Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Google Play Developer Console introduces Universal App Campaigns and User Acquisition performance reporting
Google Play Developer Console introduces Universal App Campaigns and User Acquisition performance reporting
Posted by Frederic Mayot, Google Play team
At Google I/O in May, we previewed some new and powerful tools to help you further grow your business and improve decision making based on smarter insights on Google Play. We are happy to announce that, today, these features are live in the Developer Console.
User Acquisition: AdWords Campaigns
With just a few simple steps, universal app campaigns lets you easily set up ad campaigns from within the Google Play Developer Console and promote your app across Google Play, Google Search, YouTube and the Google Display Network. You will now be able to more effectively find and grow your install base with the help of Google’s unparalleled reach.
Universal app campaigns automatically pull in images, video, and descriptions from your Google Play store listing to generate ad formats that look great wherever they are placed. From there, our systems automatically optimize your campaigns and experiment with different creatives and bids to maximize app install volume as close as possible to your target cost-per-install.
"With universal app campaigns, we only had to set up one campaign that drove more than 10,000 new installs in one month and install volume is continuing to trend up over time. Were also seeing a 20% lower CPI compared to other channels." – José Maria Pertusa, CMO of Linio
To get started with your first campaign, select the User Acquisition tab for your app in the Developer Console and choose ‘AdWords Campaigns.’
User Acquisition: Performance report
When you’re growing an audience for your app, you’ll want to understand where your most valuable users are coming from. The new performance report on the User Acquisition tab in the Developer Console lets you see how people are finding your Play Store listing, how many install your app, and how many go on to make purchases.
The performance report also tracks marketing links tagged with UTM tags, so you’ll be able to get more granular detail on how well your promotion is doing. Once you’ve got visitors to your Play Store listing, you’ll want to start thinking of ways to increase the number of visitors turning into installers. The new Store Listing Experiments feature can help you run A/B tests to do just that.
How to get started in the Developer Console
To learn how to take advantage of these new features in the Developer Console, watch the DevByte video below in which I explain how to set up your first universal app campaign and how to view the new data offered on the performance tab.
We hope you’ll use these user acquisition tools to grow a valuable audience for your app or game. We continue to improve our features for developers based on your feedback – like the recent improvements to beta testing and Store Listing Experiments – in order to help you grow your app or game business globally on Google Play.
Available link for download
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Create promo codes for your apps and in app products in the Google Play Developer Console
Create promo codes for your apps and in app products in the Google Play Developer Console
Posted by Yoshi Tamura, Product Manager, Google Play
Over the past six months, a number of new tools in the Google Play Developer Console have been added to help you grow your app or game business on Google Play. Our improved beta testing features help you gather more feedback and fix issues. Store Listing Experiments let you run A/B tests on your app’s Play Store listing. Universal App Campaigns and the User Acquisition performance report help you grow your audience and better understand your marketing.
Starting today, you can now generate and distribute promo codes to current and new users on Google Play to drive engagement. Under the Promotions tab in the Developer Console, you can set up promo codes for your apps, games, and in-app products to distribute in your own marketing campaigns (up to 500 codes per app, per quarter). Consider using promo codes to reward loyal users and attract new customers.
How to use promo codes
- Choose your app in the Developer Console.
- Under the Promotions tab choose Add new promotion.
- Review and accept the additional terms of service if you haven’t run a promotion before.
- Choose from the options available, then generate and download your promo codes.
- Distribute your promo codes via your marketing channels such as social networks, in email, on the web, to your app’s beta testers, or in your app or game itself.
- Users can redeem your promo codes in a number of ways, including:
- From Google Play, using the Redeem menu option.
- From your app. They’ll be directed to the Play checkout flow before being redirected back to your app.
- By following a link that embeds the promo code (see tips below).
For more details about running a promotion for your app or game, read this article on the Google Play Developer Help Center.
Tips for making the most of promo codes
Some things to keep in mind when running a successful promotion:
- There’s a limit of 500 promo codes per app every quarter.
- You can embed your code in a URL so that users don’t have to enter it themselves (for example, if you’re sending your codes in an email). You can use the URL: https://play.google.com/redeem?code={CODE} (where {CODE} is a generated promo code).
- To use promo codes for in-app products, you should implement In-app Promotions in your app. Note that promo codes can’t be used for subscriptions.
- Review and adhere to the Promotional Code Terms Of Service.
We hope you find interesting ways to use promo codes to find new users and engage existing fans. To learn more about the many tools and best practices you can use to grow your business on Google Play, download our new developer playbook, “The Secrets to App Success on Google Play”.
Available link for download