Using AdMob

     Releasing apps for free would be very painful if it weren't for ads. Considering how the app store pricing is a race to the bottom, if I want to stand a chance my games should be free. But how do you get ads in your game? There's all kinds of services out there. I needed one that worked on all platforms. Something easy to keep track of. I settled on AdMob, an ad service by Google. I already use AdSense by Google so why not keep things in one place?

Yeah. I'm not rolling in dough just yet.

     I like AdMob because of how easy it is to use. I spent a lot of time fumbling with iAds (Apple's ad service) for Fish Feaster. I could not get it working without error for about a month before giving up on it entirely. I tried AdMob and had everything going smoothly within two days. I updated Fish Feaster and was finally making what I call micro-change.

     For my other games, I needed to find a plugin for Unity that made using AdMob simpler. I found such a thing on the Plato Evolved website and had ads in TriGrid within a few hours. I could have gotten a similar plugin at a more popular source like Prime31 or NeatPlug, but Plato's did the same thing for much cheaper ($8 vs. $50). Plato's plugins also had a much more honest feel to them. It's a one-man show. He makes videos demonstrating how to use and install his plugins, he offers refunds, talks with customers who leave comments, and just has the indie vibe I love so much. Also I liked saving 40 bucks. 

     All the Yotes Games with ads are in one place. It's easy to keep track of how they're all doing. AdMob even works with App Annie automatically, so I can track them there too. Whenever you want to link an ad banner you made, you can search for it and connect right here in this menu.

Easy peasy

     You can also see data from anytime since you started. It probably looks a lot more interesting with a more popular set of apps. What I really like about checking AdMob is seeing the the different rates and predictions. 

     

You can even see where your results are coming from.

      With simple interfaces, connectivity with just about everything, and plenty of tutorials, AdMob is just a dream to work with. You get ads to monetize your game and split the revenue 70/30. As far as taxes go, you're on your own, but Ad implementation doesn't get much easier than this. If you ever wanted to know a good place to start, this is my recommendation.