[NEW VIDEO SERIES] Watch App-etizers, Bite Sized Insights for App Developers

Today we�re launching the first episode of a new YouTube series called App-etizers, bite sized insights for app developers. For this first episode, watch Max (Google AdMob Specialist) share the secret to growing your mobile app.

To learn more about app growth, download our eBook, The No-Nonsense Guide to Growing Your Mobile App. Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter and Google+ page.

Posted by Raj Ajrawat
Product Specialist, AdMob

[New eBook] Download The No-Nonsense Guide to App Growth

What�s the secret to rapid growth for your app?

Play Store or App Store optimization? A sophisticated paid advertising strategy? A viral social media campaign?

While all of these strategies could help you grow your user base, the foundation for rapid growth is much more basic and fundamental�you need an engaging app.

This handbook will walk you through practical ways to increase your app�s user engagement to help you eventually transition to growth. You�ll learn how to:

• Pick the right metric to represent user engagement
• Look at data to audit your app and find areas to fix
• Promote your app after you�ve reached a healthy level of user engagement

Download a free copy here:

For more tips on app monetization, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Twitter and Google+ pages.

Posted by Raj Ajrawat,
Product Specialist, AdMob

How do you find your most active users and keep them engaged?

Lowdown is a weekly series that brings you tips and tricks on how to best use AdMob to grow your app business, directly from members of the Google AdMob team.

Paul Buchheit, the Googler behind Gmail and now partner at Y Combinator, is famous for emphasizing that, �It�s better to make something a small number of people love, than something a large number of people don�t care about.� This is absolutely true for your app business. Scaling something mediocre isn�t going to fare well for your business in the long run. Its crucial not to settle for exclusively measuring fluffy metrics like overall downloads or general traffic. You�ve got to dig deeper to find out who�s using your app the most, what they love about it, and eventually double down on what�s working well. We�d like to introduce you to two key reports from Google Mobile App Analytics that will help you to do just that.

Loyalty Report within Google Analytics

The Loyalty Report within Google Analytics shows you the number of sessions for the nth occurrence in your app. You�ll see the number of �1st interactions� with your app, then the number of �2nd interactions�, then the number of �3rd interactions�, and so on.

This report can help you determine at what point in your app users drop off. For example, your Loyalty Report may show you that users with fewer than three sessions have lower conversion rates.

With this information, there are many tests that you can run. You could go through the app yourself to see if there�s anything within the user experience that hinders engagement past 3 sessions. You could segment the users that drop off before 3 sessions and investigate whether they share any common attributes�maybe they came from a marketing campaign that�s bringing in the wrong audience or there could be a language difference. You could even try to use advertising to motivate users early with incentives.

By clearly recognizing the engagement drop off point in your app, you can begin to take methodical action towards increasing engagement. Check out the help desk for more detailed information.

Recency Report within Google Analytics

The Recency Report within Google Analytics shows how much time passed between app sessions. This provides a great way to segment users based on frequency of engagement, and enables you to know who uses your app once a month, or once a week, or even once a day. With this information you can begin to target new customers that are similar to your most engaged segment. You could also try using notifications or advertising to bring less engaged users back more frequently.

It's critical for your app's growth to have a disciplined and metrics driven approach to understand who uses your app. AdMob has Google Mobile App Analytics built right in, making it easier to discover trends and take action that will directly tie to revenue. Visit our website to learn more about how AdMob can help you understand your users. Until next time, be sure to stay connected on all things AdMob by following our Google+ page.

Posted by Sarah Xie

Mobile Strategic Partner Manager

Make it a resolution this year to grow your app business with Google Analytics

Would you like to know what pages your users take action on? Or release an ad with more confidence that potential users will click? As we kick off 2015, we�re beyond excited about the opportunities for developers to harness new insights and grow their apps with the power of Google Analytics. Using analytics will give you the data to discover new users, measure engagement, and gauge impact. There�s no time like the present to dive in.

To help you get started, we�re beginning a series of Google+ posts on app analytics resolutions: steps you as a developer can take this year to make better use of your app�s data. Over the next few weeks, our in-house Google Analytics product experts will offer up their own personal recommendations for metrics and reports that you can utilize to gain a deeper understanding of your app�s performance. Scroll on over to our G+ page tomorrow to learn how.

Posted by Becky Bowman
AdMob Global Commercialization Lead

How do you design a great app? Learn from top app developers in our video series

What are the golden rules of app design that successful developers live and die by? How and where should you test an early version? Marvin Paul, co-creator of Out of Milk, encourages developers to get a version of their app out of the door quickly, then test and iterate.

The third video in the App Developer Interview Series gives you tips and insights from our panel of app experts about building your app, so before you jump into your project, take a moment to watch the video.

The App Developer Interview Series and App Developer Business Kit are initiatives from AdMob to educate app developers about how to grow their idea into a successful app business. To learn more about building, marketing and monetizing your app, visit the The App Developer Business Kit on the AdMob website, and stay connected on all things AdMob and more by following our Google+ page.

Posted by Mike Schipper
Product Marketing Manager, AdMob

Top tips on how to grow your app idea into a successful business

Mobile app growth is exploding, driven by more and more people using mobile devices. To help you build a successful app business, AdMob has created The App Developer Business Kit. You can use this guide to help you figure out the right tools and steps to build an app business - whether you're an entrepreneur with an idea, or a developer with an app already available for download. Take a look below at some of the top tips for starting and growing your app business.

How to start building an app: To start, you�ll learn about the key principles that everyone should consider when building an app including ideas for funding, tech tips for building apps, and ways to earn revenue. You�ll also get a sneak peak into how Polish app developer Szymon Klimaszewski�s Blood Pressure app became one of the most downloaded health apps in the Google Play Store.

Build a user base: It�s important to have a clear app marketing strategy and to promote it effectively. Discover ways to attract more users and reach new markets through a deep-dive into how to promote your app. You�ll also see some great examples of how a few developers turned their app ideas into reality.

Understand the user: Different app users have different needs, and reaching your user audience isn�t easy. Get a good understanding of how users vary across the globe and some advice on how to reach them through recommendations based on survey data from the five hottest app markets in the world � US, UK, China, Japan, South Korea.

Grow an app business: Get answers to common app business development questions: How should I expand my app business? How do I keep innovating?

We hope you find the business kit informative and helpful as you build you mobile app business. Make sure to visit the AdMob website to view the complete App Developer Business Kit, and stay connected on all things mobile apps by following our Google+ page.