{"id":17168,"date":"2025-11-19T04:03:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T03:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/blog\/how-to-create-an-app-download-campaign-in-google-ads\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T09:19:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T07:19:31","slug":"how-to-create-google-ads-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-create-google-ads-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create an app download campaign in Google Ads"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have a published app and want to increase your downloads without relying on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/aso-seo-app-ranking-strategies\/\">ASO<\/a> alone, you need to master how to create app download campaigns on Google Ads. This channel is one of the most powerful to acquire users in a stable and scalable way&#8230; but it is also one of the most delicate if you don&#8217;t set it up right from the beginning. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating a campaign without having the metrics properly connected, without linking the app or without understanding how Google interprets your goals is the fastest way to lose money. That&#8217;s why in this guide I take you step by step through the process so you can launch a professional campaign without mistakes and without fear of breaking anything. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we continue, here you have the full video where Noelia explains it live from Google Ads:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"lyte-wrapper\" style=\"width:640px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_S994XEqOK5g\"><div id=\"lyte_S994XEqOK5g\" data-src=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FS994XEqOK5g%2Fhqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/S994XEqOK5g\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FS994XEqOK5g%2F0.jpg\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"640\" height=\"340\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:640px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><\/p>\n<p>I recommend you to watch it after this introduction to advance faster.<\/p>\n<h2><b>What you need before creating your campaign<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before getting into Google Ads, there are a number of points that you must have resolved. Without these, the campaign simply won&#8217;t work. Think of this part as the foundation: if it&#8217;s wrong, everything else falters. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bottom line is:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Your Google Ads account must be created and linked.<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Either with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/google-play-console-analytics-guide\/\">Google Play Console<\/a> (Android) or with App Store Connect + your attribution tool (iOS).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The app must be published<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Google Ads does not allow to promote apps in beta or in private mode.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Daily budget must be defined<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Google uses daily budgets, but can spend up to twice as much on peak opportunity days.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Your objective must be clear<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Do you want downloads, registrations or purchases? Not all targets use the same bidding strategies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Your metrics must be up and running<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/firebase-analytics-tutorial-guide\/\"> Firebase<\/a>, Play Console or the MMP must correctly record the events you will use as targets.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, there is a critical point that many people forget: your ASO tab must be optimized before investing a single euro. The campaign may bring traffic, but if the tab doesn&#8217;t convert, you will lose money. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you need help with this, here is our <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> free<\/span><b>ASO Course:<\/b> https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/blog\/factores-posicionamiento-aso-metadata\/<\/p>\n<h2><b>Set up your campaign step by step<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let&#8217;s get to the practical part: how to create the installation campaign from scratch within Google Ads.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Select the correct target and subtype<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the first thing you see is the &#8220;Create Campaign&#8221; screen, Google Ads asks you for your target. Don&#8217;t get confused:<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Select <\/span><b style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\">Application promotion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, the subtype must be <\/span><b style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\">Application installations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This is what will allow Google to optimize specifically for in-app downloads and events.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choosing wrongly on this point makes the whole campaign run on the wrong signals, so take 10 seconds to check before moving forward.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Choose the platform and link your app<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here you will see a search engine where you can enter the name or ID of your app.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If it does not appear, it means that it is not properly linked in the account. This may be due to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lack of permissions in Google Play Console,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lack of permissions in App Store Connect,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or that the account email is not an administrator.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once the app appears, select it, give a clear name to the campaign and continue.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Google Ads targeting: location and language<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Targeting is one of the points where you lose the most money when you don&#8217;t set it up correctly. Here Google does not guess: it needs you to be very precise. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Geographical locations<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Select only the countries where you will actually operate or where your budget allows you to compete.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Many founders try to go global from day one&#8230; and it&#8217;s a mistake. Google is expensive to cover large markets without data. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you start with Spain, select only Spain.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you start with LATAM, prioritize countries where you already have users or previous data.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Languages supported by your app<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This point confuses almost everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The language here <\/span><b>is not the language of the advertisement<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but the language of the user&#8217;s device.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example: If your app is available in Spanish and English, and you promote in Spain, it is normal to select:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spanish<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">English<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because both languages are common on devices within that territory.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Define your budget and bidding strategy<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where Google Ads can be scary, but if you get it right, it&#8217;s a lot simpler than it sounds.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Bidding options: CPI, CPA or Maximize conversions<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Ads for apps allows you to optimize in different ways:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Maximize conversions<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ideal to get started. Google will look for the highest volume of downloads at the lowest cost.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>CPA targeting<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Useful when you want to optimize for a specific in-app event (registration, purchase, trial, etc.).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Value of the share in the application (ROAS)<\/b><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Only if you have <\/span><b>many<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> data, because Google needs to understand which user monetizes well.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the first few weeks, it is common to use <\/span><b>Maximize conversions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and let Google learn.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Ideal daily budget<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google may double daily spending on high-opportunity days, but it will never exceed your average monthly budget.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For starters:<\/span><br \/>\n<b>10 \u20ac &#8211; 25 \u20ac per day<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is perfect.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> More than that, without prior data, it is usually a waste of money.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Create your ad resources<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where much of the performance is gained or lost.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You can have the best campaign structure in the world, but if your ad doesn&#8217;t convey the benefit of your app, no one will download anything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You will need:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Up to 5 titles (30 characters)<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Short, clear, actionable.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Up to 5 descriptions (90 characters)<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> More context, more intent.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Well-designed images<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Clear, functional screenshots and simple text.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Videos<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> These are the best converters.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They can be UGC or more professional pieces.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>HTML5 (optional)<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Very effective for games or interactive apps.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Ads combines these resources dynamically, so offer variety and quality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to complement this part with a deep analysis of the KPIs of your app, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/key-kpis-mobile-app-metrics\/\">here is a detailed guide.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Add deep links<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deep links can dramatically improve what happens after installation.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Instead of sending all users to the home page, you can send them to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an offer,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a concrete plan,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">improved onboarding,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">premium content,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a key reminder.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This accelerates the value the user perceives&#8230; and that makes your in-app metrics go up and Google optimizes better.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Publish and start optimizing your campaign<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Almost there.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Check the settings, make sure that the automatic extensions are correct and click on <\/span><b>Publish<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once activated:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not touch anything for 7 days.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Google needs to learn.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review the resource report.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You will see which ads work best.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analyze metrics from Play Console Analytics:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"7HCuQKUi0V\"><p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/google-play-console-analytics-guide\/\">Google Play Console Analytics: the most useful features to optimize your app<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cGoogle Play Console Analytics: the most useful features to optimize your app\u201d \u2014 Actualizatec\" src=\"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/blog\/google-play-console-analytics-guide\/embed\/#?secret=3m0DF3SAJH#?secret=7HCuQKUi0V\" data-secret=\"7HCuQKUi0V\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With that you will be able to identify which countries convert best, which titles work and which creatives need better testing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Common mistakes to avoid<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some mistakes we see every week in real accounts. If you avoid them, you&#8217;ll save a lot of budget: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Failure to link the app correctly<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using prepaid cards (Google and Meta block them)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Setting the wrong time zone or currency<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not measure in-app events (only measure downloads)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making abrupt changes in the first days<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pretending to go to CPA without data<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not having the ASO tab optimized<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Running global campaigns with a limited budget<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each of these errors can break the entire campaign, even if it is technically well configured.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Conclusion: Google Ads to improve the performance of your app<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Ads can be the channel that scales your app faster than any other. But it can also burn your budget if used without a strategy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;ve set up your account properly, linked your app, selected the right target and created good creative assets, you&#8217;re 80% of the way there.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The rest is constant optimization, creative testing and data.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Do you want us to help you get better users and better results?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Actual\u00edzatec we are specialists in creating <\/span><b>complete App Growth plans<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from strategy to execution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you want to save months of trial and error &#8211; and a lot of wasted budget &#8211; write to us:<\/span> <b>contacto@actualizatec.com<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also train in our online program to learn all about Mobile &amp; App Marketing and become an App Expert.<\/span> <br style=\"font-weight: 400;\" \/><br style=\"font-weight: 400;\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have a published app and want to increase your downloads without relying on ASO alone, you need to master how to create app download campaigns on Google Ads. This channel is one of the most powerful to acquire users in a stable and scalable way&#8230; but it is also one of the most [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":17925,"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-17168","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":"Toni Borrads","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17168","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\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actualizatec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}