TLDR;
- Stop using standard Search or Display campaigns for app installs. You should almost exclusively be using Google's dedicated App Campaigns for driving downloads in the UK.
- Don't just optimise for installs (tCPI). That's a rookie mistake that gets you low-quality users. You must set up and optimise for valuable in-app actions (tCPA) like registrations, trials, or purchases.
- Costs in the UK are high, especially in London. Expect to pay anywhere from £1.50 to £5+ per install, but focusing on user value, not just install cost, is the only way to get a return.
- Your success depends on your creative assets. You need a constant supply of high-quality video, images, and ad copy. Test relentlessly. Video is not optional.
- This guide includes an interactive Lifetime Value (LTV) calculator to help you figure out exactly how much you can afford to pay for a new user, freeing you from the trap of chasing cheap, worthless installs.
So you've built an app, you're targeting the UK market, and you're throwing money at Google Ads only to hear crickets. No downloads, no users, just a burning hole in your budget. This is a story I hear all the time. The problem usually isn't the app itself, or even the UK market being 'too competitive'. The problem is almost always the strategy. Most people approach Google Ads for apps with the wrong campaign type, the wrong bidding strategy, and unrealistic expectations.
Let's cut the nonsense. You don't need more vague advice. You need a concrete, actionable plan that's been proven to work in the UK market. I remember one campaign we worked on that drove over 45,000 signups at under £2 per signup for an app, so this isn't theory. This is what actually works. Forget what you think you know, and lets get this sorted.
Why are my ads failing? It's probably your campaign choice.
The first and most common mistake I see is using the wrong tool for the job. People try to use standard Google Search campaigns, targeting keywords like "[your app name] app" or "best fitness app". Or they'll use Display campaigns to splash their logo across the web. This is a complete waste of money for user acquisition.
Google has a purpose-built campaign type for this exact goal: App Campaigns. They are designed to promote your app across Google's entire network—that's Search, Google Play, YouTube, Discover, and the Google Display Network—all from one single campaign. The system uses machine learning to find the best placements and users for you based on the assets and goals you provide. If you are not using an App Campaign to get app installs, you are doing it wrong from the very beginning. It's really that simple.
The system is designed to take the guesswork out of placement and targeting, but it requires you to feed it the right inputs. Your job isn't to pick keywords or placements; your job is to define the goal and provide the creative fuel.
Are you bidding on installs or on value?
This brings us to the next critical point. Most people set up their App Campaign to optimise for 'Install volume'. This tells Google's algorithm to "get me as many downloads as possible for my target cost-per-install (tCPI)". It sounds logical, right? Wrong. This is the biggest trap in app marketing.
When you optimise for installs, Google will find you the people who are most likely to download an app... and do absolutely nothing else. They're serial downloaders. They'll install, open it once, and then forget it exists. You'll get your cheap installs and feel good about your metrics, but your business won't grow because none of these users will ever convert, subscribe, or buy anything. You're paying to acquire non-customers.
The correct approach, and one that is non-negotiable for serious growth, is to optimise for in-app actions. This means you need to have conversion tracking set up correctly in your app (via Google Analytics for Firebase) to track what really matters. This could be:
- -> User registration
- -> Completing the onboarding tutorial
- -> Starting a free trial
- -> Making a first purchase
- -> Subscribing to a plan
Once you're tracking these events, you can set your App Campaign's bidding strategy to 'In-app actions' and set a target cost-per-action (tCPA). Now you're telling Google, "Don't just find me people who download things. Find me people who are likely to actually register or subscribe." The cost per install will naturally be higher, but the quality of the user will be astronomically better. This is the only way to build a sustainable user base. If you need help with this, you should read our guide on how to target high-value users, not just installs.
How much will a UK user actually cost me?
Let's talk money. The UK is a Tier 1, mature market. It's expensive. Anyone telling you that you can get high-quality users for pennies is lying. Your costs will vary based on your app's category (gaming is different from finance), but you need a realistic baseline.
Based on our own campaigns for UK clients, a simple install (tCPI) might cost you between £1.50 - £4.00. If you're targeting London specifically, expect that to be at the higher end or even more. The competition there is fierce. For a more valuable in-app action, like a registration, you could be looking at a tCPA of anywhere from £5 to £20+. One medical SaaS client I worked with started at a £100 CPA, and we managed to bring that down to £7, but that required a lot of strategic work.
These numbers might seem high, but they are meaningless without context. The real question isn't "what's the cost?" but "what's the value?". If a user costs you £10 to acquire but they go on to generate £50 in revenue over their lifetime, that's a brilliant investment. This is where you have to do your homework.
How do I know what I can afford to pay? Calculate your LTV.
You can't make smart decisions about your ad spend if you don't know what a user is worth. The Lifetime Value (LTV) calculation is your key to unlocking aggressive, intelligent growth. It tells you the maximum you can afford to spend to acquire a customer (your Customer Acquisition Cost, or CAC) while remaining profitable. Forget guessing. Do the maths.
Your ads are only as good as your creative assets
An App Campaign's performance is almost entirely dependant on the quality and variety of the creative assets you provide it. The algorithm needs fuel to work its magic. You can't just upload your logo and a single screenshot and expect results. It's a continuous process of testing and refreshing. You need to give the system enough raw material to find winning combinations.
For any UK app campaign, you should aim to provide the maximum number of assets allowed in an ad group. This includes:
- Headlines: Up to 5 short, punchy headlines (30 characters). Focus on benefits, not features.
- Descriptions: Up to 5 longer descriptions (90 characters). Expand on the value proposition.
- Images: Up to 20 images. These must be high-quality. Use a mix of screenshots, lifestyle images showing the app in use (with UK-relevant models/backgrounds), and graphics highlighting key features.
- Videos: Up to 20 videos. This is the most important asset type. You MUST have video. They don't need to be Hollywood productions. Simple user-generated content (UGC) style videos, screen recordings with voiceovers, and short, snappy animated videos work incredibly well. Make sure they are formatted for mobile (portrait or square).
- HTML5 Assets: Up to 20, if you have them. These are interactive ads that can work well for games or highly visual apps.
Your goal is variety. Test different messages, different visuals, different calls to action. Let the machine learning figure out what resonates with different segments of the UK audience. What works for a student in Manchester might not work for a finance professional in London. If you're seeing your downloads in London are especially low, it's often a sign of creative fatigue in a highly saturated market. For more tips, you can check our guide on solving low app downloads in London.
I would also strongly recomend you run seperate campaigns for iOS and Android. User behaviour and costs can be very different between the two platforms, and mixing them in one campaign muddies your data and prevents you from optimising effectively for each. This is a small structural change that can make a big difference.
Your UK App Campaign Launch Plan
So, how do you put this all together into a coherent strategy? It's about being methodical. Stop throwing things at the wall and start building a proper foundation. I've seen how some agencies structure their campaigns, its a mess. A simple structure is often the most effective.
If you're launching in the UK, this is the main advice I have for you:
| Component | Recommendation | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign Type | Google App Campaign. No exceptions to start with. | It's the only campaign type designed to leverage Google's full network and machine learning for app promotion. Using anything else is like trying to hammer a nail with a screwdriver. |
| Bidding Strategy | Start with 'Install Volume' for 1-2 weeks to gather data, then switch to 'In-app actions' (tCPA) as soon as possible. | You need to quickly move away from chasing cheap, low-quality installs and start optimising for users who will actually bring value to your business. This is the single biggest lever for ROI. |
| Location Targeting | Target 'United Kingdom'. Don't get too granular at first. Maybe seperate London if you have a big budget and specific need. | The algorithm needs a large enough audience to learn effectively. Starting too narrow can choke performance. Let the data show you where your best users are, then refine. |
| Budget | Minimum £50-£100 per day. Your daily budget should be at least 10x your target CPA. | The algorithm needs enough daily conversions (at least 10) to exit the 'learning phase' and optimise properly. Under-funding is a common cause of failure. |
| Creative Assets | Max out your asset groups. Provide at least 10 different images and 5 different videos (portrait/square) at launch. | Creatives are the fuel for the algorithm. More variety gives it more chances to find winning combinations for different audiences across the UK. Video is definately not optional. |
| Measurement | Correctly implement Google Analytics for Firebase. Track at least one key post-install event (e.g., registration). | If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. Accurate tracking is the foundation for optimising for valuable actions and calculating your true return on ad spend. |
When it's time to get expert help
You can follow this guide and you'll be ahead of 90% of the competition. It provides a solid framework for launching and managing a successful app marketing campaign in the UK. However, the difference between a good campaign and a great one lies in the details: continuous creative testing, nuanced bid management, scaling strategy, and troubleshooting when performance dips.
Managing this process takes time and deep expertise, especially when you're trying to scale your spend from £100 a day to £1,000 a day without your CPA spiralling out of control. That's often when it makes sense to bring in a specialist. An experienced consultant or agency has run this playbook hundreds of times. We know the benchmarks, we have a process for creative production and testing, and we can spot problems before they derail your growth.
If you've tried the steps above and are still struggling, or if you're ready to scale but are worried about efficiency, it might be the right time to get a second opinion. We offer a free, no-obligation strategy session where we can look at your specific situation and give you some honest, direct advice on what to do next. There's no hard sell, just a genuine look at your campaigns to see where the opportunities are.
Hope that helps!
