The Right (and Wrong) Way to Grow with Google App Campaigns — Ashley Black, Candid Consulting

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Feb 19, 2025

Ashley Black, founder of Candid Consulting and former Google app ads lead, shares her expert insights on maximizing Google App Campaigns. She explains the importance of structured testing and smart bidding for optimal reach. Discover why lower CPMs may not signify success, as quality placements matter more. Ashley also emphasizes the need for a patient scaling approach and innovative strategies for creative testing, particularly in the challenging iOS landscape. Learn how to navigate the complexities of user acquisition and measurement in the world of app advertising.

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INSIGHT

UAC Overview

Google App Campaigns (UAC) was Google's first machine-learning ad product.
It prioritizes reach across Google Search, YouTube, and the Play Store, automating ad placement.

ADVICE

Platform Differences

Consider UAC differently for Android and iOS.
Android benefits from Play Store ads, while iOS leverages Google Search and YouTube.

ADVICE

Creative Testing on Google Ads

Theme your ad groups around app features or use cases.
Create around five ad groups per campaign to test different themes and user engagement.

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On the podcast I talk with Ashley about what makes Google App Campaigns so effective for growth, proven optimization strategies, and why lower CPMs can sometimes be a warning sign rather than a win.

Top Takeaways:

📈 Google App Campaigns: Big reach, but fewer levers to pull
Google’s ad platform delivers massive scale - search, YouTube, the Play Store - but hands much of the control to machine learning. That tradeoff can work in your favor, but only if you guide the system with structured testing, smart bidding, and strong creative input.

🎯 Lower CPMs aren’t always a reason to celebrate
Lower ad costs might look good on paper, but they often mean your ads are running in lower-quality placements. Understanding where Google is serving your ads - whether in search, display, or YouTube - helps you avoid cheap but ineffective traffic.

🚀 Scaling requires patience, not just budget
Google’s algorithm doesn’t respond well to drastic changes. Scaling too fast can throw off performance, leading to unstable results. The best approach? Increase budgets by 20% every few days to give the system time to adjust.

🔍 Creative testing looks different on Google - play the game accordingly

Unlike Meta, Google doesn’t allow direct A/B testing for creatives. That doesn’t mean you can’t optimize. The best way to guide the algorithm? Set up multiple ad groups with distinct creative themes, then monitor what Google prioritizes.

💡 Google Ads on iOS: A challenge, but still worth it

Google’s iOS campaigns rely heavily on search and YouTube, but ATT and SKAdNetwork make tracking conversions trickier. Google fills in gaps with modeled conversions, but advertisers need to understand the discrepancies between Google’s reports and their MMPs.

About Ashley Black

👨‍💻 Founder of Candid Consulting, an agency specializing in helping apps run effective marketing campaigns for Android and iOS.

🎶 Ashley spent years at Google leading app ad strategy, helping developers scale through machine learning, user acquisition, and optimization.

💡 “If you have an app and you’re starting to think about how you actually pay to get users to download that app, you’re probably going to start looking at Google.”

👋 LinkedIn