For businesses running app campaigns on Google Ads, accurately measuring conversions can be tricky, especially when app installs skew your cost per acquisition (CPA). If you’re seeing a mix of relevant conversions—like users leveling up in your game—and app installs, it’s essential to understand how this impacts your performance assessment.
Many marketers face a similar challenge. When app installs are counted as conversions, they inflate your overall conversion total, presenting a misleading picture of your campaign’s success. If you have two valuable conversions and six app installs, Google Ads counts a total of eight conversions. This makes your CPA appear significantly lower than it actually is, complicating your ability to optimize your campaigns effectively.
Understanding the Challenge
Counting app installs alongside genuine in-app actions not only skews your CPA but can also affect other key performance indicators like return on ad spend (ROAS). This increases your operational costs as you might continue investing in strategies that don’t genuinely yield profitable users.
It’s critical to diagnose how these inflated conversion numbers make you adjust your bidding strategy and allocation of marketing budget. Misinterpreting these results can lead to erroneous marketing decisions, wasted resources, and missed opportunities for genuine growth.
How to Approach & Fix the Issue
While it may seem daunting, there are effective strategies to ensure app installs do not complicate your conversion metrics:
- Implement Tracking Parameters: Use unique tracking links to differentiate between app installs and valuable in-app events. This ensures you maintain clarity in your reporting.
- Create Separate Conversion Actions: Even though you mentioned lacking access to custom goals, explore other options within Google Ads that allow you to set up distinct conversion actions for meaningful events versus installs.
- Regularly Audit Your Metrics: Set a routine to review your conversion metrics. Identify trends or irregularities that may signal whether app installs are influencing your CPA disproportionately.
- Educate Your Team: Ensure your marketing team understands the importance of distinguishing app installs from valuable conversions. This collective awareness can improve decision-making across campaigns.
Actionable Steps to Take Now
- Review your current Google Ads conversion settings.
- Create a plan for setting updated conversion signals to reflect your primary business goals.
- Analyze past performance metrics and adjust future campaigns based on your findings.
- Communicate with your analytics team to seek more comprehensive tracking methods.
- Stay proactive in learning more about best practices for app campaign management on Google Ads.
By implementing these adjustments, you can ensure that your advertising efforts reflect the true performance of your campaigns and allow for better resource allocation. It’s essential to remember that clarity in your metrics can lead to more informed strategies and ultimately, sustainable growth.
Here’s what you need to do: take immediate action toward refining your conversion tracking methods, ensuring that your performance insights are as clear and actionable as possible.