Key Points

  • Google's in-app advertising solution is AdMob.
  • AdMob makes it easy for mobile app publishers to enter the world of in-app advertising.
  • As your strategy advances, you may need to incorporate additional sources of demand beyond Google advertising.

It's almost a universal truth in ad tech: If Google has built something, use it. That doesn't mean you should use only it, but you certainly can't skip Google's suite of ad tech tools and platforms as you try to build your revenue within the ad space.

That's certainly the case when it comes to in-app advertising with Google. Google's in-app advertising solution, AdMob, has been leading the way for app publishers for a long time, helping them to build sustainable advertising revenue models that lead to growth.

But how do you get started? And what do you need to know before you do so? That's what this article is going to help you understand. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about in-app advertising with Google.

Even a simplified and streamlined in-app advertising strategy can quickly overwhelm busy app publishers. Don't let that happen to you. Instead, reach out to Playwire for fully managed and perfectly optimized in-app advertising.

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App Advertising Pillar

The Complete Guide to App Advertising

 

 

What is AdMob?

Founded in 2006, AdMob was one of the first major mobile app advertising platforms. The name says it all: Advertising on Mobile. This tool completes the functions of various parts of the ad tech ecosystem - including ad servers, brand safety tools, and even some aspects of a data management platform (DMP) - but AdMob is primarily an ad network.

It's not just any ad network. It's one of the world's largest ad networks, meaning it can immediately connect your app to enormous demand for your ad inventory. Leveraging its sheer size and backing from Google, AdMob boasts high fill rates, strong CPMs, and even some relatively advanced ad unit formats.

Why Use Google's In-App Advertising Solution?

Why should you use AdMob for in-app advertising? There are several reasons, but one stands out for being particularly powerful and straightforward: It's Google. Advertisers recognize it and trust it, meaning because of the brand awareness that comes with Google products, you get immediate access to unbelievable demand from advertisers, and it stays on the cutting edge of advertising technology.

Here are some of the other reasons to consider doing some in-app advertising with Google:

More Than Display Banners

Equating a large ad network like AdMob with nothing more than simple display banners is a mistake. While this may be true for some other ad networks, AdMob can accommodate some of the most desirable, personalized ads for mobile advertising:

  • Display banner ads
  • Video ads
  • Native ads
  • Rewarded video ads
  • Interstitial ads

Detailed Analytics

AdMob itself has a robust analytics dashboard baked in, but you can take it a step further by integrating Google Analytics. That way, you can customize every aspect of the data you see and process.

Keep in mind that your data will be key to increasing your revenue over time. The better data you have, the more convincing a case you can make with advertisers to command premium CPMs.

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App Advertising Resource Center

The Complete App Advertising Resource Center

Built-In Brand Safety

Google's mobile ad network is already built to be brand-safe, with strict controls on the Admob ad types that can be displayed on any app. However, you can take the brand safety even further with custom ad blocking by topic, buyer URL, category, ad network, or AdMob ad type.

How AdMob Works

Google has worked hard to ensure that AdMob remains one of the ad networks with the lowest barriers to entry. And they have succeeded in that effort. 

Starting with AdMob is relatively straightforward. While you do have to integrate the Google Mobile Ads software development kit (Google Mobile Ads SDK), you only need a phone number and a Google AdMob account once you're past that technical hurdle. From there, you use AdMob's dashboard to create an ad unit and place it in your app where and when the ad should appear.

Google takes it from there. When users initiate your app, they trigger a call to Google's network for an ad. An auction takes place, and the best bid wins the impression. AdMob then serves the winning ad request to the unit slot you placed inside your app.

Beyond In-App Advertising with Google

Google is a fantastic place to start if you're just getting into in-app advertising. And even many of the biggest app publishers in the world use AdMob. But here's the key: Don't just get AdMob up and running and never re-examine your mobile advertising strategy.

Why? Because Google's demand is great and important to any successful in-app advertising strategy, but it's not the only source of demand. You will need to consider other ad networks, supply-side platforms (SSP), and mediation partners, as well as potential direct sales, as your in-app advertising strategy evolves.

Get It All with Playwire

It's not in-app advertising with Google or an ad revenue partner. It's in-app advertising with Google and an ad revenue partner. You can't skip Google demand, and anyone who is telling you to do so is leading you in the wrong direction.

At Playwire, we take the bounty that Google offers and multiply it with our proprietary platform, global direct sales team, and access to other premium demand sources. We enhance Google's in-app advertising solution and fully manage every aspect of it so you can focus on building your apps while the revenue rolls in.

Ready to get started? Contact Playwire today.

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App Advertising Resources

For more information about app advertising, feel free to visit our Complete App Advertising Resource Center, or dive deeper into any of these related articles: