Is this well known - that banner ads at top get clicked less inadvertently ? (my gut feeling is that this would be so …).
This is another thing going against admob banner ads - that there will be such clicks - and perhaps then a persistent occasional admob banning of a developer (some outlier where an advertiser flipped out).
I too almost never mistakenly click on the banner ads in my own apps - thus never saw it as an issue - however as long as there is a banner ad in the same work area (and if the game is tap-specific) there will be this issue.
However, why are interstitials immune from this ? The recommended use is during breaks in a game. But I have used them in situations where they could appear out of nowhere. So should i be worried about that ? These lead to a Play Store page - so only a user click on Install would lead to an actual install. I hope this is sufficient protection from excessive-clicks ?
Second reason for protection is that AppWalls are all non-Google.
Well, I was just looking at Google’s ad placement rules and to my surprise saw this which might be a confirmation:
“if an application is meant for small children, ads might not be an appropriate monetization solution”
I think the issue is not that Nealo did anything wrong per se, but that his traffic simply wasn’t profitable for them. Even so, they still should have seen this early and stopped the account at $1000, not $24,000.
btw, Google ads do not require double clicks on them when they are custom banners(which most are). I just clicked on one and went directly to landing page.
The game wasn’t really meant for small children anyway, I also can’t understand parents who get mobile phones to young children. I played tamagotchi when I was 12 or so, and at that age you’re more than mature enough to not click ads, I know there are apps that are only meant for young children (education stuff etc), but 12 yo+ shouldn’t fall into this category, and it was never my intention to have 1 million 5 year old spanish girls playing my game. It’s just absurd to say it’s my fault, if this would be the reason why they robbed me of 24k$. And like I said without this game I still would have made 10k$+/month
AdMob is like that. Instead of communicating and blocking things that are not allowed (like using admob only for mediation, not sending any ads to admob) they just ban you on the spot without any explanation. I learned to be wary of the use of admob from this forum. Unfortunately Google is like that with other of their services too (Google Play bans) which pushes me to other platforms (iOS/OUYA etc.) just to be safe.
Anyway like with any business diversification is the solution - count how many people/companies it takes to bancrupt you (if you are using admob - one algorithm) and make sure the number is as high as posibble.
Right it is a penalization borne of a self-righteousness on the part of Google which presumes that any money going to developers is a gift from Google ANYWAY (after all if Google was not there - there would be no Android etc.).
That may have been true, but as Google becomes more and more of a monopoly (and it will get ever more so next year and year after as Android SWEEPS through Asia with low-priced phones), there will be pressure to bring them in line to do standard business practices - as very soon there will be NO CHOICE but to deal with Google if you want to make mobile apps.
EDIT: i.e. regulators will have to step in
I have seen that Admob House Ads do not have that double-click feature (they directly go to the link) - but are you saying not all banner advertising has that double-click protection ?
There are 2 kinds of ads you can make if you want to advertise with Google.
1.Google makes the ad for you if you don’t have your own banner, it has the app icon on the left and the app ratings on the right. You enter the text you want and Google creates the banner for you. This is the one that needs 2 clicks to get through.
Then there is the one where you provide the full custom image for the 320x50 banner. This is the one that needs only 1 click.
I cannot be absolutely sure, but every time I have clicked on #1, it asks if i’m sure. And every time I click the #2, it goes right through. And most ads I see are of these type.
This can be easily confirmed by others here since I can’t be clicking on my own ads.
Right - this is a tax/cost that is usually NOT factored into the usualy analyses comparing Android with iOS - those articles invariably only discuss monetization potential. However “discovery” is another issue, and this issue of Google misbehavior is another (as I have previously stated - having a battle axe hanging over your head is NOT a good way to treat developers - it increases the risk or at least the PERCEPTION of risk by the developer).
Magnesus - how have you found “discovery” to be for iOS (anybody else with iOS experience) ? We usually lament about discoverability - but I have seen web posts which say nearly the same thing or worse for iOS (and perhaps worse ? because Apple algorithm development teams may not be as nimble as Google which already has some expertise in search/ranking/prioritizing - finding meaning in “big data” etc.). Any viewpoints on iOS discoverability (and if it has become harder to make money vs. Android).
I know for one thing - beyond payments (which is supposedly easier on iOS - because of the culture of “willingness to pay” that has been fostered by Apple), even ads have higher eCPMs (as reported by some websites) - and this is not surprising because of the “richer” demographic for iPhone users.
In fact, I would say the demographic for Android is going to get poorer - as Android phones are about to see even greater expansion in Asia (cheaper Android phones at 1/4 price of Samsung) - these (or resold versions of these) will be in the hands of the lowest tier of phone users by next year or the year after.
The numbers however will go up - demographics will change - and perhaps the markets for individual countries may open up more (i.e. even more important to localize the app). The arrival of localized ad networks leveraging local mobile ads - should also be something that starts making Asia profitable (or more than now).
Already whenever Korea or Taiwan appeared in Leadbolt HTML AppWall stats - had much higher eCPMs (though fewer impressions etc.).
So overall development effort will increase - however maybe scaling will be even more (more impressions, eCPMs same or higher).
A low-priced version of iOS maybe in the works also - how that plays into it will be interesting as well (but the may never be able to catch the very low tier of mobile users in Asia for instance) ?
I don’t know yet, because I still haven’t found time to port my games to iOS. I use libGDX which means it won’t be that hard, but won’t be easy too.
But I heard some apps on iOS have 0 downloads - I don’t think this could happen on Android.
That is my gut feeling as well - Android has better dynamics (one would think) - regarding app discovery etc. - just because that is their main business (funneling users one way or another using rankings etc.) - while Apple may have that too, but probably more static (and stagnant ?) - so iOS maybe better if you are on there already or getting there soon. Also I think I read somewhere that the Apple App Store also does stuff like judge apps on the basis of whether they are ripping off existing apps or some such - if so, that is better protection for the (existing) developer.
A better more secure situation to be in - but perhaps more “stagnant” as well.
Why doesn’t Google impose the double-click requirement on all advertisers ? (rhetorical question - since Google is not here to answer).
When I create Admob House Ads - there is also some similar choice - with “Text Tile” you specify the icon and text (while Google fills in the app title and ratings) - this type of banner ad does not have a double-click requirement (takes directly to Google Play).
This is still happening in 2015! It’s really unacceptable behavior from Google… I think it’s about the time for regulators to step in and reign in Google’s monopoly on Android apps. Google may have created Android, but still it can’t bully developers. Google behaves as if it’s god and the final authority on the Android app business. It’s illegal to all of a sudden, with no prior warning, suspend the account and income of developers without even giving them any specific reason. This is nuts! Google really needs to be brought under control and scrutiny as powerful as it has become…
I am new to the forum. My admob account is terminated that’s why I am here.
So I started android app development recently when I thought of switching my job. I am from India so I had 2-3 app ideas that could have worked in India. I was all set I released my app and used admob as my ad network. It was not going good as It was my second month only and I had 1500 installs (I planned for adwords campaign and all). I had 5-6K impressions daily, match rate was 70% and eCPM was around 0.06, so I was making 0.3$ daily. Not great but It was okay for me as I just started. So in month end I reached 10$ and pin verification was dispatched on my address. I was happy.
Yesterday I thought of showing my in house ad with admob and I created rewarded video in house ad and for that I had to link my adwords with it. I had to make some payment to adwords to activate my account. I did that all. To my suprise when I woke up this morning I got this mail that my account has been terminated. I am totally devasted as I was not searching for the job and was planning to become full time app developer. I don’t know what went wrong. The mail was for invalid activity. I don’t even install my apps because I fear for any policy violation. So in this scenario only 2 things could have happened,
Adwords linking caused any problem?
Or some competitor who didn’t want me to enter the market created invalid clicks on my app
I sent appeal to admob but still didn’t get reply. I read alot about it and ended up on this forum to get some help. Now my concern is,
Should I opt for app development now? Because invalid clicks by competitor could happen to any ad network.
If adwords linking created problem why did admob forced me to do so?
If I continue app devlopment, which ad network should i use in India for best results?
And lastly should I create new account with admob again???
Please community members help me. I am feeling terrible now.
@Rajni
Neither adword linking nor clicks by rivals will lead to admob termination.
I am using admob for last 5 years and they never terminate the account without prior hints. So you need to look into other changes you might have made in your apps recently.
Either India or elsewhere Admob is something like backbone for ads inventory, so ignoring admob in apps might lead to multi organ failure eventually.
Creating new admob account needs a lots of circus. They track things with prior ip, coordinates, reference emails and even hardware footprints and may be another extent. So you might need whole new setup like new laptop, new credit card, new data connection. Its just like hiding the identity with plastic surgery and again sword of getting caught will be hanging always.
So i will advice to try finding your account manager and find out the cause of termination. After that try to create new admob. Hope it helps.
