When running Google Ads display campaigns, one of the most common but overlooked optimizations is the exclusion of mobile app categories. While mobile apps are widely used, they aren’t always the best environment for advertising. In fact, most advertisers find that their ads perform better when they exclude mobile apps from their placements. This guide will dive into why you should exclude mobile apps, how to do it, and the benefits of making this crucial adjustment to your campaigns.
Why Exclude Mobile Apps in Google Ads Display Campaigns?
Mobile apps have become a staple of modern digital consumption, but they often don’t align with the goals of display campaigns. Ads on mobile apps can suffer from a variety of issues that reduce their effectiveness and waste your ad budget. Here are the key reasons why excluding mobile apps from your Google Ads display campaigns can dramatically improve your results:
- Accidental Clicks: One of the biggest problems with ads on mobile apps is the prevalence of accidental clicks. With small screens and touch-based navigation, users often click on ads unintentionally while playing games or navigating within an app. These accidental clicks drive up your costs without contributing to meaningful engagement, such as purchases or sign-ups.
- Low-Quality Traffic: Even when clicks are intentional, users of mobile apps may not be in the right frame of mind to engage with your ad. For example, someone using a gaming app is likely focused on entertainment and might click your ad out of curiosity rather than genuine interest in your offer. This can result in high bounce rates and lower conversion rates, as users quickly abandon your site without taking any valuable action.
- Poor User Intent: On websites, users often browse with a purpose—whether that’s researching products, reading news, or consuming content. On mobile apps, however, user intent is less predictable. Ads shown within mobile apps are more likely to disrupt the user experience, leading to disinterest and frustration. This often results in a lower return on investment (ROI) for your ad spend.
- Wasted Budget: The combination of accidental clicks, low-quality traffic, and poor user intent means that ads on mobile apps tend to drain your budget without delivering the results you expect. By excluding mobile apps from your placements, you can redirect your ad spend toward higher-quality environments, ensuring your ads are seen by people who are more likely to engage with them.
Excluding mobile apps isn’t about eliminating mobile advertising altogether—rather, it’s about being strategic with where your ads appear. By focusing your display ads on better-performing placements, such as websites or specific YouTube channels, you can achieve more meaningful interactions and improve the overall efficiency of your campaigns.
How to Exclude Mobile Apps from Google Ads Display Campaigns
Excluding mobile apps from your display campaigns is a straightforward process that can be done through Google Ads Editor. Follow this step-by-step guide to ensure your ads appear in high-quality environments and avoid the pitfalls of mobile app placements.
- Open Google Ads Editor First, make sure you have Google Ads Editor installed on your computer. This tool allows you to make bulk edits to your campaigns quickly and efficiently. Once installed, open the program and sign in using your Google Ads account.
- Select Your Campaign In Google Ads Editor, navigate to the specific display or remarketing campaign that you want to adjust. You can do this by finding the campaign in the left-hand panel under the “Campaigns” tab. Click on the campaign name to open its settings and details.
- Scroll to ‘Negative Mobile App Categories’ Once you have selected your campaign, scroll down through the settings until you reach the section labeled “Negative Mobile App Categories.” This is where you will add exclusions to prevent your ads from appearing on mobile apps.
- Add Mobile App Categories for Exclusion Click on the “Add Categories” button, which will open a list of mobile app categories. Google groups mobile apps into various categories such as “Games,” “Entertainment,” “Utilities,” and more. Depending on your campaign goals, you may choose to exclude certain categories, or you can exclude all mobile app categories if you want to completely remove mobile app placements.
- Select and Apply Categories Once you’ve reviewed the available categories, select the ones you want to exclude from your campaign. If you wish to remove all mobile app placements, select all categories. After making your selections, apply the changes by pasting the exclusions into the negative mobile categories section. This will ensure that your ads no longer appear on mobile apps, helping you to avoid wasted clicks and improve your campaign’s overall efficiency.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your ads are placed in more relevant environments, where they’re more likely to generate valuable interactions rather than accidental or low-quality clicks.
The Benefits of Excluding Mobile Apps from Your Campaigns
Now that you’ve excluded mobile apps from your Google Ads campaigns, what kind of improvements can you expect? While results can vary depending on your industry and audience, the benefits of excluding mobile app placements are often significant. Here’s what you’re likely to experience:
- Lower Bounce Rates: Because your ads are no longer appearing in apps where users might accidentally click on them, you’ll see fewer irrelevant clicks. This leads to lower bounce rates, as the people clicking on your ads are more likely to be genuinely interested in your offer.
- Higher Conversion Rates: With a more targeted audience, your ads will be shown to users who are in a browsing mode, actively searching for products, services, or content that aligns with their needs. This increases the likelihood of conversions, whether that’s a sale, sign-up, or another desired action.
- Better Return on Investment (ROI): By eliminating wasted ad spend on low-quality clicks from mobile apps, you’ll see a higher return on your advertising investment. Your budget will be spent more efficiently, with more of it going toward placements that have a higher chance of driving meaningful results.
- More Accurate Performance Metrics: One of the hidden benefits of excluding mobile apps is that your campaign performance metrics will become more accurate. Since you’re eliminating accidental and irrelevant clicks, your data will better reflect the true performance of your ads. This allows you to make more informed decisions about further optimizations and adjustments.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Excluding Mobile Apps
While excluding mobile apps from your Google Ads campaigns is a simple process, there are a few common mistakes that advertisers should be aware of. Avoiding these pitfalls will ensure that you get the most out of this optimization.
- Not Excluding All Mobile App Categories: Some advertisers only exclude specific categories of mobile apps, such as games or entertainment, while leaving others open. In most cases, it’s beneficial to exclude all mobile app categories to avoid unintentional clicks altogether. Review the full list of categories to ensure you’re not leaving any gaps.
- Forgetting to Exclude Apps in New Campaigns: If you’ve excluded mobile apps in one campaign, it’s important to remember to apply the same exclusions to new campaigns. Many advertisers forget this step, resulting in mobile apps being included by default in future campaigns.
- Relying Too Much on Automation: Google Ads offers several automated bidding and placement tools, but these shouldn’t replace manual optimizations. Even with automated systems in place, it’s crucial to regularly review where your ads are being shown and make manual adjustments as needed.
Conclusion: Maximize Your Campaign’s Performance by Excluding Mobile Apps
Excluding mobile apps from your Google Ads display campaigns is a simple yet powerful way to improve the quality of your traffic, increase conversions, and maximize your return on investment. By taking control of where your ads appear and avoiding low-quality placements, you can ensure that your budget is spent more efficiently and your ads reach the right audience.
Whether you’re new to Google Ads or a seasoned advertiser, this optimization is an easy win that can lead to better results across your campaigns. Take the time to review your campaign settings, apply the necessary exclusions, and watch your performance metrics improve as you eliminate wasted clicks and drive more valuable interactions with your audience.