Tracking app installs and in-app activities can be useful for attribution, audience list creation, and bid optimization. These are the methods available for tracking an app install/conversion campaign in Display & Video 360:
Firebase integration
- Good for advertisers who prefer Google's easy-to-use app development and tracking platform (Firebase).
- Track first-opens of and post-install interactions with your Android & iOS app.
- After setup, changes to your app's code aren't necessary.
More about linking Display & Video 360 with Firebase and Firebase overview
Floodlight GET/S2S request
- Good for advertisers who already manage a lot of data or don't want third-party code in their apps.
- Also good for when advertisers already have a server setup that processes GET requests.
- Supports Android and iOS apps.
- Setup requires writing code to build your own custom app-tracking solution.
More about Floodlight GET requests
Third-party trackers
- Good for advertisers who already integrate with a third-party solution.
- Track first-opens of and post-install interactions with your Android or iOS app.
- Third-party trackers support many different tags, remarketing lists, and cross-device tracking.
- Requires third-party tracker to Display & Video 360 endpoint integration.
More about third-party app tracking: Legacy mobile app conversion tracking with third-party tools and Mobile app conversion tracking with third-party tools
Firebase | Floodlight GET/S2S | Third-party | |
---|---|---|---|
Supported apps | Android & iOS | Android & iOS | Android & iOS |
Marketer benefits | Good tracking coverage | App changes unnecessary | May already have third-party setup |
Developer benefits | Code changes unnecessary after setup | No third-party code in app | Good for those who already use third-party trackers |
App Install tracking | At first open | At first open | At first open |
Post-install events support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Custom vars support | No | Yes | Yes |
Remarketing lists support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
App code change required? | One-time setup | One-time setup | No (if using third-party tracker) |
Post-Install: Any event that takes place within an app after it has been opened. Examples include in-app purchases, user registration, and user login.
SDK: Software development kit
S2S: Server-to-server