Ads are an effective and easy way to earn revenue from your apps. Google AdMob is a smart monetization platform for apps that helps you to maximize revenue from ads and in-app purchases. More than 1 million apps use Google AdMob to generate a reliable revenue stream, with more than $1 billion paid to developers.

All you need to do is sign up for Google AdMob, and then use the Google Mobile Ads SDK to place ads in your app with just a few lines of code. You get paid quickly in your local currency (where available), with no wire fees charged by Google AdMob. Also, Google AdMob’s integration with Google Play services pushes automatic performance improvements to Android apps without additional SDK changes.

Tip: You can increase your ad revenue further with Google AdMob Mediation. Google AdMob’s mediation solution works with over 40 ad networks to serve the highest-paying ads into your app.

Why it works

Earn; Develop; Ads are an effective and easy way to earn revenue from your apps. Google AdMob is a smart monetization platform for apps that helps you to maximize revenue from ads and in-app purchases. More than 1 million apps use Google AdMob to generate a reliable revenue stream, with more than $1 billion paid to developers. Over 18% of android app developers earn over $5,000 per month, and the same amount is earned by 25% of iOS app developers. Video game apps are making money in millions. Now, the growing market of smart TVs and the emerging market in smartwatches will expand the app business in the coming years. Apps make a lot of money. Spending on Google Play and the App Store hit an incredible $39.7 billion during the first half of 2019 according to data from Sensor Tower.This was a 15.4 percent increase in the same period in the previous year. Indie Coder Proves Android Apps Can Make Money, Too. 'Plus, I learned that you need a Mac to do iPhone development, and at that point I lost all interest,' said Kim, a proud Windows user.

Well-placed, well-targeted ads in apps, particularly free apps, can achieve good click-through rates while preserving the app’s user experience. It’s easy to add the code to deliver ads, and Google AdMob takes care of the rest: finding and delivering relevant ads to your app from any of Google’s advertiser demand across Google AdMob, Google Ads, and the Authorized buyers. This range of advertising sources—coupled with free, industry-leading mediation—achieves high CPMs and excellent fill rates, automatically helping to improve your earnings.

Best practices

Place ads thoughtfully and adhere to the Google AdMob policies. Ads shouldn’t be too intrusive, but still need to be clearly visible, to attract click-throughs.
Choose ad formats appropriate to your app’s content. Google AdMob has a wide variety of ad formats, including interstitials, video, native ads, and banners.
Use the native ads feature to match ads with the look and feel of your app to offer users a richer, more seamless app experience while improving revenue performance.
Make use of targeting features to match ads with your users and your app.
Remember that ads form part of your app and must match its age rating.
Exercise control options sensibly. Don’t get carried away limiting the volume of ads that Google AdMob shows at the expense of revenue.
Consider running house ads to promote your other apps or your friends’ apps. When you launch a new app, this kind of promotion is a free and easy way to attract new users quickly.
Analyze your app’s performance from within Google AdMob with Google Analytics. Discover where people are downloading your app, the features they use the most, how they navigate through your app with graphical flow reports, and more.

Apps make a lot of money. Spending on Google Play and the App Store hit an incredible $39.7 billion during the first half of 2019 according to data from Sensor Tower. This was a 15.4 percent increase in the same period in the previous year.

Additionally, app use is growing. In its most recent “State of Mobile” report, AppAnnie found that between 2016 and 2018, time spent in-app grew by 50 percent, while downloads increased by 35 percent. This suggests that there is plenty of proof that many free apps make money.

If you’re wondering how to create an app for free and make money, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we’ll first look at how to create an app, and then explore six of the most popular app monetization methods.

Image: William Hook/Unsplash.

Table of Contents

1 How to Make an App
2 How to Create an App and Make Money
3 Six App Monetization Models

How to Make an App

The first step towards app monetization is to go ahead and build one. This means you’ll need a good idea that people will find useful and want to download. If you don’t have a specific idea for an app, you can always think about a problem you have and a way to solve it.

Alternatively, are there any popular mobile apps that you like but think could be improved? If so, why don’t you release an app with the improvement?

The founders of Instagram released the app in part because they loved the filters of Instamatic but thought it would be better if it was easier to share photos. It’s now one of the most downloaded apps ever.

Image: Austin Distel/Unsplash.

If you are planning an app monetization strategy, you should consider this at the start of the design process.

For example, if one of your app monetization strategies is to use ads, you’ll need to build in space to display banners while designing your app.

Likewise, if you want to run a subscription model, you’ll need to consider the features that will be available to all app users, as well as those that will only be available to those who pay.

We have an in-depth article on how to build your own mobile app that you can read here. In the article, we broke the process down into several steps:

First, You Need to Plan Your App

If you already have an app idea, this could be the easiest part of the process. If not, the most difficult. You can check out these 12 ways to generate app ideas if you are struggling.

When planning your app, you’ll need to have an exact idea about what it will do and the problem it will solve. You should also think about the target audience and what will appeal to them. You can get good ideas about the type of apps that are successful and make money by looking at competitors or non-competing apps with the same target audience.

This is also a good way to choose your app monetization strategy. If you notice most apps like the one you want to create offer a free version, you will probably struggle to be successful if you want to charge for your app. On the other hand, this could suggest the kind of app you want to make can be monetized through adverts.

Image: Jexo/Unplash.

Next, Choose How You Will Build Your App

The next step in the app development process is to start building it. You have two options here. The first is to go through the whole process of creating wireframes, graphical interfaces, and testing the front and back end processes yourself.

Alternatively, you can use an app builder to take care of the process for you.

While the first option provides more customization, the second option is easier for those without experience in app development.

If You Choose to go it Alone, You’ll Need to Start by Wireframing

If you choose not to use an app builder and go the custom route, you’ll have to start by wireframing. This will help you create the structure of your app. There are plenty of tools that can help with wireframing, including Microsoft’s Visio and Axure. Be sure to test out these wireframes extensively.

Then Design the Visual Elements of Your App

At this point, you can begin designing the visual elements of your app, including your logo, color scheme, and any graphics or animations you choose to use.

You’ll need to do this whether you choose to build it yourself or use a DIY app builder. If you don’t have the expertise required, you can always hire a

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