The difference between an app that earns for years and one that gets limited, demonetized or removed is rarely the amount of ads — it is whether the monetization respects platform policy and user patience. We run monetized apps of our own, which means we read every AdMob policy email the ecosystem produces. This is the setup that keeps revenue durable.
The ad architecture
- AdMob as the stack core, with mediation (Meta Audience Network, Unity and others) bidding for every impression — typically +20–40% eCPM over AdMob alone.
- Formats matched to moments: rewarded ads where users want something, interstitials only at natural breaks, banners where they do not fight content.
- Hard rules baked into code: no interstitial at or right after app open, no ad after a rewarded ad, frequency caps on app-open ads, generous first-session grace.
- Consent first: UMP flow configured per region before any personalized ad loads.
Purchases and subscriptions
One-time unlocks and subscriptions must be server-verified — client-side flags get cracked within days of any success. Offer a genuinely useful free tier, price the annual plan honestly, and implement restore/upgrade/refund paths properly; broken purchase edge cases are both a review-rejection risk and a support nightmare.
What the formats actually pay
Relative eCPM in most casual apps: rewarded video earns 3–8× banner rates, interstitials 2–5×, with app-open somewhere between banner and interstitial. That is why the architecture leads with rewarded placements users choose — highest revenue per impression and zero policy risk — and treats banners as background income on screens where they do not fight content. Mediation bidding typically lifts overall eCPM 20–40% versus AdMob alone because Meta and Unity demand compete for every impression in real time.
The first 30 days after launch
- Week 1: watch crash-free rate and ANRs before touching monetization — stability first, always.
- Week 2: check fill rates per network and region; remove networks that fill under ~60% in your core geos.
- Week 3: compare retention of users who saw each placement vs those who did not — kill placements that cost retention.
- Week 4: introduce the second rewarded placement only if the first shows healthy engagement (30%+ of DAU opting in is a good sign).
Set up AdMob's ad review center and block categories that clash with your audience on day one — a single miscategorized ad campaign can tank ratings faster than any bug.
Measure revenue like a product
ARPDAU, eCPM by placement, rewarded engagement rate and — the one teams skip — the retention cost of each ad placement. An interstitial that pays ₹X but costs 3% day-1 retention is a loss wearing a profit costume. We instrument this from launch so tuning is arithmetic, not argument. Durable monetization is quieter than aggressive monetization — and it compounds, because the app is still on the store next year.