UAC, which stands for Universal App Campaigns, is a Google Ads format that allows advertisers to promote mobile apps across various platforms like search, Google Play, YouTube, and the Google Display Network. For affiliate marketers and media buyers involved in grayhat verticals like online gambling, UAC offers the opportunity to attract high-quality traffic for gambling apps. However, achieving success with UAC requires careful budget planning and effective optimization. In this article, the team at YeezyPay, an agency that provides access to Google Ads’ trusted agency accounts, will guide you on how to plan your budget properly while working with UAC.
How to plan your budget when using UAC
One of the main differences between UAC and other advertising formats in Google Ads is the lack of flexible targeting and negative keywords. With UAC, algorithms learn and select different target audiences, showing your ads to the entire existing audience. This learning process takes time and consumes a portion of your advertising budget. Unfortunately, it's impossible to predict how quickly the algorithm will learn and the costs associated with this process. Additionally, each advertising campaign launch is unique, even if you use the same settings, headlines, descriptions, and other elements.
To avoid wasting time and spending extra money on the algorithm's learning phase, experienced affiliates recommend using trusted agency accounts for Google Ads. You can gain access to such accounts by registering with the YeezyPay service.
Considering the features of UAC mentioned above, it might seem really difficult to plan your budget well when working with this type of advertising. However, there are some important things to keep in mind about campaign budget settings that can help you make the most of a website that offers affiliates a lot of traffic:
- It's a good idea to choose ad accounts registered in countries where you don't have to pay value added tax (VAT) on advertising costs. For example, countries like Kazakhstan, USA, Algeria, Chad, Mongolia, Peru, and others. VAT can be around 20%, which can make a big difference in your profits when dealing with large amounts of advertising.
However, these accounts can be expensive because of high demand, which means you might end up spending more than necessary. In such cases, it's better to use Google Ads trusted agency accounts, which also don't have the 20% VAT.
- UAC has a system that automatically adjusts bids when there are budget constraints for a long time. If your campaign shows a "Limited by budget" status for more than 5 days, the algorithm will independently decide to lower the bid rate without showing this change in the advertising account interface.
To give you an example, let's say a media buyer sets the bid rate at $5, expecting a certain amount of traffic. But UAC quietly reduces it to $2.7. The media buyer might not notice this change and evaluate the campaign's performance based on incorrect information. This hidden mechanism in Google Ads should be considered when planning your budget and analyzing results. If your budget is insufficient, it can lead to bid reductions that negatively impact your reach and conversions.
- For App Installs campaigns, it's recommended to set a budget limit by multiplying the installation cost by 50 (Cost Per Install or CPI). For instance, if the installation cost is $3, the budget limit would be $3 multiplied by 50, which is $150.
For Targeted Actions campaigns, the budget limit should be set at 10 conversions.
- If you're promoting iOS applications, it's a good idea to budget 50% more than you would for Android.
- The first two weeks are critical because UAC algorithms analyze the audience's reactions and make adjustments to your campaign settings. It's important not to make any manual adjustments during this period to avoid confusing the algorithm.
If, within the first 7 days, you don't reach 100 or more conversions, don't rush to make drastic changes. Give the algorithm more time to collect data and optimize before drawing conclusions about your campaign's performance.
- When increasing your daily budget, it's best not to increase it by more than 10-20% at a time. If you increase it too sharply, the system might send your campaign for retraining. For "Targeted Action" campaigns, consider increasing the bid by 20% higher than the cost of conversion for "App Install" campaigns. Trusted accounts can handle a 30-40% increase, but be cautious and avoid sudden jumps even in those cases.
You don't need to invest a large sum of money all at once. Start with a budget of $100-200. If you're using agency accounts like the ones offered by YeezyPay, which have a higher level of trust from Google, you can deposit larger budgets without worry. If the account gets blocked, any remaining budget can be refunded.
How else can you avoid unnecessary costs when working with UAC?
To avoid unnecessary expenses and maximize the results of the ad campaign, it is important to adhere to a competent budget management strategy. Here are a few key steps to help you succeed:
- Install cost control. You should not always rely on automatic system settings, as they often inflate the price. It is preferable to set the cost of installing the application yourself, based on your goals and available budget.
- Setting up postback. Conversion tracking is a key element of a successful campaign. When uploading with UAC, you must set up postback to receive accurate information about the effectiveness of your advertising efforts. When draining using CPI, you will have to constantly monitor the statistics. Installs can come at a low price, but if the bid is for a targeted action, you can waste your budget aimlessly. In addition, to convert to CPA, an affiliate will need a mobile tracker, such as AppsFlyer, and a simple targeted action.
- Analysis and optimization. As with any other source, in UAC it is important to analyze the results of advertising campaigns and eliminate ineffective sources that do not bring conversions.
By following these simple guidelines, you can effectively manage your budget and achieve maximum returns from your advertising campaigns.
How else can you optimize your UAC campaign while planning your budget?
The main point to consider when planning your budget and optimizing your advertising campaigns is to have a strategy that focuses on specific actions you want users to take, like registering or making deposits. The cost of achieving these actions depends on the chosen action itself.
For example, if your goal is to get users to register, the cost of installing the app becomes less important. The same goes for deposit-based offers, such as those in gambling affiliate programs. It's important to keep the flow of information constant for effective optimization. Updating data only once a day can make it harder for the algorithm to work effectively. So, choose offers that provide data with minimal delays.
There are two main bidding options that affiliates should consider:
- CPI (Cost Per Install) Target: With this option, you can either set a specific cost per install that you want to achieve or focus on getting as many installs as possible without changing the cost. Setting a specific cost allows the algorithm to focus on users who are more likely to take the desired actions in the app.
- In-App Actions: This option is similar to targeting a specific cost per action (tCPA). It optimizes your campaigns based on specific actions users take within the app.
If you're using Firebase, there's an additional option called tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend). This option aims to maximize the value of conversions while minimizing costs. Firebase, when integrated with Google Ads, can predict the likelihood of users taking desired actions in the future. It's also useful for analyzing failures and conducting A/B tests. Based on the reports you receive, you can predict how much you'll spend on your budget.
tROAS is particularly useful when the average value of orders varies significantly among different user groups. For example, if you have many users with monthly subscriptions, and you want to focus on getting annual subscribers.
Conclusion
Universal App Campaigns (UAC) are a great advertising format for promoting offers. However, keep in mind that UAC doesn't offer stability, and the actual expenses often don't match your budget plans. You might get lots of installs at a low price one day, but the next day the cost per install can skyrocket.
The performance of your UAC ad campaigns depends not only on the quality of your apps but also on the accounts you use. If your Google Ads advertising account is new or not well-established, you shouldn't expect to spend a lot. That's why experienced affiliates recommend using trusted agency accounts to run UAC ad campaigns. These accounts allow you to spend larger amounts without going through a long warm-up period and ensure that your ad campaigns are given priority during the moderation process.
