section that appears, select one option out of the three: App installs, App engagement, and App pre-registrations (which is only for Android).

   Step-5: Select a Campaign subtype

6. Select the mobile app platform- Android or iOS.

   Step-6: Select your Mobile App's Platform

7. Enter the name of your campaign. Click “Continue.”

   Step-7: Enter Campaign Name

8. Next section is the “Settings” part of your campaign setup. Here, you must choose the locations and languages you wish to target. Next, you must set up the daily campaign budget and select the UAC bidding strategy you want to use.

   Step-8.1: Choose Target Location
   Step-8.2: Enter Budget, Bidding

9. The final step is to create an ad group and input all the ad assets. Click on the “Add Groups” option. Next, enter your requirements for text and creative assets. After this, Google's AI will automatically generate ads using a combination of auto assets and manual assets.

   Auto assets include the app icon, app title, the app’s rating, and a featured graphic that will be automatically pulled from your app within Google Play. Manual assets include the ad groups you create with creative assets called ad assets. These assets have headlines, description text, HTML5, images, and videos.

   Step-9: Create Ad Group, Ad Assets

Once these metrics are set, you can start your Google App Campaign and begin your app promotion journey.

How to Optimize Google Universal App Campaign

Determining the right strategies to optimize Google Ads Campaign and ensure they succeed is crucial. Some of these practices are as follows.

• Choose the right goal Optimize your Google App Campaign for the desired outcome by setting appropriate budgets and target costs. Select "Install Volume" or "In-App Actions" based on campaign objectives.

• Link Google Ads and Google Play Accounts Avoid remarketing tags and conversion tracking codes by connecting both accounts. Streamline the ad display on your Google App Campaign for improved efficiency.

• Tailor campaign messaging to align with your goals Align the ad messaging with your campaign objectives for better targeting. It is important to increase the effectiveness of your Google App Campaign with effective Call-to-Action (CTAs) that resonate with user interests.

• Embrace localization Widen the reach of your Google App Campaign by catering to non-English speaking audiences as well. Localize ad assets for each region and consider running separate campaigns for separate regions.

• Analyze performance Monitor campaign performance and track data to make informed decisions. Identify high-performing ads and channels to enhance Google App Campaign success.

• Test varying assets Try modifying text and try various images or videos for the universal ad campaign ads. Try to experiment with images of different sizes and orientations to understand the best-suited image for the campaign.

• Set up conversion tracking As mentioned earlier, it is crucial to understand conversion tracking to measure campaign success. Implement tracking for app installs, in-app actions, etc.

• Focus on quality assets Allow Google's machine learning system to select the best-performing version of the ads by uploading numerous high-quality images and videos.

What is the benefit of the Google App Campaign

Google Universal app campaigns are designed to simplify the app promotion process and maximize user acquisition. Google app campaigns provide multiple for developers to enhance their app revenue. Some key benefits are as follows.

• Wider reach: Google universal app campaigns enable advertisers to reach a wider audience across different Google properties like Google Search, YouTube, Google Play, and Google Display Network. This increases app visibility and ensures that it attracts relevant users.

• Automated optimization: Google app campaigns use machine learning to optimize real-time ad performance. These algorithms analyze metrics like user behavior and app performance and help serve ads to users most likely to engage with the app.

• Cost-effective: Google universal app campaigns, through automated optimization, help advertisers remain cost-effective. These campaigns aid advertisers in maximizing ROAS and reducing cost per acquisition by targeting users who are more likely to engage with the app.

• Cross-network promotion: Google app campaigns help developers promote their apps on platforms like AdMob apart from other Google properties. This will help expand reach and target more audiences.

• Supports various ad formats: Google universal app campaigns support a wide range of ad formats and help publishers easily maximize their revenue. By allowing them to showcase their app creatively and effectively to different audiences, Google universal app campaigns are instrumental in helping publishers.

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Final Thoughts

We have covered the importance of Google Ad Campaigns in this article by exploring its features and campaign types. We have provided a step-by-step guide to get started with Google app ad campaigns. Success requires an iterative approach. It is crucial to monitor and optimize the campaigns and allow Google's machine learning algorithms to learn, adapt, and deliver.