About universal app campaigns

So you've got an Android app (or a bunch of apps) that you're ready to launch, and you can't wait to get them into the hands of your users. How do you connect the magic to the people who want it most? For Android apps, universal app campaigns streamline the whole business — just add a few lines of text, a bid, (and your billing info) and the rest is optimized to help your users find you.

This article covers the basics of how universal app campaigns work. To get started now, here's how to create a universal app campaign.

How it works

Unlike most AdWords campaigns, you don't design individual ads for universal app campaigns. Instead, we'll use your ad text ideas and assets from the Google Play Store to design a variety of ads across several formats and networks. All you need to do is provide some text, a starting bid and budget, and let us know the languages and locations for your ads. Our systems will test different combinations and show ads that are performing the best more often, with no extra work needed from you.

Ads optimized for installs

Universal app ads are generated on the fly by our system and matched to the most relevant ad inventory and placements available. To build your ads, AdWords can use your app's listing in Google Play, any of your 4 lines of text, images and an optional YouTube video. The system rotates your ads and adjusts bids automatically to get the most downloads for your app. For example, if one line of text is performing better than another, the system will show the better text more often. Learn more about Universal app ads

Where your ads can appear

You ads will be eligible to appear across Google's properties. This includes Google Search and Google Play, as well as our search partners, the Google Display Network, and many more publishers who host app ads. Here are some of the places where your ads can appear:

Google Search Network

• Google Play
• Google Search
• Google search partners

Google matches your ad to search terms that are relevant to your app or its category. AdWords generates your keywords using a number of methods, including using Google Play search terms that have lead people to your app.

YouTube

• Relevant pages or content in the YouTube app and YouTube mobile site.

AdWords can show your ads on YouTube where they're most likely to be clicked, and your app is most likely to be downloaded.

Google Display Network

• Other apps
• Mobile websites of news sites, blogs, and other sites across the Internet

Your ads are eligible to appear where they're most relevant on the Google Display Network and within other apps. AdWords will optimize where your ads show to get you the greatest number of conversions at your set target CPA bid (cost per install bid).More about automated targeting

Bidding and budget

When you set your bids for app installs, keep in mind that your budget will be used to get as many installs as possible at your set amount. So, if you set your daily budget for $30, and your targeting cost-per-install is $3, you're aiming for about 10 installs per day from your ads. Learn more about setting a daily budget