Google AdWords is now requiring all app promotions go through Universal App Campaigns (UAC), doing away with creating or managing campaigns if they aren’t using this campaign type. Google’s reasoning to focus on Universal App Campaigns is the claim that it will be easier to promote your apps across more networks without any additional setup.
Several years ago, Google released its Universal App Campaigns or UAC to campaign managers, allowing developers to become much more efficient at promoting their Android or iOS applications. Instead of different campaigns for Google Play and Search, developers simply use Universal App Campaigns. By consolidating information, Google will take care of the rest based on the developer’s preferences.
The efficiency and popularity of Universal App Campaigns have galvanized Google to move to this platform, slowly migrating campaigns. Newly-made campaigns that started on October 16 and beyond will be run by Universal App Campaigns. On November 15, all existing Search, Display, and YouTube promo campaigns to be done via UAC.
Why Is Google Switching to Universal App Campaigns?
Google has delivered billions of installs to developers so far, with that number increasing in the past year. These campaigns performed well, and it makes sense why Google is gravitating towards them. Universal App Campaigns make the smartest decision for each ad, like pinpointing where people are engaging with the ads most and which keywords perform best. In just a few steps, developers can reach people across all of Google’s properties and platforms — all in one interface.
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It also enables developers to optimize in-app engagement and lifetime value of their customers. For developers, it’s now less about getting low rate installs, but ensuring the customer experience when they want to buy. Google claims that its algorithms are familiar with potential users to allow it to seamlessly optimize when and where it shows a developer’s ads.
What Does This Mean To You?
Now that there is going to be a permanent shift to universal app campaigns, Google will phase out other types of app install campaign models. Starting on November 15, non-universal app campaigns will be disabled and will stop serving ads.
Upgrading
Universal app campaigns used two distinct methods to optimize your marketing objectives. It allows developers to focus more on getting installs, with AdWords optimizing bids and targeting to help you get the highest number of new users onto your apps and platforms. Any set bids should represent the average amount you like to spend on each time someone decides to install the application. Advanced options include the ability to target users likely to install and perform a specific action. This is a tenet that goes live regardless of the Google product — including Search, Display, or even YouTube.
By focusing in on in-app actions, Universal App Campaigns can help measure conversions. AdWords will still focus on people who are most likely to complete in-app actions, with developers setting a cost-per-action that represents the average amount you’d like to spend.
Universal app campaigns are cost-effective, easier to use than other reiterations, and offers a beginner friendly way to make your products visible. Review your current campaign and start creating new Universal App Campaigns with the right performance goal. Then monitor your new campaigns and adjust over time to meet your goals, ensuring performance isn’t impacted during the transition period.
