AdMob users may be using adaptive banners without even knowing what they are, but in fact, this ad format includes a variety of features. In this volume, we’ll explore how to take advantage of the characteristics of adaptive banners and how to solve some of the problems and issues associated with monetizing apps through advertising.
Index:
・What are adaptive banners?
・Implementing adaptive banners
・FAQ on app monetization
What are adaptive banners?
AdMob offers four ad formats that can be implemented in apps: banner, native, interstitial, and rewarded. Among these, banners are further divided into the three types below:
Banner (standard)
Smart banner
adaptive banner<.br
Of the three above, adaptive banners are the most flexible, followed by smart banners, and finally banners.
Because ad sizes are fixed and can’t be changed, banners sometimes don’t fill on the UI design and leave blank spaces on the sides, limiting the number of ads that can be displayed.
Smart banners are developed to address this drawback by allowing ads to be displayed across the entire width of screens based on widths automatically detected by AdMob. This eliminates blank spaces on the sides of the ads, but since height is not adjustable, an ad could get stretched horizontally, or it could be too small on screen, which would diminish ad revenue.
Adaptive banners are similar to smart banners in that they can use the entire width range detected by AdMob, but in addition to that, in case the width of an ad unit where the ad will be displayed is set manually, they can also automatically adjust ad height, keeping the original aspect ratio. Besides, no custom coding is required for ads to be optimally sized for any devices. The flexibility of ad sizes increases the number of ads to be displayed, allowing for more profitable ads to be displayed in a resized format. Switching from standard banners to adaptive banners can improve revenue by as much as 20%.
Implementing adaptive banners
Adaptive banners can be implemented without custom coding, so there is no need for additional applications or ad unit creations, and banner ads can be switched to adaptive by changing their descriptions in the app code. Developer’s Guide by Google provides detailed instructions on writing code to implement adaptive banners.
iOS: https://developers.google.com/admob/ios/banner/adaptive
Android: https://developers.google.com/admob/android/banner/adaptive
Unity https://developers.google.com/admob/unity/banner/adaptive
There are three major steps to implementing adaptive banners regardless of the development environment:
1.Create a GADBannerView and set an ad unit ID
2.Obtain size of adaptive banner
3.Load the banner
Adaptive banners work through acquiring ad sizes in Step 2. In addition,
make sure that the following conditions are met:
・You have the latest version of Google Mobile Ads SDK.
・iOS: 7.52.0 or later
・Android: 18.3.0 or later
・If mediation is running, you also need the latest version of third-party networks’ adapters.
The following points should also be noted:
・AdView must be described in the code.
・Do not make the background of the area displaying adaptive banners transparent.
・The area displaying adaptive banners should not cover the content display area.
Neglecting the above will result in banners not being displayed or in suspension of your Admob account for policy violations. Please refer to Implementation guidance in AdMob help for more information on policies and implementation precautions, If you are having trouble using or implementing adaptive banners, please contact us.
FAQ on app monetization
You now understand that adaptive banners can be a powerful tool in monetizing your apps. As you may know, there are many ways to monetize. Here are some of the questions we regularly receive from app developers about monetization and our answers to them.
There are four types of app monetization: advertising, in-app billing, EC, and paid download. Depending on the features and content of each app, these can be used separately or combined to make a hybrid monetization model.
To increase ad revenue, you might try to
・Increase the number of ad sources for mediation (be careful not to increase them too much),
・Implement rewarded interstitial/video ads which are high priced ad formats,
・Place ad spaces higher up in your app.
In particular, rewarded video ads can not only monetize non-paying users, but increase IAP conversion and app retention rates.
Yes, you can. You can use smart segmentation by integrating AdMob with Firebase. This allows you to show ads only to those who are not likely to pay.
There are several key points to keep in mind.
・Ad units should be implemented as separately as possible.
The value of an ad space is determined by the value of each unit. If the same ad unit is placed at different positions on the app, revenue may be affected by the ad unit at the less valuable position as the price is determined by the cheapest one. That is why you should try to create separate units for each position on the app as much as possible.
・Add optimized ad networks to mediation.
Using an ANO* with compatible networks will ensure optimal waterfalling of mediations.
* Ad Network Optimization, a tool that can help you optimize revenue across multiple networks automatically
・Check revenue reports regularly and improve any poorly performing ad spaces.
Poorly performing ad spaces less monetize and only ruin the UX. If you determine the cause of the poor profitability of a certain ad space and find that there is no room for improvement, one of the possible options is to remove the space.
Feel free to contact us for personalized recommendations on app monetization. If you would like to talk to an AdMob expert about your app, click on the image below to sign up for a meeting.
Up next, we’ll discuss a relatively new ad format, rewarded interstitial.