Google is moving into the mobile ad market with AdSense for mobile apps. Over the past few months, Google has been testing both text and graphical ads with ten mobile app developers, including Shazam and Urbanspoon. Today it is opening the private beta to more developers who meet certain criteria.
These are contextual ads for iPhone and Android apps. They can be targeted by “applications, locations, categories, or keywords,” according to Google’s Mobile AdSense information page. To qualify for the public beta, the apps must be free and generate at least 100,000 pageviews per day. The program is only for iPhone or Android apps. Developers must be ready to go live with the ads in four weeks and participate for three months.
Developers with 100,000 pageviews a day is still a limited set of the top free apps, but Google is serious about competing in this market. Mobile ad startups such as AdMob and Greystripe are now officially in Google’s direct line of fire.
Google is keeping things small right now to test out different ways to target ads inside apps, but it can pull out the big guns any time it wants. It already has more advertisers than any startup ad network and thus has a clear advantage when it comes to filling up mobile ad inventory. Although it is separate now, when marketers can check mobile apps as part of their overall AdSense campaigns, there should be a lot more bidding for those mobile ad spots within iPhone and Android apps, and those mobile ad rates should go up as a consequence.
Mobile app developers are going to sign up whichever ad network can give them the highest CPMs, and will swap out the ones which can’t keep up. Already, we are seeing some jostling for position among the mobile ad network startups. AdMob just kicked out AdWhirl from showing ads within its platform. I wonder if AdMob will allow Mobile AdSense ads on its network.
Update: AdMob responds that it will work with any mobile app developer on a non-exclusive basis and that developers which have established a direct relationship with AdMob can work with competing ad networks.
Hi Erick,
Again a great news for App developers. Another great source of revenue unveiled for them. Seems like they are on a roll and having a great day today. I wish I could develop an app of my own.
Thanks for the great post.
Mani Raj
Havoc Marketing
Mani starts a new company. He thinks that by posting “Great news” or “Good article” on Techcrunch and linking to his crappy website, he can get a good traction and a decent Google juice. After a few months of spamming TC, he realizes that nothing of that sort happens. Mani leaves TC.
John starts a new company. He thinks that ….
One can only hope. I’m sick of his back-handed spamming the TC comments as well. When will the staff get a clue and ban him?
Just because he posted a few more comments than you doesn’t make him a spammer. Has he spammed you?
I don’t know why you guys love to come here and whine about spam all the time. So sick of listening to you crybabies. Grow up for god’s sake.
Good info and resource
This is awesome news for the developers, the sucking part is I will have to wait till my app reaches 100K pageviews.
I would buy adblockers for the iPhone. Or a personal proxy that filters the ad before displaying the content.
The ads that Google is showing on iPhone and Andriod are not mobile ads. They are desktop AdSense ads that are being reformatted for mobile. The advertiser has NO idea they are appearing in the mobile context and if they did I can assure you they would balk at this. The users who click on the ads are being taken to desktop landing pages with no chance of converting or generating any business for the advertiser.
This is a disgusting tactic that Google is employing to acquire market share in mobile advertising and advertisers need to stand up against this.
I see class action written all over this.
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TC Staff,
Why does TC not have any way to “report” a spam post in the comments like the one above?
Again Dude seriously, you are bitching for no reason. Report when he spams you until then shut up and let everybody use the comment forum.
Fuck No!
Sorry for my extremely rude language … but google who until now provided only high quality services for my beloved Iphone is gonna seriously fall from its piedestal.
Techcrunch PLEASE announce fennec for Iphone next week + adblockplus mobile, MAKE MY LIFE
More seriously, intrusive mobile ads were the subject of my thesis. They don’t seem to get it … it just sucks and people won’t like that at all
My phone is in my pocket, therefore very close to what I cherish the most, obviously my phone is a part of me. I wouldn’t have any ads in my eye of my leg, same for my Iphone.
In my opinion, it’s gonna ruin the experience, even if it’s über-geolocated and quite relevant.
Feel like Dark Vador found my home planet =(
This is awesome. I like the whole google thing the way it is going. From apps for android to googls apps (mail etc) to app engine. And now this..
awesome
sweet
It was only a matter of time.
as of today
admob eCPM $0.55
admob CTR 3.63%
————–
google eCPM $0.92
google CTR 0.32%
anybody else get the idea?