Hello, community! A vast array of advertising tools sometimes clouds our vision, and we fail to see or consciously ignore some very effective solutions that aren’t as mainstream as targeting and contextual advertising. Today, let’s discuss Google UAC – an advertising solution for mobile apps that can be effectively utilized in affiliate marketing.

But if you think paying for traffic is cringe and prefer to utilize organic traffic, here’s our comparison of these two methods. We recommend checking it out!

What is Google UAC, and why is it needed?

Google Universal App Campaign, or UAC, isn’t the newest solution, but it has rapidly gained popularity recently due to a number of objective factors, which we will discuss later.

Google UAC is an advertising tool aimed exclusively at promoting mobile apps, particularly mobile games. The ads are broadcast across almost all Google services. This includes not only the search engine but also YouTube, Google Play, and others. Moreover, the ads will also be displayed on partner websites, providing the app owner with extremely wide coverage that allows for a large number of leads, or at least views, at minimum.

Google UAC serves as a reliable tool to:

  1. Increase the number of downloads of your app;
  2. Automate your ad campaigns through the use of AI.

Essentially, on paper, it is the top of the tops in the advertising market. The only caveat, which you’ve probably already noticed, is that it allows for the promotion of only apps, not full offers. However, even this is not a problem if you consider specific use cases of Google UAC in affiliate marketing. We will also discuss this.

How does Google UAC work?

Google UAC is not quite the usual contextual advertising from Google that most affiliates work with. Despite a similar level of coverage, the principles of how the campaign operates are significantly different.

A major difference is that in Google UAC, advertisers have an AI assistant. This algorithm aims to generate only those ads that will demonstrate the highest conversion rates. For this, the advertiser needs to upload several creatives into the system, after which the AI begins to generate test campaigns, selecting the most effective combinations.

Thus, you do not need to create dozens of ads separately. Just provide all the necessary data to the algorithm, which will then formulate your campaign.

Moreover, even if you add nothing to the campaign, the algorithm will do all the work. The advertisement will be based on the information found on the app’s page in Google Play or AppStore.

It should be noted that you can only advertise apps that are uploaded to the two platforms mentioned above. It is not possible to drive traffic to an app that is hosted on your own landing page.

How Google UAC is used in affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing and mobile app development may seem incompatible, or at least not identical. However, this is only superficial.

Mobile apps are not just about things like Uklon and Angry Birds. Almost any website can be packaged into an app that is subsequently listed on Google Play. Essentially, this is an offer that exists not within a single landing page but as a cross-platform browser that opens only one window. Or, speaking more professionally, it is a webview app.

To package any site into a webview format, there is no need to learn any programming language. It’s enough to use special compilers, of which there are plenty available today. Then, the app can be added to the marketplace, pass moderation, and be promoted through Google UAC.

Traditional or native apps are also used by affiliates. Sometimes they are provided by the advertiser, and sometimes they are bought or rented. These can be more professionally packaged offers, with usability optimized for mobile devices, built-in functions for payment, and user data retrieval for authorization, etc. Examples include mobile apps for online casinos or dating sites similar to Tinder.

Regarding verticals, the most profitable are combinations with:

If desired, traffic can be driven to virtually any vertical, but these options are particularly suitable, given that other advertising platforms are quite aggressive towards most gray verticals.

However, do not forget that the advertising conditions in Google UAC are almost identical to those in Google Ads. Thus, to launch gambling campaigns, for instance, some effort will be required. But once you have passed through all the circles of moderation, you can count on high conversion rates.

Thus, in Affiliate Marketing, Google UAC is used to promote offers packaged within an app. Or it can be used to promote individual native apps where the affiliate advertises the offer – such cases also exist. Moreover, the latter method allows for easier moderation and a longer-term presence in the marketplace.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Google UAC

As a summary, it’s worth discussing why you should use Google UAC. Let’s start with the main advantages:

  1. The ability to use any creative: in addition to static images, you can add animations or full videos;
  2. A flexible tool that is quite easy to configure thanks to the use of AI. Maximum rapid campaign launch;
  3. Massive reach. Ads are broadcast across all Google services and partner sites;
  4. The ability to drive traffic to gray verticals;
  5. Automation of ad campaigns through AI.

It’s also fair to highlight some disadvantages. These include:

  1. The same AI, which although it simplifies work, operates imperfectly as it learns gradually;
  2. Lack of control over traffic quality;
  3. It’s impossible to set up the campaign as in contextual advertising: with quality bidding, ad display schedules, etc.;
  4. Targeting is extremely limited, and manual setup is almost non-existent.

Also, remember that this is still advertising from Google. Thus, the restrictions we face in Google Ads are also present here. However, if your app has made it to the store, it will be easier to drive traffic to it.

Conclusion

Google UAC is nearly the primary advertising tool needed to promote your mobile app. It’s a relevant topic for Affiliate Marketing, where apps are either packaged offers or separate platforms for advertising the same offer.

Have you ever driven traffic through apps? Share your experience in our Telegram community, or learn from the experience of your peers!

Best regards, Your Geek!

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