How to monetize your app with AdMob: a practical and complete guide

Monetizing an app isn't just about putting up a couple of ads and crossing your fingers. With Google AdMob You have a mature platform to convert your traffic into revenue while keeping the user experience at the center. If you're wondering where to start, how to set it up properly, and which formats to choose, here's a complete guide. spanish from Spain, practical and to the point.

In addition to the technical part (Android, Firebase, React Native), you will see how to adjust filters and categories, use the income estimator, comply with GDPR/CCPA and take advantage of formats such as banners, interstitials, native, open app and especially the rewarded ones. All with tactical advice for Maximize eCPM and fill rate without frying your audience with ads.

What is Google AdMob and why is it worth it?

Google AdMob is Google's mobile advertising platform that allows developers and businesses to monetize your apps by displaying ads within them. Think of AdMob as renting out a small space in your app's interface for advertisers to pay for visibility, with access to the global demand from the Google network and its advertising ecosystem.

Among its key advantages are the international reach, the variety of formats (banners, interstitials, rewarded, native and open app), compatibility multi platform (Android, iOS, Unity, React Native), a very fine-tuned segmentation and technical integration simple thanks to SDKs and detailed guides. For questions and support, you have the official site (admob.google.com) and the Help Center (support.google.com/admob).

In terms of value, AdMob helps you: earn more income, improve user experience, boost your business growth, collect reliably with automated processes and control ads with flexibility (blocks and reviews included). This balance between business and UX is what makes AdMob a solid choice for apps free.

To give you an idea of ​​the potential, Google offers a income calculator where you choose your region, device/operating system, category, and adjust your monthly active users with a slider. The figures are indicative: they are influenced by the advertiser demand, users' location and device, subject matter, seasonality, ad size, exchange rates, country, and operating system regulations. They even warn that, during periods like COVID-19, actual revenue may be lower than estimated.

As a note on Google's documentation: you'll see that it includes utilities for organize pages into collections and quick feedback forms (e.g., if the guide was easy to understand or if information is missing). These details improve support, but the important thing for you will be how apply the platform to your business model.

Market context: in Spain, more than 90% of users 16 to 65 years old use mobile phones, with several hours of daily use. The most popular apps include WhatsApp, Facebook and games (the latter dominate on tablets). On average we download a few apps per month and uninstall them lack of use, not meeting expectations or taking up too much space. In mobile commerce, a large part of the purchasing process is involved in the smartphone, although brakes such as the Screen size or trust. This environment makes the monetization of free apps well executed.

Setting up your app and enabling ads: published vs. unpublished

Before showing ads, AdMob reviews the state of readiness of your app. You can configure your project in two ways: Published o unpublished, which determines the review flow and initial limitations of the ad service.

Published option: If your app is already in a supported store, link it, and AdMob will automatically start the review. In the dashboard, go to Apps → Add App, choose a platform (Android or iOS), indicate that the app is available in a supported store, and confirm that you want to enable it. user metrics. If your Android app is also on other third-party Android stores and they share the same package name, you can select them. The app and its identifier (package/store ID) are automatically filled in.

Important details when registering: the package name It is case sensitive and must exactly match the store name; your app will not appear in search results if it is not in the store. Google Play or App Store. For iOS, the store listing ID is used, and in both cases it is best to use the same name than in the store for easy review.

Unpublished option: If you are still testing or your app is in a store not supported by AdMob, you can add it as not published (by choosing No). You will be able to integrate and test ads, but the service will be limited until the app is published on a compatible store and link it. This approach is useful for preparing the ground before launch.

Currently supported stores, in addition to Google Play and the App Store: Amazon Appstore, OPPO App Market, Samsung Galaxy Store, VIVO App Store and Xiaomi Get Apps. If the app is in unsupported stores, the service is limited until you complete the link to a supported store.

Quality and relevance control: from your account you can block sensitive categories (for example, gaming or politics), manage topics related to your audience (technology, education, etc.) and use the Ad Review Center to decide which creatives you allow. You don't choose specific advertisers, but you can shape the experience with filters and rules.

About the revenue estimator: you select region, device/OS and content category, you adjust the volume of monthly active users and get an approximate figure. It's a useful guide for setting goals, but remember that it's not a Warranty and there are many factors at play (demand, seasonality, country, device, exchange rate, regulations of each OS...), with special caution in extraordinary situations such as the pandemic.

Technical integration: Android (Firebase and Google Analytics) and React Native

If you're going with native Android, the recommended flow is to register your app with AdMob and optionally, link it to Firebase with Google Analytics enabled to get advanced user metrics. This allows you to enrich the analysis of revenue, ARPU and ARPPU and make decisions based on data.

Step by step Android/Firebase: First, log in or create your AdMob account and add the app to get the AdMob App ID. Next, enable user metrics and link the AdMob app to your project/app. Firebase, making sure to enter exactly the same package name that you used in Firebase.

Include the App ID in your Android Manifest using the meta-data tag. A simplified example would be: Without this step, starting with SDK 17.0.0, the app will crash. with an incorrect initialization error.

<manifest>
  <application>
    <!-- App ID de ejemplo de AdMob -->
    <meta-data
      android:name='com.google.android.gms.ads.APPLICATION_ID'
      android:value='ADMOB_APP_ID' />
  </application>
</manifest>

Add the SDK dependency to your build.gradle (app module). A typical way would be to use play-services-ads 24.5.0 to stay up to date with the latest improvements and fixes.

dependencies {
  implementation('com.google.android.gms:play-services-ads:24.5.0')
}

Initialize the SDK as soon as possible in the Boot from the app with MobileAds.initialize(), and do it only once. Keep in mind that the SDK (and mediation partners) may start to preload ads at that time, so if you need to collect consent (EEA/GDPR) or set flags like tagForChildDirectedTreatment or underAgeOfConsent, do it before to initialize.

Once integrated, the SDK automatically starts logging events and properties for statistics. This data can take up to 48 hours to appear (usually much less). To better reflect metrics like ARPU/ARPPU, you can include revenue from a custom event from Analytics called ecommerce_purchase in the calculations.

With Firebase active, you have tools like Remote Config (change behavior and UI without publishing version) and Firebase A/B Testing (measure the impact of changes in revenue, retention, etc.). They are perfect for experimenting with formats and parameters ads to a subset of users and then expand what works.

React Native: The recommended library is react-native-google-mobile-adsThe usual flow includes five steps: 1) create an account in AdMob and register app(s), 2) install the library with npm/yarn, 3) set the App ID in AndroidManifest (Android) and in Info.plist (iOS), and in Expo declare it in app.json, 4) initialize the SDK at startup and display formats with the components (banners, interstitials, rewarded and native), and 5) test and launch, first with TestIds to avoid violations and then replacing them with real IDs before publishing.

Take care of the cross-platform detail: on iOS, define the App ID correctly in the Info.plist; on Android, check permissions and the Application IDDuring development, validate that the ads do not cover critical elements, do not break the layout and respect the flows (e.g. interstitials only during natural breaks).

Do you use App Inventor and want ads? Some providers offer to integrate AdMob for you: they ask for your source code of the app and the ad unit ID, they perform the integration and return the APK with AdMob working. They usually request a donation (for example, €25 for the first app and €10 for subsequent ones). It requires trust because you're sharing the project, so weigh it carefully.

Formats, rewarded experiences and good practices

• AdMob offers five main formats. Choosing the right one depends on the design and the user moment within your app. Here's a review of practical recommendations for seamless integration.
• Banners: They are rectangular and are fixed to the top. top or bottom of the screen. Ideal for low-impact, ongoing revenue. You can use responsive sizes so the banner automatically adjusts to the screen. device and orientation of user.
• Interstitials: appear at fullscreen and are closed by the user. They work best in natural breaks (between levels, upon completion of an action), never interrupting critical tasks. Properly implemented, they provide high impact and performance without compromising retention.
• Native: allow you to integrate the ad with the look & feel of your app, always keeping the “ad” label. They are perfect for feeds or discovery sections and you control them as components (fonts, colors, layout) for a consistent experience.
• App open: These appear when you open or return to the app. They glow in apps with a lot of openings per day. Take care with frequency and latency so that the first interaction after returning doesn't feel cumbersome or intrusive.
• Rewarded: Users agree to watch a short video or interact with an ad in exchange for a reward. compensation (extra lives, virtual currency, unlocking content…). This format usually has the following Higher eCPMs thanks to high engagement. Its performance depends on the acceptance rate: it offers valuable rewards in the right moment.
• Why use rewarded ads: They give control to the user (they decide whether to see the ad in exchange for a benefit), they increase the participación and generate significant revenue. Recently, the number of apps using them has multiplied, especially in video games free-to-play.
• Rewarded Recommendations: Identify the points where the user would be most likely to watch an ad (e.g., upon “dying” to continue without restarting, or to get extra coins). Complement in-app purchases by leaving test premium features; once the value is proven, purchase intent increases.
• Experiment with the type and amount of reward until you find a balance. Use a good solution A/B testing, such as Firebase Remote Config and A/B Testing, to validate hypotheses without affecting your entire user base at once.
• Pre-load ads so they are in the buffer when the user agrees to interact; this way you avoid uncomfortable latencies. Just like with interstitials, timing is key to preserving the experience.
• Relevance control and blocking: you cannot select specific advertisers, but you can manage categories (allow related topics and block sensitive) and review creatives from the Review Center. Adjust these controls to align monetization and brand.
• Privacy and Compliance: If you have users in regions with strict laws (GDPR, CCPA), request consent for personalized ads and offers a non-personalized option. Configure specific flags in the request before initialize the SDK. Compliance not only avoids penalties: it increases the trust of user.
• Monetization Best Practices: Choose formats that flow with the UX, use TestIds in development to avoid problems with the account, limits the frequency to avoid saturation and mixes formats with head. AdMob, when connecting with the Google lawsuit (including Ad Exchange), offers high rates of filling; a solid implementation can approach 99% fill in some cases.
• Inventory economics: The greater the advertiser competition for your space, higher will be the CPM and, therefore, the revenue. Increase the value of your inventory with a polished experience, consistent segmentation, and high-quality locations. assessments.
• How Q2BSTUDIO can help you: If you need a professional implementation, specialized teams can take care of it. technical integration, UX testing to avoid interference and configurations of privacy (GDPR/CCPA). In addition, it is possible to combine formats and analyze results with tools such as Power BI to maximize revenue without sacrificing usability.
• About related services: there are companies that also develop custom software and applications, solutions Artificial Intelligence and agents IA, reinforce the ciberseguridad, deploy on cloud services (AWS and Azure) and set up projects Business Intelligence with dashboards. This combination of skills accelerates decision-making and protects the digital assets.
• If you are interested in the professional area, profiles such as mobile developer, Mobile Marketing Manager, ASO Manager or mobile marketing expert are in high demand. There are specific training programs in Mobile Marketing Multi-channel e-commerce that helps you stay up-to-date with mobile technologies, apps, and strategies.
• Common industry keywords you'll see in projects and proposals: custom applications, custom software, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud services (AWS/Azure), Business Intelligence, AI for business, AI agents, and Power BI.

With a careful configuration, judicious selection of formats, relevance checks, privacy compliance, and ongoing measurement, AdMob can turn your app into a sustained revenue stream. If you already have traction or a user acquisition plan, this approach allows you to balancing monetization and UX without losing sight of user retention and trust.