Meet Last Year�s Winner of the AdMob Student App Challenge

If you haven�t heard, we launched the AdMob Student App Challenge 2016 in January, and we�re really excited to see what you�ll build. If you�re wondering how to get started let�s meet the previous winner, Phani Gaddipati, from Colorado, USA. Phani won with Stacks Flashcards. The app lets people create electronic flashcards on any subject, quiz themselves, and analyze their performance. Learn more about what inspired Phani to build his app in the video below.

As Phani mentioned in the video, he took a practical approach to building his app, designing something that he knew would be useful to himself and his peers. Because of this, he has now driven over 50K downloads of his app.

As part of this year�s contest, the grand prize winner will receive a week-long trip to San Francisco, including a visit to the Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA. The winning app will be featured on the Google Play Store, and you�ll also get to star in your own promotional video featuring your app.  For more information, please see our full contest terms here.

If you haven�t yet, be sure to visit the AdMob website to register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge.

Posted by Jeff Miner

AdMob Student App Challenge Team

Share your feedback on AdSense, AdMob, and other Google publisher solutions

It�s time to share your feedback! To improve our product and services, we send out a survey to a group of publishers every 6 months. The next survey will be sent soon and we�re looking forward to hearing from you.

Your feedback and comments are important to us, and we really do read and consider everything you write. Thanks to previous suggestions, we�ve launched a number of new features to improve our services and help you grow your earnings. These include a new Optimization tab that provides tips on increasing your revenue, improved AdSense interface for easier user navigation and more transparency on our policies.

You may receive a survey by email over the coming weeks. To make sure that you are eligible to receive the survey email, please 

• Update your contact details
• Update your email preferences to receive �occasional survey� messages

Whether you�ve completed this survey before or you�re providing feedback for the first time, we�d like to thank you for sharing your valuable thoughts. We�re looking forward to feedback!

Posted by Dan Makarov

 AdSense Publisher Happiness Team

Announcing the launch of AMP in Search

Speed matters, particularly on mobile devices. People are likely to abandon websites after just three seconds if the content doesn�t load quickly. This is bad for the user trying to access content, and also for the publisher whose business depends on users engaging with content. That�s why, last October, we joined others across the industry to announce the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Project, an open source initiative to make the mobile web as fast as possible.

Earlier today, Google announced that web pages created using AMP will appear when relevant in the Top Stories section of the search results page, giving users a lightning-fast experience --- early tests have found that AMP pages load an average of four times faster and use 10 times less data than equivalent non-AMP pages.

A key goal of the AMP Project is to ensure that publishers� existing business models are supported. To that end, AMP in Search will have what could be termed as version one of some new features aimed at helping publishers earn money and understand and engage their audience. Full details are on Github and on the AMPProject.org site, but here are the highlights:

• Ads: Advertising pays for a lot of the great journalism that we all love to read for free, so it�s essential that publishers can run ads on AMP pages with the ad servers and networks of their choice, in multiple formats (including native ads), and with full control over where they appear on the page. AMP also supports the new viewability metrics advertisers and publishers use to measure how users are engaging with ads. Currently publishers can choose from more than 20 ad tech providers who have developed support for AMP, including DoubleClick and AdSense. You can read more about the ads support in AMP in general here.

• Subscriptions: For many publishers, subscriptions and paywalls are critical to the bottom line. AMP lets publishers retain full control over which readers can access which stories, to ensure that publishers can continue to make money via subscriptions on their AMP pages. Visit Github for more details on subscriptions in AMP.

• Analytics: Analytics are important to publishers because they help them understand what people like to read and how they read. AMP provides an analytics framework that lets publishers measure data like pageviews, users, time spent, and more. The insights provided by these kinds of metrics can help publishers create appealing stories, build brand loyalty and ultimately make money. Learn more about the analytics support in AMP here and specifically about Google Analytics in AMP here.

While we�re excited to have collaborated with the industry to bring this project forward and improve the mobile web for users, we�re just scratching the surface of what�s possible. There�s much work ahead for the open source AMP project and we�re looking forward to the benefits this will bring to users, publishers and advertisers

Posted by Craig DiNatali
Director, Global Partnerships

Nitin Kashyap
Product Manager

App Monetization Insights: How Poki cleverly tests their games before launching

This is the 2nd post of our 5-part blog series providing monetization tips straight from successful app developers. If you�re exploring the question, �what�s the best way to monetize my app?�, also check out AdMob�s free No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization.

This week, we meet with Sebastiaan Moeys, co-founder of Poki, a cross-platform game publisher. They develop and publish web and app games for kids of all ages, reaching 30 million monthly active users. Originally Poki, operated exclusively on the web, but with the rise of mobile they�ve recently released their first app called Zoi. Zoi has over 500,000 downloads and a 4.4 rating across the app stores. Check out these tips from Sebastiaan.

1. Start simply when first approaching in-app analytics

Sebastiaan�s team is sophisticated with their in-app analytics platform and use this data to drive all of their decision making.

For context, Poki continually monitors three things. First, they measure a custom metric called �Pure Game Time�. This metric tracks how much time a player spends in-app excluding everything that isn�t actually game time (i.e. subtracting time the users engage with ads or time waiting for the game to load). Second, they monitor 1st, 3rd and 7th day retention rates, benchmarking their game�s performance with top performers in the market. And lastly, they measure drop-off rate. 

Sebastiaan clearly advocates for building out a robust analytics setup over time, but he believes it's important to start off simply:

�You should start simple. In-app analytics can be extensive and you can�t figure out everything in one night. The key is to take small steps, make sure you really understand all the metrics you�re looking at and iterate. It�s a mindset.�

Consider choosing a single, meaningful metric to start, potentially drop-off rate. Then, begin to get in the routine of using that data to improve your app�s quality. 

2. Test your assumptions cheaply and quickly before investing in major developments

Globally, game players have embraced multi-screen options, simultaneously playing on lots of different platforms. For Poki, this meant transitioning their web-based development company to include mobile development. Although exciting, the new challenge brought a new problem. 

Now every time they wanted to launch a new game, it would require a larger team and more money upfront. Every project became a bigger gamble.

To solve this, Poki uses a clever approach that has worked really well for them. Instead of launching on every platform, all at once, they use the web to launch softly, test and iterate. Once they feel comfortable with the new release, then they develop for mobile. The insights they learn from web helps them test a lot of decisions that need to be made for the business.

�By developing games in a smart, iterative way, we not only had the time to ensure that players loved it, we were able to channel the momentum and insights into further growing our user base. With our web learnings, we�re able to perfect game play, quickly A/B test the best places to show ads in our app version, learn what global regions we should localize our app for, and even ask our existing users to help spread the word about the future app launch.�

The process has worked so well with Zoi, that they�ve already begun to scale. The company now has 3 new games in development, and is collecting data to help improve their chances of being a success on mobile. Sebastiaan thinks that the approach of testing quickly and cheaply before launching is something that other game developers can replicate as well. He explains, �for new game developers, try to test your assumptions as early as possible � test your prototype quickly, get your game design and monetization right, and then release your app.� 

Google Ventures, Google�s investment firm, also believes in testing ideas before spending on development. To help more companies do this, they�ve created an approach called a Design Sprint, �a five-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers.� Learn more about Google Venture�s approach to inexpensive prototyping here.

3. Look outside your home country for opportunities

Sebastiaan started what is now Poki when he was still in high school in Holland. A popular trend he loved was web-based games. All of his friends played them and he knew it was popular all over the country. When on a family vacation in France, he was amazed to find out that the trend hadn�t become popular there yet. Once he got home, he coded up a site and translated everything into French using his parent�s dictionary. The rest is history. Now Poki has 29 dedicated translators, helping the team bring more games to more regions of the world.

Sebastiaan uses the same principle to find the best markets to promote new games in. Additionally, he loves using AdMob to monetize internationally, because it�s easy and quick to get started. His advice for developers looking to go global:

�Work with Google to begin with, and keep your ad implementation simple. Once you start growing in a certain market, look for partners that have local expertise in that market, and use Google�s tools to run localized ads in concurrence with ad demand in the Google network. We have taken this approach in many markets, and the payoff was great for us.�

If you found these tips helpful, don�t forget to check out The No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization. Also, stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter and Google+ pages and don�t forget to check out Poki on Twitter.

Posted by Joe Salisbury, Product Specialist, AdMob

How to implement banner ads the right way to help earn more revenue with AdMob

When monetizing an app with ads, you want to make sure that you�re implementing them in the right way to create a positive user experience. Banner ads are an effective way to monetize because they work well in a variety of apps.

Mobile phones have limited screen size, which means that careful planning for your ad placement is especially important. Close proximity of banner ads to other elements within an app is one of the biggest causes of accidental clicks. If accidental clicks occur, publishers may see a portion of their revenue deducted in order to refund affected advertisers. Publishers may also have ad-serving suspended until the issues are resolved.

Learn how to implement banner ads the right way by watching our new best practices video.

For additional guidance, check out our Help Center. We'd also like to highlight our newest Help Center article on 300x250 banner ad guidance.

Stay connected on all things AdMob and more by following our Google+ and Twitter pages.

Posted by Danielle Chang
AdMob Policy Team

Meet the AdMob Team at Mobile World Congress 2016 Next Week

We�re going to Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain next week. If you�re attending the event, be sure to visit us at the Google booth in App Planet, Hall 8.1. We�d love to hear about your app and share ways that you could earn more with AdMob. We�ll be there with our colleagues from the Cloud Platform and AdWords teams, showing off a host of great services that can help you develop, grow and earn from your app.

Hear from one of our AdMob experts about our latest announcements, including SDK-less mediation, and the Active View metric, newly available in the AdMob interface.  You can also organize a meeting with someone from our team by completing this form.

If you can�t attend this year, you�ll be able to stay in the loop: we�ll be live tweeting and sharing the event on our Twitter and Google+ channels, using the hashtags #Google #MWC16. We hope to see you there!

Posted by Mike Schipper, Product Marketing, AdMob

Understand Active View to Increase the Value of Your AdMob Ads

We�ve been advancing measurement standards across the ad industry with Active View, Google�s ad viewability measurement solution, for some time.  In 2012, we introduced Active View and have been extending reporting across our ad platforms, including DoubleClick, so that publishers can get an accurate measure of ad viewability.

Now available in AdMob for the first time, Active View metrics in the AdMob Network report help you understand what portion of your AdMob ads are viewable long enough to potentially be actionable by users. With this data you can increase the viewability of your ads by optimizing how they appear in your app. At this time, the Active View metrics in the AdMob Network report are only for display ads, with metrics for video ads coming soon.

Some background on ad viewability
Generally, viewability is the percentage of ads considered viewable by users out of the total number of ads measured. It�s important because it helps advertisers to understand what percentage of their ads are potentially actionable. Google�s Active View metric counts an ad as viewable if a minimum of 50% of the pixels of the ad are on screen for at least one continuous second for display ads, or two continuous seconds (of video play) for video ads.

Think about this experience on your mobile app. If you place your ads near the bottom of a long screen where users are unlikely to scroll, then your total number of viewable impressions is likely to be lower than if you had placed the ad higher up the screen.

In the report, metrics include the percentage of measurable impressions (eligible impressions that could be measured with Active View), and the percentage of viewable impressions (the percentage of measurable Active View-eligible impressions that were viewable). You can find more details about additional metrics in this AdMob help center article.

View Active View metrics for your app in the AdMob Network report (top right)

What are the benefits for the ad industry and app developers?
More insights into viewability provide benefits for the ad industry overall. Advertisers get an accurate picture of what percentage of their ads are being seen by users. Based on this knowledge, they can create better ads which are more engaging to users, and also gain insight into which apps are providing the most value to them. For advertisers who are paying by the impression, this can result in more efficient ad campaigns.

Developers stand to benefit by being able to create well-integrated ad experiences in apps to improve user experience which can lead to higher monetization. For example, developers can use this data to place ads in positions where they are more viewable, while still keeping app content engaging and easy to access.

Explore and stay tuned
We invite you to check out the new Active View metrics in your AdMob account, and come back to the Inside AdMob blog for a new series on ad viewability starting in March.

Until then, for more tips on app monetization, follow our Twitter and Google+ pages.

Posted by Sarah Faulkner, Product Manager, AdMob

SDK-less Mediation: An easier way to mediate

Publishers have long used mediation to maximize revenue by showing ads sourced from diverse ad networks. However adding new networks required integrating and testing new SDKs - which often led to wasted development resources, app updates, bugs and bloated code. With SDK-less mediation it is now possible to simply add new networks server side without updating their apps.

Today, we�re excited to announce that we�re adding SDK-less mediation to the AdMob and DoubleClick for Publishers platforms. SDK-less mediation is a feature that lets developers add new ad networks without having to integrate additional SDKs or adapters. This is great for developers who are concerned with SDK size or who simply do not want to deal with the hassle of adding and updating new ad network SDKs. With SDK-less mediation, developers can conveniently add new ad networks to their mediation stack.

"AdMob SDK-less allows us to test new networks without updating binaries. It means we can get more expensive traffic from new networks and increase our overall eCPM (and overall income) just by adding new networks and finding most optimal mediation settings (and all these don't require any programming!)." - Victor Negrutsa, CEO, 1C Wireless

As with AdMob�s existing SDK-based mediation, SDK-less mediation will support all existing mediation features including ad network optimization, Live CPM, and country-specific CPM values. Developers using SDK-less will still be able to leverage SDK-based integrations and the two can be combined in the same mediation waterfall. SDK-less networks will have the �SDK-less� suffix on the AdMob interface.

To launch SDK-less, we�re happy to announce our first round of partners: Aarki, Drawbridge, MdotM and Smaato with more coming in the near future.

For more information on technical integration for SDK-less mediation check out our help center. Not mediating yet? It�s easy to set up and takes very little time to manage. With AdMob, you can focus on building great apps while we do the hard work for you. Here�s how you can get started.

For more about AdMob Mediation, visit our help center, and to stay connected on all things AdMob, follow our Twitter and Google+ pages.

Posted by Arun Balaraman,
Group Product Manager

Meet AdSense Publisher Educacin Inicial

Preschool teacher Marisol Godoy founded Educacin Inicial when she was pregnant and had to spend many hours in bed. Full of ideas shed never had the chance to write down, Educacin Inicial became her archive of fun and educational projects for parents and other preschool teachers to enjoy with children.

Using AdSense, Marisol was able to start earning an income from Educacin Inicial. In time she was making enough to give up her teaching job and run the website full-time with husband David.
Today the site has over five million regular contributors from all over the world. AdSense remains the sites sole source of income, which gives Marisol and her husband the freedom to travel and spend time with their boys, who are now all grown up.

Not yet an AdSense user? Sign up now!

Meet AdSense Publisher Educacin Inicial

Preschool teacher Marisol Godoy founded Educacin Inicial when she was pregnant and had to spend many hours in bed. Full of ideas shed never had the chance to write down, Educacin Inicial became her archive of fun and educational projects for parents and other preschool teachers to enjoy with children.

Using AdSense, Marisol was able to start earning an income from Educacin Inicial. In time she was making enough to give up her teaching job and run the website full-time with husband David.
Today the site has over five million regular contributors from all over the world. AdSense remains the sites sole source of income, which gives Marisol and her husband the freedom to travel and spend time with their boys, who are now all grown up.

Not yet an AdSense user? Sign up now!

Managing your time effectively in the #AdMobSAC16

Here are some pointers for managing your time as your team gets started in the #AdMobSAC16.

• January to February: 
• Organize your team; if you haven�t found a team, utilize Collabfinder to ensure you find the best team possible.
• Assign tasks and deliverables for people according to their strengths.
• Brainstorm your ideas for your app.
• Put together your strategy for project completion. 


Tip: This is also a good time to familiarize yourself with the AdMob app policy, which can be found in the AdMob Help Center.


• March: As springtime approaches, your team should be in the heart of building the application. Focus on:
• Design work and developing the basic elements of the app.
• Aim to have a working prototype by the end of the month.
• Don�t forget to integrate AdMob ads into your app. This is a key requirement.
• Open it up for testing among a small group of trusted developers who are willing to provide detailed feedback.Start thinking your app�s promotional strategy.


Tip: A large portion of #AdMobSAC16 is scored on the success of your app (such as the number of downloads and ratings - check the judging criteria for the full details) - you will need to give yourself enough time to put effort into promoting your app.


• April: 
• Complete final testing and make refinements based on user feedback. Your app should be high quality, and part of that is responding to user suggestions. 
• Release your app on an app store and start promoting it.
• Remember to submit your app and AdMob account ID to AdMob so we know you�ve built it.
• May to June:
• Continue promoting your app. Think about creative ways to do it. 
• Now will be the time to start readying your business report, which is due on June 28, 2016 by 5:00PM PST. The Challenge website already has a recommended template on it.
• Remember, your project will be reviewed by a panel of app experts from Google, so your business report will need to be thorough and of professional-level quality. 

Be sure to visit the AdMob website to register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge.

Posted by Jeff MinerAdMob Student App Challenge Team

App Monetization Insights: How Hydro Coach rapidly reached 22 new markets

We created The No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization to help you answer a burning question, �What�s the best way to monetize my app?�. Our new 5-part blog series provides additional tips straight from successful app developers.

This week, meet Christoph Pferschy, the app developer and designer behind Hydro Coach. Hydro Coach is a drink reminder and water intake tracker that�s been growing in popularity, now receiving over 5,500 downloads a day. Check out these tips from Christoph.

1. Start small to get big

Christoph is best known for his app Hydro Coach, but his company, Codium App Ideas, has a bigger vision. In his words, they�re on a mission �to create useful and high-quality health-related apps that are combinable to a single health & fitness system.�

But right now, Christoph is focusing on just one app � Hydro Coach. Why?

Because he believes the best way to accomplish a big goal is to focus on a critical piece and nail it. He chose Hydro Coach because he�s personally benefited from drinking more water and he saw that there was less competition in the space.

Now that his business is growing, he�s begun moving forward with his larger plan, connecting with other services and platforms. For example, he explains, �we�ve connected Hydro Coach to Google Fit to synchronize users� weight and we�re also very proud to be featured as a partner app with Samsung�s S Health,� syncing all drink inputs with their platform.�

Consider Christoph�s approach to building a company: start small to get big. Focusing on too much, too early, might not allow you to build an app experience that user�s love.

2. Assess users� needs before choosing a business model

Settle on a business model for your app before it launches. Spend time assessing your users� needs and your business goals to get there. Start by asking yourself guiding questions that will help narrow down the decision for you like, �Who is your audience?�, �What value does your app provide?�, and �How do you intend to promote your app?�. Learn more about these guiding questions and business models in our No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization.

Once you do choose your business model, consider continually improving your app�s user experience, especially when it affects monetization. Christoph is meticulous about providing the best experience for all of his users, explaining,

�We try to improve each user experiment segment with small and careful changes over time. For example, we�ve fine-tuned the algorithm that determines when, how and how often ads are displayed, thanks to Manuela (our AdMob consultant). We also invest in small things that mean a lot to our users, like being sure to say �Thank you� after a user makes an in-app purchase and making the flow after a purchase as smooth as possible. It all adds up.�

As you look through your app, be methodical when choosing your overarching monetization strategy. Once you�ve chosen your model, focus on tweaking the user experience and providing the best possible monetization flow.

3. Consider having your users help with localization

Christoph has done an amazing job getting Hydro Coach fully translated into 22 languages. His secret weapon? His users.

As he explains, �It�s no secret that translating the app is the first and most important step. So here�s my tip: ask your users to help translate. It results in a high-quality translation because people who are already using your app have the needed context and interest. There are several services for this that you can use, but you�ll be surprised how many people love to help.�

If you found these tips helpful, don�t forget to check out The No-nonsense Guide to App Monetization. Also, stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter and Google+ pages.

Posted by Joe Salisbury, Product Specialist, AdMob

Tips on how you can prevent invalid activity on your apps

Invalid activity is an important topic we'd like to discuss in today's post.

Invalid activity consists of any clicks or impressions that may artificially inflate an advertiser's costs or a publisher's earnings. Invalid activity covers intentionally fraudulent traffic as well as accidental clicks.

Publishers can take many preventative steps to prevent invalid activity on their accounts. If we find invalid activity in your app(s), you may be at risk for account suspension or disablement. We may also refund revenue generated from invalid clicks to affected advertisers.

Publishers must not artificially inflate the impressions or clicks the ads receive, either through automated or manual means. Clicks on Google ads must result from genuine user interest.

We understand that a third party may generate invalid activity on your ads without your knowledge or permission. However, ultimately, it is your responsibility as the publisher to ensure that the activity on your ads is valid.

Here are some tips on how you can prevent invalid activity on your ads:

• Don't click on your own ads. This includes manually clicking on your live ads and employing automated means, including but not limited to robots or other deceptive software. Testing your live ads by clicking on them is not allowed. Please use test ads (available for Android, iOS, or Windows Phone) to avoid generating invalid impressions and clicks.
• Don't encourage or ask your friends, family, co-workers, etc. to click on your ads.
• Don't encourage or ask general users to click on your ads. This includes asking for users to support your app, offering rewards to users for clicking ads, and promising to raise money for third parties for such behavior.
• Make sure your ad implementations don't encourage accidental clicks. User flow is very important to consider when implementing your ads. For instance, interstitial ads unexpectedly surprising the user, and close proximity of banner ads to other elements within an app, are some of the biggest causes of accidental clicks. Check out our AdMob implementation guidance for more information.
• Avoid partnering with untrusted / low-quality parties. Some publishers have had issues with invalid activity when partnering with low-quality ad networks or app promotion sites in efforts to increase traffic to their app, which may increase the likelihood of ads being viewed or clicked. Again, it is ultimately the publisher's responsibility to ensure that the activity on their ads is valid. To help determine the source of your visitors, we recommend using Google Analytics for AdMob. For more information please visit our AdMob Help Center.

Posted by Danielle Chang
AdMob Policy Team

Trouble Finding a team? Try the AdMob Student App Challenge Collabfinder

For many students, the AdMob Student App Challenge is an exciting opportunity to showcase their app-building prowess, or a new way to display their entrepreneurial skills. However, since the contest is a both a developer and business contest, you may be having difficulty forming the right team or worse yet, considering not participating because of it.

Enter the AdMob Student App Challenge Collabfinder group. This tool allows you to find like-minded students who are interested in participating in the Challenge, who may not have been able to form a team yet. For students with a mind towards business or an app idea, here�s a way to find someone with a passion for app development that you can work together with. Or for someone who already has the skills to build the app, but is not as business-oriented, find a teammate who can help with putting a business plan behind the app idea.

Be sure to visit the AdMob website to learn more and register. Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge.

Posted by Jeff Miner
External Communications, AdMob Student App Challenge