{"id":17161,"date":"2025-11-06T19:28:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T18:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/blog\/how-to-set-up-your-google-ads-account-for-apps-step-by-step-without-errors\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T17:46:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T15:46:18","slug":"google-ads-account-setup-step-by-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/google-ads-account-setup-step-by-step\/","title":{"rendered":"How to set up your Google Ads account for apps step by step (without errors)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have an application published in <\/span><b>Google Play or App Store<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and you want to start getting users, the first step is not to launch campaigns blindly, but to <\/span><b>properly set up your Google Ads account for mobile apps.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A mistake in the configuration can result in campaigns that are not published, incomplete reports or wasted budgets. In this guide we explain, step by step, how to get it right from the start, with examples, practical tips and recommendations based on the experience of more than <\/span><b>600 app marketing projects managed by Actualizatec.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>If you are one of those who prefer that we tell you about it in video, it&#8217;s this way:<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to set up Google Ads for Apps (without errors)<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In less than 10 minutes you will see on screen all the steps detailed here, with real examples and visual explanation.<\/span> https:\/\/youtu.be\/dYQ6_b5Rk4k?si=cDLCiPZ5lJ0rrwkU<\/p>\n<h2><b><br \/>\nWhy do you need to set up your Google Ads for mobile apps account properly?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most app founders or marketing teams believe that it is enough to &#8220;open an account&#8221; and start promoting. But in today&#8217;s mobile ecosystem, where competition is fierce and algorithms are getting more complex, <\/span><b>a misconfigured account can cost you weeks of work and hundreds of euros.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When an account is properly prepared, you get:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Accurate data<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to optimize your installation campaigns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Seamless synchronization<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with Google Play, App Store and Firebase.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>More effective segmentation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of your audiences and better measurement of conversions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Greater control over access and security<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the team or external agency.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good configuration not only improves your advertising results: it allows you to better understand your users&#8217; behavior. <\/span><b>better understand your users&#8217; behavior<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which ads generate profitable customers and how to scale your app in a sustainable way.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Prerequisites before creating your account<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we start with the step-by-step guide to create your Google Ads account, make sure you comply with these basic points:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Have a corporate Gmail account.<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Avoid doing it with your personal account. The ideal is to use an official company email that you can then link with Google Play Console, Firebase and App Store Connect.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Have administrator access to your app.<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This is essential to be able to link your application on the platforms and avoid errors such as &#8220;no app has been detected in your account&#8221;.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Define the currency and the main time zone.<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If your company operates in several countries, choose the currency and zone where your headquarters are located. This will save you inconsistencies in reporting and conversions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Have a valid credit or debit card.<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Google Ads does not accept prepaid cards in most countries. Check with your bank to verify that they allow international payments to Google.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With these elements in place, you will be able to create a stable account, well configured and ready to launch your first campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Create your Google Ads account: step-by-step guide to launch mobile app campaigns<\/b><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><b> Sign in to Google Ads<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go to<\/span><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/business.google.com\/us\/google-ads\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ads.google.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and click on <\/span><b>&#8220;Start now&#8221;.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Sign in with your corporate Gmail account.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google will ask you for basic information about your company (name, website, contact email). If this is your first time using the platform, select the option. <\/span><b>&#8220;Create an account without a campaign&#8221;.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This will allow you to configure everything calmly before launching your ads.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><b> Complete the company data<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this stage, define correctly:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Name of your company.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">URL of your app&#8217;s website or landing page.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Time zone and base currency.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> if you operate in different countries, use the currency of your headquarters to unify reports. For example, if your company is based in Spain, select <\/span><b>EUR (Euro)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> even if you also sell in the United States or the United Kingdom.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><b> Add billing information<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Ads will ask you to select a <\/span><b>payment method<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (credit card, debit card or monthly billing) and complete the company details.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoid using prepaid cards: they can be rejected and lead to account blocking.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, Google usually makes a <\/span><b>temporary authorization of 10<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which will disappear in a few days.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How to set up the billing and time zone correctly in Google Ads<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choosing the right time zone and currency is one of the most important decisions in the initial setup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An error here can cause reports and metrics to not match your other platforms (such as Firebase or App Store).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Real example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> if you have a Spanish app with users in the US and UK, but you set up the account in New York dollars and time zone, your reports might not correctly reflect the local time of your conversions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Professional recommendation:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose the time zone of the country where your headquarters is located.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use the same currency in all measurement systems (Google Ads, Play Console, Firebase).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you need reports in multiple currencies, create a separate account per country.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How to invite your team or agency to the Google Ads for Apps account<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Giving access to the right people is essential to maintain the security and efficiency of your campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go to <\/span><b>Tools \u2192 Access and Security<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Click on the &#8220;+&#8221; icon to invite a new user.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enter your e-mail address (preferably corporate).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Defines the access level: read, standard, administrator, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Send the invitation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a collaboration ends, <\/span><b>revokes access immediately<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Maintaining clean accounts avoids security risks and permission conflicts between teams.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How to link your app, YouTube channel and Company Profile<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This step is key to connect your campaigns with your app&#8217;s digital assets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Link your application<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go to <\/span><b>Tools \u2192 Application Advertising Center.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Click on &#8220;Deploy SDK and link account&#8221;.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Select your Android (Google Play) and\/or iOS (App Store) applications.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure that the account you are logged in with has administrator permissions on both platforms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your app is still in beta, Google Ads will not detect it. Wait until it is published or make sure the project ID is correctly linked. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Link your YouTube channel<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go to <\/span><b>Tools \u2192 Data manager \u2192 Connect product.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Select <\/span><b>YouTube<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and link your app&#8217;s official channel.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This will allow you to use your videos in UAC (Universal App Campaigns) campaigns and leverage interaction data for better targeting.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Link your Google Business Profile<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your app is related to a physical business or a brand with a local presence, link your <\/span><b>Business Profile (Google Business Profile)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This improves brand consistency, increases trust and can positively influence your remarketing or discovery ads.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Common mistakes when setting up Google Ads to serve ads on mobile apps (and how to avoid them)<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Error 1: Failure to correctly link the app<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is one of the most common bugs. If Google Ads does not have permission on your project in Google Play Console or App Store Connect, the app will simply not appear. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2705 <\/span><b>Solution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> use the same email admin on all platforms &#8211; Google Ads, Google Play Console, Firebase and App Store Connect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Error 2: Incorrect currency or time zone setting<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choosing different currencies in Google Ads and Google Play generates confusing reports and makes financial analysis difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2705 <\/span><b>Solution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> select the currency of your main site and keep it the same in all systems.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Mistake 3: Not setting up conversion measurement.<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without Firebase linked, you&#8217;ll only see downloads&#8230; but you won&#8217;t know how many users complete registrations or make purchases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2705 <\/span><b>Solution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> connect Firebase with Google Ads and define key events:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Registration completed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">End of tutorial.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Purchase or subscription.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This will allow you to move from measuring CPI (cost per install) to ROAS (return on advertising investment). <\/span><b>ROAS (return on advertising investment).<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1159\" data-end=\"1365\">Before moving on to campaign setup, it is essential to understand how to measure what happens inside your app.<br data-start=\"1273\" data-end=\"1276\" \/>Most apps only measure installs&#8230; and that gives an incomplete picture.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1367\" data-end=\"1493\">If you want to learn how to measure key events such as registrations, purchases, activation or retention, we recommend you read this article:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1495\" data-end=\"1617\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/firebase-analytics-mobile-apps\/\">\u27a1\ufe0f <strong data-start=\"1498\" data-end=\"1617\"> What is Google Analytics for Apps \/ Firebase Analytics (and why it is essential for your growth strategy)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1619\" data-end=\"1727\"><em data-start=\"1619\" data-end=\"1727\">This step is key to optimize campaigns oriented to real revenue (ROAS), not just downloads.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Mistake 4: Sharing personal access<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharing username and password is a bad practice. In addition to being insecure, it can cause permission errors. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2705 <\/span><b>Solution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Create individual logins with specific permissions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Mistake 5: Not verifying the payment method<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An expired, prepaid or low-limit card can automatically block your campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2705 <\/span><b>Solution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> use a valid credit or debit card and check recurring payments with your bank.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1738\" data-end=\"1969\">Before investing in campaigns, it is key to make sure your app is built on a solid foundation.<br data-start=\"1839\" data-end=\"1842\" \/>If the app is not well targeted for monetization and retention, even the best Google Ads campaign will not fix the problem.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1976\" data-end=\"2019\">That is why we recommend you to read this article:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2024\" data-end=\"2136\"><strong data-start=\"2024\" data-end=\"2087\">\u27a1\ufe0f 7 mistakes to avoid at all costs when creating an App<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"gcf78fxhDN\"><p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/common-mistakes-app-development\/\">Why do mobile apps fail? The most common mistakes when creating an App and how to avoid them<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cWhy do mobile apps fail? The most common mistakes when creating an App and how to avoid them\u201d \u2014 Actualizatec\" src=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/common-mistakes-app-development\/embed\/#?secret=IYICLtZP0g#?secret=gcf78fxhDN\" data-secret=\"gcf78fxhDN\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><b>What to do after setting up your account: next steps<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You already have your Google Ads account perfectly configured, what&#8217;s next? <\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b> Define your acquisition strategy<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before investing, decide if your campaigns will be focused on:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Downloads (CPI)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: ideal for launching or positioning.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Conversion (ROAS)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">if you already have active user data.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Retention<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when you want to improve engagement and reduce churn.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><b> Create your first UAC campaigns &#8211; Application Promotion<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Universal App Campaigns (UAC) also called App Promotion,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allow Google to use machine learning to show your ads on multiple platforms (YouTube, Display, Search, Discover).<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Optimize titles, descriptions and videos to show the real value of your app.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><b> Measure, optimize and scale<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Integra <\/span><b>Firebase Analytics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or an MMP (Mobile Measurement Partner) to analyze actual conversion, retention and monetization data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Test different creatives, locations and audiences.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Use advanced event data (registrations, purchases, subscriptions) to optimize not only for downloads, but for actual paying users.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Do you want us to help you?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At <\/span><b>Actualizatec<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> we are specialists in creating <\/span><b>complete strategic plans<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from the development to the launch and growth phase of an app.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2709\ufe0f Write to us at <\/span><b>contacto@actualizatec.com<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and we&#8217;ll talk.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> We assure you that you can save <\/span><b>a lot of time, money and headaches.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And if you want to learn all about <\/span><b>Mobile &amp; App Marketing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">don&#8217;t miss our <\/span><b>online program<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">where we train you as an <\/span><b>App Expert<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> so that you yourself can improve the results of your application.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have an application published in Google Play or App Store and you want to start getting users, the first step is not to launch campaigns blindly, but to properly set up your Google Ads account for mobile apps.. A mistake in the configuration can result in campaigns that are not published, incomplete reports [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":17923,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[241],"tags":[243,245,287,244,289,288],"class_list":["post-17161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-ad-marketing","tag-digital-marketing","tag-google-ads","tag-google-ads-for-apps","tag-google-ads-for-mobile-applications","tag-google-ads-mobile-apps"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Bernat","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}