Google App Ads Expert: The Complete Hiring Guide

So you're in Derby and you need to find someone who actually knows what they're doing with Google App campaigns. It's a smart move. Throwing money at app ads without a proper expert is one of the fastest ways to burn through your startup's cash. But finding a genuine specialist, especially outside of the London tech bubble, can be a proper nightmare. Most agencies will say they can do it, but very few understand the deep technical differences that make or break an app campaign.

The truth is, hiring the right person or agency is the single most important decision you'll make for your app's growth. Get it right, and you get a scalable engine for user acquisition. Get it wrong, and you'll be left with a huge bill, very few users, and a load of confusing data. I'm going to walk you through how to tell the difference and find a partner that can actually deliver, whether they're based on Pride Park or working remotely from halfway across the country.

So, what makes App Campaigns so different anyway?

This is the first hurdle where most generalist agencies fall over. They think because they've run a few Google Search or Shopping campaigns, they can just tick a box for 'App Campaign' and it'll all work out. It won't. It's a completely different discipline that relies on a different set of skills and a different part of Google's ad ecosystem.

A standard search campaign is about keywords and ad copy. An App Campaign is about data signals, creative assets, and machine learning. You're not bidding on "plumber in Derby". You're feeding Google's algorithm a stream of creative (videos, images, text) and telling it, "find me more people who will not just install my app, but who will complete level 3," or "find me people who will make their first in-app purchase."

The technical backend is also completly different. To do this properly, you need deep integration with a measurement tool like Google's own Firebase or a third-party Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) like AppsFlyer or Adjust. This involves setting up the SDK (Software Development Kit) correctly in your app to track all those important in-app events. An 'expert' who doesn't immediately start asking you about your event tracking setup is not an expert. They're a chancer. This is the bedrock of the entire campaign. Without clean data flowing from these events, Google's algorithm is flying blind, and it'll just optimise for the cheapest, lowest-quality installs imaginable.

This is why you need someone who's lived and breathed this stuff. Someone who knows that a good campaign isn't just launched; it's built on a solid foundation of technical tracking and a relentless process of creative testing. I remember for one of our most successful app campaigns, which drove over 45,000 signups, establishing a solid foundation of technical tracking was critical to its success. That initial setup pays off massively down the line.

Does my expert really need to be in Derby?

Honestly? Probably not. This might sound a bit contrarian, but in the world of digital marketing, expertise trumps geography every single time. Would you rather have a top-tier app specialist who works from Manchester and has scaled five apps just like yours, or a friendly local agency in the Cathedral Quarter who mostly builds websites for local solicitors but is 'happy to give app ads a go'?

The entire job is done online. The meetings are on Zoom or Google Meet. The reporting is in a shared dashboard. There is genuinely no part of managing a Google App campaign that requires the person to be physically in Derby. In fact, insisting on a local-only partner massively shrinks your pool of available talent, forcing you to choose from a handful of generalists instead of the best specialist you can find.

That said, some people just prefer a local connection. Maybe you want the option of a face-to-face meeting at BEAR to go over strategy. That's fair enough. But don't let it be the main criteria. Your number one priority should be finding someone with a proven, repeatable track record of growing apps with paid ads. If that person happens to be in Derby, great. If they're in Exeter, that's fine too. A good starting point is to understand the principles of hiring a great paid ads consultant, regardless of their location.

The modern toolkit for collaboration makes distance irrelevant. What is relevant is their ability to understand your user, your monetisation model, and how to translate that into a profitable campaign. Dont compromise on expertise for the sake of a postcode.

The Vetting Process: How to filter the experts from the amateurs

Alright, this is the most important part. When you start talking to potential consultants or agencies, you need a framework to systematically figure out if they know their stuff. Here’s a process that will quickly seperate the wheat from the chaff.

Don't just ask "Have you managed Google App campaigns before?". A simple 'yes' is meaningless. You need to dig deeper with questions that only a true practitioner can answer confidently. Try these:

• "Can you talk me through your prefered process for setting up in-app conversion tracking? What are the pros and cons of using Firebase directly versus a third-party MMP?" - A good answer will involve talking about data accuracy, attribution windows, and the importance of tracking post-install events that correlate with revenue. A bad answer will be vague and non-committal.
• "How do you approach creative testing within App campaigns? How do you structure your Asset Groups and decide when an asset is fatigued?" - They should talk about the need for a high volume of diverse assets (video, images, HTML5), iterating based on performance data in the asset report, and having a clear testing methodology. If they just say "we upload some images and headlines", that's a massive red flag.
• "For a new app launch, would you start with a tCPI (target Cost Per Install) or a tCPA (target Cost Per Action) bidding strategy, and why?" - There's no single right answer here, but a real expert will have a well-reasoned opinion. They'll likely say they'd start with tCPI to gather data and volume, then quickly move to tCPA for a key event (like 'registration' or 'first purchase') once there's enough conversion data to make it work. They'll explain the trade-offs. An amateur won't have a clue what you're talking about.

This is non-negotiable. They must be able to show you evidence of their past work with apps. And not just any apps – ideally, apps that are similar to yours in some way (e.g., same category, similar monetisation model, similar target audience).

When you review their case studies, look for specifics:

• -> What was the Cost Per Install (CPI)?
• -> What was the Cost Per Action (CPA) for key events?
• -> What was the Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) if it was an eCommerce or subscription app?
• -> What was the scale? Driving 100 installs is easy. Driving 10,000 profitable installs is hard.

For example, we worked with a recruitment tech SaaS and managed to reduce their Cost Per User Acquisition from a painful £100 down to just £7. That's a specific, meaningful result. That's the kind of proof you're looking for. If their case studies are just fluffy testimonials with no hard numbers, be very sceptical.

To help you visualise the process, here's a simple flowchart for vetting potential partners.

How much should this all cost? The truth about budgeting

This is the big question, isn't it? There are two costs to consider: the agency/consultant's fee, and the actual ad spend you give to Google. Let's break it down.

For ad spend, the answer is "it depends". The cost to acquire a user (CPI or CPA) varies massively depending on your app's category and the country you're targeting. A hyper-casual game might achieve a CPI of £0.30. A FinTech app trying to get users to connect their bank account might have a CPA of £30 or more. A good starting point is to budget at least £1,500 - £3,000 per month in ad spend to give the campaigns enough data to learn and optimise.

But just focusing on the Cost Per Install is a rookie mistake. A cheap install from a user who opens the app once and then deletes it is worthless. The metric that truly matters is your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). How much profit does an average user generate for you over their entire time using your app? Once you know this, you can figure out how much you can afford to pay to acquire them. This LTV to CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) ratio is the North Star of paid user acquisition. A healthy ratio is typically 3:1 – meaning for every £1 you spend acquiring a customer, they generate £3 in lifetime gross margin.

Calculating your LTV is the first step to building a truly scalable and profitable Google Ads strategy. Use the calculator below to get a rough idea of your LTV. It's a simplified model, but it's the kind of thinking a real expert will bring to the table.

My Final Recommendations For Finding Your Expert

Finding the right partner to manage your app's user acquisition is a high-stakes decision. To cut through the noise and make sure you dont end up wasting thousands with a local firm that talks a good game but has no real specialism, you need a rigourous process. It's less about finding someone down the road and more about finding someone who's already solved the exact problems you're facing. Based on my experience running app campaigns for years, here's the advice I'd give to any founder in your position.

The journey to finding the right Google App Ads expert can feel daunting, but it's a solvable problem. By focusing on proven expertise, asking the right questions, and understanding your own numbers, you can avoid the pitfalls and find a partner that becomes a genuine engine for your growth. This isn't just another marketing expense; it's an investment in a scalable future for your app.

If you've gone through this and feel like your current approach isn't working, or you're simply looking to start on the right foot, it might be worth getting a second opinion. We often find that a single 20-minute strategy session can uncover the critical issues holding an app back. If you’d like an expert pair of eyes on your app and growth plans, consider booking a free, no-obligation consultation with us. We can walk you through a tailored strategy and show you what's possible.