Set up an App campaign for installs

App campaigns allow you to promote your app across Google properties. This article covers how to set up an App campaign for installs in your Google Ads account.

Learn more About App campaigns and review the best practices for setting up your App campaigns.

On this page

• Prepare for success
• How to set up an App campaign for installs (ACi)
• Optimization tips

Prepare for succes

Before you set up your App campaign for installs (ACi), consider the following for the best results:

• App campaign bid strategies help you get the most value by setting just the right price for your ads. Learn how to Choose a bid strategy for your App campaign.
• Assets make your App campaign ads perform better and help ensure that your ads are effective. Learn more about the asset types you can use for App campaigns.

Keep in mind

App campaigns for installs (ACi) may serve ads until the user completes the download event or in-app action that the campaign is optimizing for.

During ACi campaign construction for Android apps, a Google Play download event will be created automatically in case there’s no download event for the selected app in your Google Ads account or related manager account. The download event will be created as soon as you begin campaign construction and will remain even if you cease construction.

How to set up an App campaign for installs (ACi)

Navigate to the "Campaigns" Page

1. In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon .
2. Click the Campaigns dropdown in the section menu.
3. Click Campaigns.
4. Click the plus button , then select New campaign.

Define campaign goal and subtype

5. For your campaign goal, select App promotion.
6. For your “Campaign subtype,” pick App installs.

Select your app

7. Select your mobile app's platform, Android or iOS.
8. In the search field, enter your app name, package name, or publisher, and then select your app from the list that appears. If there are no matches, enter the Google Play Store (Android) or App Store (iOS) URL directly into the field.
9. Add a name for your campaign. To help find the campaign easily in the future, give the campaign a name that indicates that this is an App campaign. It’s also recommended that you include the operating system (Android or iOS) in the campaign name.
10. Click Continue.

Configure campaign settings

11. On the “Campaign settings” page, select the locations you want to target under the “Locations” section, and click Location options to specify how you want to target and exclude users.
12. If needed, update language settings. Keep in mind that Google Ads doesn't translate your ads, so you should only target languages that match your ads.
13. Adjust more settings, like setting the start and end dates for your campaign or specifying your ad formats to include Video ads only. Additionally, you can attach a data feed. Learn more About using feeds in App campaigns.
14. Click Next.

Set budget and bidding

15. Under “Budget” on the “Budget and bidding” page, set your average daily budget.
16. Under “Bidding”, choose your focus and target users.
17. Then, select your install event and in-app event (if applicable) from your conversion settings.
    • Note: A download conversion action lets you track app installs after people have interacted with your ad. For Android apps, download conversion actions may be automatically created and tracked through Google Play.
18. You have the option to set your target bid. The following bid options may show based on your pre-selected campaign settings:
    • Target cost per install
    • Target cost per action
    • Target return on ad spend
      • Note: If you prefer to create a Maximize conversions campaign, you don't need to set a target bid.
19. Click Next.

Create ad assets

20. On the “Ad groups” page, under “Ad Assets”, you can add headlines, descriptions, images, videos, HTML5 assets, and promotions.
    • Note: You can view recommendations to improve your ad assets, check your ad strength, and asset usage at the top of the “Ad assets” section.
21. You have the option to add up to 20 of each of the below assets:
    • Images
    • Videos
    • HTML5
      • Note: Under “Advanced options” you have the choice to add a deep link to send people to a specific page in your app after they install (Android only).
22. (Optional) Under the “Audience signal” section, click Create audience signal to reach your intended customers faster.
23. Click Next.

Publish the campaign

24. Review your campaign details and enter your ad group name.
25. Click Publish campaign.
    • Note: Depending on where your ad is shown, your App campaign assets may be altered for performance and user experience purposes. For example, text may be truncated and images or videos may be cropped to fit users' screens.

Optimization tips

• Use square and vertical video to engage mobile customers.
• Use feeds in App campaigns to highlight specific content from within your app, including products and offerings that are more customized and better targeted to existing and potential app users. Learn more About using feeds in App campaigns.
• Use App campaign asset reporting to help improve ad performance.
• If you've created your Google Ads campaign using your Google Play developer account, you should be able to view all of your app campaign's statistic

Related links

• About App campaigns
• Product Linking: Link Google Play and Google Ads accounts
• About audience signals in App campaigns for installs
• Best practices guide: Setting up your App campaigns
• Best practices guide: Get the most out of your App campaign