Create an App campaign

  • App campaigns in the Google Ads API support different goals, including getting more installs, finding users likely to install and perform in-app actions, finding users most likely to complete specific in-app actions, driving in-app action value, and driving app pre-registrations.

  • The settings for specific campaign types, such as advertising_channel_sub_type, app_campaign_setting.bidding_strategy_goal_type, and bidding strategy, vary depending on the chosen campaign focus.

  • App campaigns in the Google Ads API have an advertising_channel_type of MULTI_CHANNEL and cannot use a shared campaign budget or a portfolio bidding strategy.

  • Selective optimization is used to indicate the conversion types for which Google Ads should optimize your campaign and is required for APP_CAMPAIGN_FOR_ENGAGEMENT campaigns, automatically added for APP_CAMPAIGN_FOR_PRE_REGISTRATION campaigns, and optional otherwise.

  • Campaign targeting can be refined by adding CampaignCriterion objects for language and location.

Follow these steps to create an ad campaign.

Preparation

The focus of your campaign will determine the values for specific settings as well as which features you can use. Before you start coding, choose and expand one option from the following list and refer to its settings as you go through each step in the campaign creation process.

For more information on the different campaign types and goals, see the Google Ads Help article on App campaigns.

Steps

Using the settings for the selected area of focus, follow these steps to create an App campaign.

  1. Set the name.

  2. Set the advertising_channel_type to MULTI_CHANNEL.

  3. Set the campaign_budget to the resource name of an existing campaign budget. If you need to create a campaign budget, follow the code example in the Create Campaigns guide.

  4. Set the advertising_channel_sub_type based on your selected goal.

  5. Set the app_campaign_setting to an AppCampaignSetting with:

  6. Set the bidding strategy field according to your selected goal:

    • For target-based bidding goals (target CPA or target install cost), set target_cpa with its target_cpa_micros field specified in micros of your account currency (for example, $1.50 is 1500000).
    • For target ROAS bidding goals, set target_roas with its target_roas field specified as a double representing your target return on advertising spend (for example, 3.0 for 300%).
    • For non-target bidding goals without target install cost or without target CPA, set maximize_conversions.
    • For non-target bidding goals without target ROAS, set maximize_conversion_value.

  7. Indicate the conversion types for which Google Ads should optimize your campaign by setting its selective_optimization, where the resource name of each conversion action is in the conversion_actions list.

    This is required if the campaign's advertising_channel_sub_type is APP_CAMPAIGN_FOR_ENGAGEMENT, or if optimizing for in-app actions or target ROAS, but optional otherwise.

    Campaigns with the advertising_channel_sub_type of APP_CAMPAIGN_FOR_PRE_REGISTRATION will automatically have conversion actions added to them once the first user pre-registers, and can only track pre-registration conversions.

  8. (Optional) Refine your campaign's targeting by adding CampaignCriterion objects. App campaigns support campaign-level targeting by language and location.

    You can also attach negative keyword shared sets to App campaigns by creating a CampaignSharedSet that links the campaign to a SharedSet of type NEGATIVE_KEYWORDS.

  9. (Optional, starting in v24) Enable view-through conversion (VTC) optimization by setting view_through_conversion_optimization_enabled to true.

    When enabled, Google Ads optimizes your App campaign for view-through conversions in addition to click-through conversions. This setting is only supported for Android (GOOGLE_APP_STORE) campaigns with an advertising_channel_sub_type of APP_CAMPAIGN.

Code example

See Add app campaign.

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