In the highly competitive market for mobile applications, developers are constantly looking for innovative ways to generate revenue while offering a polished user experience.
One of the most effective strategies for monetising mobile applications is through ads. By integrating multiple ad networks into your application, you can diversify your revenue streams and optimise ad performance.
Google AdMob Mediation is a powerful tool that allows developers to easily implement multiple ad providers.
In this article, we’ll delve into the benefits of using AdMob Mediation and I’ll walk you through the process of implementing different ad providers in your mobile app.
What is AdMob and why is it important?
Before we dive into strategies to maximise your profits, it is essential to understand what it is to AdMob and why it is so relevant in the world of mobile advertising.
AdMob: The Mobile Advertising Platform for Excellence
AdMob is a mobile advertising platform developed by Google. It allows app publishers to display ads in their apps and, in return, receive revenue for each interaction with the ads, either by clicks or impressions.
Importance of AdMob
AdMob is important for several reasons:
- Ease of Use: It is an easy platform to integrate into your applications, which makes it accessible even for beginner developers.
- Effective Monetisation: AdMob offers a variety of ad formats and targeting options that can significantly increase your revenue.
- Backed by Google: Being owned by Google, you can rely on the quality and reliability of the platform.
Understanding AdMob Mediation
AdMob Mediation is a free, easy-to-use solution offered by Google that allows developers to display ads from multiple ad networks through a single integration. It acts as a mediator between your application and various ad networks, dynamically selecting the most appropriate ad from the available options to show to users.
The main benefits of using AdMob Mediation include:
Higher Revenues:
By using multiple ad providers, you can increase competition for your ad inventory, resulting in higher effective revenue per thousand impressions (eCPM) and higher overall revenue.
Better Fill Rates:
Mediation ensures that your ad inventory is fully utilised, minimising the number of unfilled ad requests and maximising your ad revenue potential.
Reduced Dependence on a Single Supplier:
Relying solely on an ad network can be risky, as policy changes or fluctuations in performance can significantly affect your revenue. Mediation reduces this dependency by providing a safety net against possible disruptions.
Types of Mediation
There are two types of mediation at AdMob:
- Waterfall Waterfall mediation calls ad sources one by one based on the average eCPM you set, not on what the ad source is willing to pay.
- Bidding In this mode, ad sources compete in a real-time auction to satisfy your ad requests through bids. In bidding, all configured sources are contacted simultaneously and the objective is to obtain the maximum possible revenue for each impression.
Implementing AdMob Mediation with Different Ad Providers
Now, let’s dive into the steps to implement AdMob Mediation in your mobile app with different ad providers:
- Step 1: Register on AdMob. If you haven’t already done so, sign up for a Google AdMob account at Google AdMob. Once registered, create a new ad block for each ad format you wish to display in your application. This step is crucial, as it will help you track the performance of different ad formats and optimise your advertising revenues in the future.
- Step 2: Integrate the AdMob SDK. Download and integrate the AdMob Software Development Kit (SDK) into your mobile app. Google provides full documentation and sample code to help you with the integration process for both Android and iOS platforms. The SDK is the backbone of AdMob Mediation and allows your application to communicate with multiple ad networks seamlessly. You will also need to include the SDKs provided by each of the Ad Networks in the case of Bidding.
- Step 3: Add ad network mediation adapters. To include other ad networks in your mediation stack, you must add their respective mediation adapters. AdMob supports a wide range of ad networks, including Facebook Audience Network, Unity Ads, AppLovin and many more. Visit the AdMob Mediation Networks page to find compatible ad networks and download the adapters you need. These adapters facilitate communication between AdMob Mediation and ad networks, allowing ads to flow smoothly.
- Step 4: Configure AdMob Mediation taking into account whether you have chosen the Waterfall or Bidding option. En su cuenta de AdMob, cree un nuevo grupo de mediación. It is very important that you review, select and register with the network you want to mediate in, as there are Ad Providers that are more focused or operate in certain geographic areas. In addition, you should check that the chosen Ad Provider offers the types of ads you are interested in. Not all networks have all Ads options available, for example, some do not allow “Rewarded Ads” or “Interstitial Ads”. We recommend that you check with the Ad Provider itself to verify that it offers the type of ad you are interested in. Once you have selected the ad network you wish to add, you will need to follow the steps provided by AdMob and the ad network in question to set up the integration. If you choose Waterfall, establishes the order of mediation, which determines the priority of each ad network. AdMob will attempt to source ads from the primary ad network first and will continue down the list if an ad is not available. You can also set geographic targeting and minimum eCPM levels for each ad network to fine-tune the ad targeting process. In the case of Bidding just select the Ad Networks you want to be included in the bidding.
- Step 5: Implementation of the mediation code. Within your application, modify the AdMob integration code to include the mediation functionality. Instead of calling the AdMob SDK directly, it will now request ads through the mediation group you have created. This step ensures that AdMob mediation actively selects the best ad from the pool of ad networks to maximise its revenue potential.
- Step 6: Test and optimise. Thoroughly test your application to ensure that ads are delivered as expected. Regularly monitors ad performance and makes adjustments to the mediation order to maximise revenue. Experiment with different ad formats and placements to find the most effective combination for your app and your audience. In addition, take advantage of AdMob’s reporting and analytics tools to gain insights into ad performance and user behaviour, which will help you refine your advertising strategy.
Conclusion
By implementing AdMob Mediation and integrating different advertising providers, you can significantly increase the revenue potential of your mobile application and at the same time offer a seamless user experience. The flexibility and control offered by AdMob Mediation allows you to adapt to changing market conditions and ensure that your application remains a sustainable and profitable business. Remember to keep up to date with the latest ad network offers and best practices to continuously optimise your application’s advertising monetisation strategy. If you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact Yapiko. Happy app creation and happy monetisation!
