According to the latest AppsFlyer Performance Index Report (registration required), Twitter offers the best user retention record (12 weeks) of any mobile app advertising platform. However Facebook remains the overall leading media platform for app marketers.
Another finding is that Google’s introduction of Universal App Campaigns (UAC) have helped the company gain on Facebook. AppsFlyer says that UAC has grown Google’s app advertising share by 40 percent. Facebook sees “almost 75 percent of apps running campaigns on the social network compared to 45 percent for Google.”
AppsFlyer points out that Facebook is the overall ROI leader. Facebook is followed by Google, Apple and Twitter in that order.
As indicated, Apple is number three in the “universal” global ranking. AppsFlyer reports that “since Q4 2016’s intro of Search Ads [Apple has increased its share of installs] by no less than 5x.” But the success of Search Ads has also increased competition and cost, resulting in a decline in its ROI ranking on the index.
AppsFlyer also noted that what might be called install fraud “continues to pollute app marketers’ data and at an increasingly alarming rate.” Since the release of its last index, the company said that there had been a 5 percent increase in fraudulent installs.
AppsFlyer does not rank networks in terms of fraud. It says it privately notifies them of fraud rates but declined to provide us with any insight into which ones see higher numbers of fraudulent installs.
About The Author
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.