In-App Ads: Strategies to Prevent Fraud and Drive Targeted Traffic
x
Marketing
Fraudulent traffic is one of the biggest challenges in in-app advertising, threatening not only campaign performance but also ad spend and overall business integrity. From fake installs to click fraud, these deceptive practices can undermine efforts to reach a genuine audience, making fraud prevention a top priority for marketers.
This guide provides actionable strategies and insights to help detect, prevent, and combat fraudulent activities while ensuring campaigns attract high-quality, targeted traffic.
This guide provides actionable strategies and insights to help detect, prevent, and combat fraudulent activities while ensuring campaigns attract high-quality, targeted traffic.
THE CHALLENGE OF MOBILE APP FRAUD
Mobile app fraud is an escalating concern. Industry research reveals that Android devices are especially susceptible, accounting for a significantly higher proportion of fraudulent activities compared to iOS.
For example, click fraud and install fraud are more common on Android, emphasizing the importance of vigilant monitoring and robust preventive strategies for advertisers.
Common types of fraud include:
- Install Hijacking: Malware intercepts app installation processes to misattribute conversions.
- Data Manipulation: Fraudsters alter metrics to falsify campaign performance.
- Click Flooding: Attackers send large volumes of fraudulent click reports to claim attribution.
To reduce the risk of fraud, it is essential to use trusted platforms like AppsFlyer or Adjust, which are designed to monitor and prevent fraudulent activities effectively.
Regular audits of traffic sources should also be conducted, combined with the implementation of filters to detect any suspicious patterns. Additionally, collaborating with premium advertising sources such as Moloco, IronSource, Unity, and Applovin helps ensure the delivery of traffic and minimizes the chances of encountering fraudulent behavior.
By the way, we prepared an awesome collaborative podcast! Explore the podcast with Apptica: "In-App Ads: Targeting, Fraud Prevention & Optimization," featuring Roman Arustamyan, Head of Media Buying at AdSkill. Watch the full video to gain expert insights and actionable strategies!
Regular audits of traffic sources should also be conducted, combined with the implementation of filters to detect any suspicious patterns. Additionally, collaborating with premium advertising sources such as Moloco, IronSource, Unity, and Applovin helps ensure the delivery of traffic and minimizes the chances of encountering fraudulent behavior.
By the way, we prepared an awesome collaborative podcast! Explore the podcast with Apptica: "In-App Ads: Targeting, Fraud Prevention & Optimization," featuring Roman Arustamyan, Head of Media Buying at AdSkill. Watch the full video to gain expert insights and actionable strategies!
However, preventing fraud is only part of the solution. Equally important is implementing strategies to attract and maintain high-quality, targeted traffic that drives real results. In the following sections, we will outline a step-by-step approach to achieving this, ensuring your campaigns are both secure and effective.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
The first step in acquiring targeted in-app traffic is identifying your audience. This involves a detailed analysis of demographics, user interests, and behavior patterns. Tools like Google Analytics make it easy to gather and interpret this data, providing valuable insights into user preferences and habits. Using Google Analytics' Demographic Overview, marketers can identify user demographics and interests.
Once you’ve defined your audience, segmentation is essential. Group users by criteria such as:
Accurate segmentation ensures your campaigns reach the right users, avoiding wasted budgets and maximizing efficiency. Targeting high-income users in specific regions often increases ROI, particularly in e-commerce campaigns. We provided a detailed explanation in “How to Improve ROI: Secrets of Optimizing Advertising Campaigns.”
- Country of residence
- Language
- Age
- Gender
- Income level
Accurate segmentation ensures your campaigns reach the right users, avoiding wasted budgets and maximizing efficiency. Targeting high-income users in specific regions often increases ROI, particularly in e-commerce campaigns. We provided a detailed explanation in “How to Improve ROI: Secrets of Optimizing Advertising Campaigns.”
Head of Media Buying at AdSkill
Roman Arustamyan
“To maximize the effectiveness of your ads, start with higher bids. This way, you can attract more users and collect data while the platform optimizes the flow. Then, gradually reduce your bids to find the optimal balance between cost and performance and get sustained results without overspending.”
LEVERAGING TARGETING STRATEGIES
Targeting is a cornerstone of effective in-app marketing. Proper setup ensures your ads resonate with the intended audience. Here are some best practices:
While recent privacy regulations have introduced challenges, many targeting strategies remain effective. For example, Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework has impacted how advertisers track and target users. It’s essential, however, to be aware of potential traffic limitations in specific GEOs.
- Begin with Higher Bids: Place higher bids in the initial weeks of your campaign to attract more users and collect data. This allows the platform to optimize more effectively.
- Monitor and Adjust: Over time, gradually reduce bids to find an optimal balance between cost and performance.
While recent privacy regulations have introduced challenges, many targeting strategies remain effective. For example, Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework has impacted how advertisers track and target users. It’s essential, however, to be aware of potential traffic limitations in specific GEOs.
OPTIMIZING CREATIVE ASSETS
Well-designed creatives are responsible for up to 90% of success in in-app traffic campaigns. Here are some tips:
- Keep creatives simple, colorful, and engaging.
- Utilize AI tools to generate innovative ideas and designs.
- Use the most popular formats for in-app ads: 9x16 (vertical) and 16x9 (horizontal). Banners, especially the 320x50 format, are also widely used.
- Analyze competitor creatives using spy tools like Apptica to identify trends. Apptica provides a library of ad creatives by app category and custom-made taxonomy, enabling marketers to benchmark effectively.
When it comes to mobile ad creatives, the vertical 9x16 ratio absolutely dominates the scene! According to Apptica’s Creative Gallery Analytics for H2 2024, 9x16 creatives made up a staggering 69.74% of all submissions, with 16x9 standing strong at 18.45%.
Head of Marketing at Apptica
Polina Baeva
“When it comes to mobile ad creatives, the vertical 9x16 ratio absolutely dominates the scene! According to our analytics, 9x16 creatives made up a staggering 69.74% of all submissions, with 16x9 standing strong at 18.45%.”
Diving deeper into the 9x16 category:
For the widescreen 16x9 category:
- 94.49% were video creatives
- 2.90% were banners
- 2.60% were playables
For the widescreen 16x9 category:
- A whopping 98.43% were video creatives
- 0.39% were banners
- 1.18% were playables
RETARGETING: RE-ENGAGING POTENTIAL USERS
Retargeting is a powerful tool for re-engaging users who’ve interacted with your app but haven’t taken desired actions, such as making a purchase or completing a registration. It’s effective across various niches, including gaming and betting apps, and can significantly boost lifetime value (LTV).
To implement retargeting effectively:
To implement retargeting effectively:
- Identify users who have shown interest but haven’t converted.
- Design specific campaigns aimed at these users to encourage completion of the desired action.
AVOIDING AD BUDGET WASTAGE
Inefficient budget allocation is a common pitfall in in-app marketing. Avoid this by:
With deep in-app traffic expertise, AdSkill, a certified partner of over 20 traffic sources, offers agency ad accounts to scale projects quickly and efficiently.
By using our accounts, you get a number of benefits:
- Monitoring Campaigns: Media buyers should continuously oversee campaigns to ensure smooth optimization and data flow.
- Using Analytics Tools: Track key metrics such as CPM, CPI, conversion rates (CR), and ROI. Analyze raw data to uncover deeper insights.
- Optimizing Channels: Reallocate budgets from underperforming channels to those delivering better results. Duplicate successful campaigns to scale effectively.
- Building Blacklists and Whitelists: After gathering sufficient data, eliminate non-converting bundles and focus on high-performing ones.
With deep in-app traffic expertise, AdSkill, a certified partner of over 20 traffic sources, offers agency ad accounts to scale projects quickly and efficiently.
By using our accounts, you get a number of benefits:
- Dedicated team of experts: source team leads, personal managers and specialists launch and scale campaigns 7 days a week.
- Moderation is 10 times faster than on personal accounts! Includes creative review, campaign optimization recommendations, and full technical support.
- Convenient payment methods, personalized solutions for each case. Cryptocurrency, wire transfers, credit cards.
- Unlimited spending, cashbacks and bonuses.
- More than 100 GEOs + exclusive ones with a niche audience.
- Instant withdrawal of funds from the account in case of blocking.
- Easy launch on traffic sources with challenging access, such as Taboola, Applovin, Liftoff, which cooperate only with the largest advertisers and agencies with proven ability to pay.
Contact our team to save both time and budget, ensuring your advertising reaches the end user without restriction!
STAYING AHEAD IN THE MOBILE APP INDUSTRY
Launching ad campaigns on in-app platforms is no longer as easy as it used to be. In 2025, key trends are set to shape the mobile app landscape, requiring marketers to adapt and stay ahead:
- Stricter Law Regulations will require advertisers to adapt by partnering with providers that hold local licenses for their products, ensuring compliance and legal security.
- AI and Machine Learning will become the foundation for personalization and real-time targeting, adapting campaigns to individual users with relevant content and recommendations.
- Transparency and Data Protection will gain importance as users demand openness. Apps will provide clear data collection notices and enhance protection to build trust.
- Deep Personalization will analyze user behavior to deliver tailored content, boosting engagement and loyalty.
- Automation and Chatbots will streamline user interactions, offering instant support and personalized recommendations while reducing costs.
IN-APP ADS MADE EASY
Effectively combating fraudulent traffic and driving targeted users requires more than just tools — it demands a clear strategy, constant vigilance, and adaptability. By implementing the insights and step-by-step approaches outlined in this guide, you can protect your campaigns from fraud while ensuring they attract high-quality, engaged users. Success in in-app marketing lies in combining robust fraud prevention measures with precise, data-driven strategies that deliver measurable results.
AdSkill experts will help effectively promote your business on mobile platforms, provide agency accounts for advertising networks, and support you at every stage of work. With our expertise, you can avoid fraud, overcome geo-restrictions, and navigate other complexities, ensuring your product reaches audiences worldwide!
AdSkill experts will help effectively promote your business on mobile platforms, provide agency accounts for advertising networks, and support you at every stage of work. With our expertise, you can avoid fraud, overcome geo-restrictions, and navigate other complexities, ensuring your product reaches audiences worldwide!