You're spending ₹15 lakh per month on Google App Campaigns. Your CPI looks fine at ₹180. But when you check D7 ROAS, it's barely 0.6x. Your Meta campaigns are delivering 1.8x ROAS with similar targeting. The difference isn't your product or your audience. It's the 15 UAC optimization levers you haven't touched yet.

Most performance marketers treat UAC like a black box. They set a target CPA, upload some creative assets, and let Google's algorithm do the work. That approach leaves 30-50% of potential performance on the table. This checklist covers the specific levers that separate teams driving 1.2x ROAS from teams hitting 2.5x ROAS on the same budget.

Why Most UAC Campaigns Underperform (The Overlooked Levers)

Google App Campaigns simplified mobile UA by automating targeting, bidding, and creative testing. That automation is powerful, but it's not intelligent without the right inputs. The platform needs specific optimization signals to improve performance.

The problem is that most teams never configure these inputs. They use default settings, upload a few assets, and assume Google will figure it out. Google's algorithm optimises toward your target, but if your target is too broad or your inputs are incomplete, the algorithm wastes budget finding users who install but never convert.

Across 50+ UAC audits we've run for apps spending ₹5L to ₹50L monthly, we consistently see the same pattern: campaigns with basic setup drive 40-60% lower ROAS than campaigns using the 15 levers in this checklist. The difference compounds quickly. On a ₹20L monthly budget, that's ₹8L in wasted spend annually.

Understanding UAC's Optimization Logic (What Google Actually Does)

Before diving into the 15 levers, you need to understand what UAC actually optimises. Unlike Meta or TikTok, UAC doesn't give you granular control over audiences, placements, or bidding. Instead, it uses machine learning to test thousands of combinations across Search, Display, YouTube, and Discover.

UAC optimises toward three possible goals: installs, in-app actions, or install volume with target ROAS. The algorithm uses your conversion data to predict which users are most likely to complete your goal, then adjusts bids and creative combinations to reach those users efficiently.

The quality of your optimization depends entirely on the quality of your inputs: creative assets, conversion events, attribution windows, and campaign structure. Poor inputs create poor optimization. Strong inputs let UAC find high-value users at scale.

Every lever in this checklist improves one of those inputs. Some levers affect creative performance. Others improve conversion signal quality. A few change how UAC allocates budget across placements. Together, they transform UAC from a volume driver into a profitable acquisition channel.

The 15 UAC Optimization Levers Checklist

Lever #1: Creative Asset Hierarchy (HTML5 > Video > Image Priority)

UAC requires at least one text asset, one image, and one video. Most teams upload the minimum and move on. That's a mistake. Creative performance drives 60-70% of UAC results, and UAC prioritises certain asset types over others.

HTML5 assets (interactive ads) consistently deliver 20-35% lower CPI than static images because they engage users before the install. Video assets perform second best, driving 15-25% better conversion rates than images. Images are your fallback option when you don't have video or HTML5 ready.

Upload at least 5 HTML5 assets, 8 videos (15-30 seconds), and 10 images. Google tests combinations automatically, but more options let the algorithm find winners faster. Update underperforming assets every 14-21 days to prevent creative fatigue.

Implementation: Audit your current asset mix. If you have fewer than 5 videos or no HTML5, prioritise creating them. Track asset-level performance in Google Ads reporting to identify which formats drive the best ROAS.

Lever #2: Target CPA Laddering (Progressive Bid Testing)

Setting the right target CPA is critical, but most teams either start too low (limiting scale) or too high (wasting budget). Target CPA laddering solves this by testing multiple bid points simultaneously.

Create 3 campaigns with identical setup but different target CPAs: conservative (20% below your goal), target (your actual goal), and aggressive (30% above your goal). Allocate 20% of budget to conservative, 50% to target, and 30% to aggressive.

Run for 14 days, then compare installs, CPI, and D7 ROAS across all three. The conservative campaign might deliver higher ROAS but lower volume. The aggressive campaign might scale faster with acceptable economics. Use these results to find your optimal bid point.

Expected impact: Laddering typically reveals 10-20% efficiency gains by identifying the bid level that balances cost and quality.

Lever #3: Negative Keyword Strategy (Broad Match Exclusions)

UAC doesn't let you add keywords, but you can exclude them. Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing on irrelevant Search queries, reducing wasted spend on low-intent users.

Start with a baseline exclusion list: competitor app names, "free", "cracked", "mod", "hack", "download" (if you're a paid app), and any terms unrelated to your category. Add brand protection terms if needed.

After 30 days, review Search term reports in Google Ads. Look for queries with high spend but low conversion rates. Add these as negative keywords at the campaign level. Repeat monthly to keep your exclusion list current.

Expected impact: Negative keywords reduce wasted Search spend by 8-15% without affecting Display or YouTube performance.

Lever #4: Placement Controls (YouTube, Display, Search Mix)

By default, UAC shows ads across all Google properties: Search, Display, YouTube, and Discover. Performance varies significantly by placement. Search typically drives highest intent but lowest volume. YouTube scales well but requires strong video creative. Display delivers volume but lower quality.

Check placement performance after 21 days. If one placement drives 40%+ higher CPA with no ROAS improvement, consider creating placement-specific campaigns. Run Search-only campaigns with higher bids for intent-driven acquisition. Run YouTube/Display campaigns with lower bids for volume.

Implementation: Navigate to Google Ads > Reports > Predefined Reports > Campaign > Placements. Export data, calculate CPI and conversion rate by placement. If variance exceeds 30%, test split campaigns.

Lever #5: Geographic Layering (State/City-Level Performance)

UAC automatically targets all locations in your selected countries, but performance varies dramatically by geography. Metro cities typically deliver better conversion rates than smaller towns, but also higher CPIs.

After 30 days, review location performance. Identify top-performing states or cities (defined as above-average ROAS with meaningful volume). Create a separate campaign targeting only these high-performing geos with a 20-30% higher target CPA.

Keep your national campaign running with standard bids. The geo-layered campaign captures more volume from proven markets without inflating CPI nationwide.

Expected impact: Geographic layering lifts overall ROAS by 12-18% by concentrating spend in high-converting markets.

Lever #6: Ad Schedule Adjustments (Time-of-Day Optimization)

User quality and conversion rates vary by time of day and day of week. Gaming apps see peak performance 8-11 PM. Fintech apps convert better during business hours. EdTech apps perform well mornings and late evenings.

Review hour-of-day and day-of-week performance after 30 days. Calculate conversion rate and ROAS by time period. Increase bids 15-25% during high-performing windows. Decrease bids 20% during low-performing periods (or pause entirely if ROAS is consistently negative).

Implementation: In Google Ads, go to Campaign > Ad Schedule. Add bid adjustments for specific time periods based on your performance data.

Lever #7: Creative Rotation Settings (Even vs Optimised)

UAC defaults to "Optimise" creative rotation, meaning Google prioritises assets with better early performance. This sounds good but creates problems. New assets never get enough exposure to prove themselves. Winning assets plateau after 21-30 days.

Switch to "Rotate evenly" for the first 14 days of any new asset upload. This ensures all assets receive equal impression share, giving you clean performance data. After 14 days, switch back to "Optimise" so Google can focus budget on winners.

Rotate creative assets every 21-30 days to prevent fatigue. Even your best-performing video will see declining conversion rates after 4-6 weeks.

Lever #8: Campaign Budget Distribution (Single Large vs Multiple Small)

A common mistake is running one large UAC campaign with all your budget. Single campaigns work fine for small budgets (under ₹5L monthly), but at scale they limit testing and create attribution blind spots.

Split budget across 3-5 campaigns with different structures: one targeting installs, one targeting specific in-app events, one testing new creative, one focused on high-value geos, one experimenting with higher bids. This structure lets you isolate what drives performance and shift budget accordingly.

Keep individual campaign budgets above ₹50K monthly. Campaigns with tiny budgets (under ₹30K) struggle to exit learning phase and deliver inconsistent results.

Lever #9: Target ROAS vs Target CPA Selection Criteria

UAC offers two bidding strategies: target CPA (optimise for installs or actions at a specific cost) and target ROAS (optimise for revenue). Most teams default to target CPA because it feels simpler. But if your app drives meaningful in-app revenue, target ROAS is usually more efficient.

Target ROAS requires passing revenue values back to Google via postbacks. If you're tracking purchases, subscriptions, or other monetisation events, target ROAS optimises toward high-value users instead of just any user who completes an action.

Use target CPA when: your primary goal is volume, you have limited conversion data (under 50 conversions weekly), or your monetisation is indirect (e.g., ad-supported apps). Use target ROAS when: you track revenue events, you have 75+ revenue conversions weekly, and your business model depends on ROAS targets.

Lever #10: Asset Reporting and Performance Analysis

Google provides limited asset-level reporting in UAC, but you can still extract useful data. Navigate to Campaign > Assets > View Details to see impressions, clicks, and installs by individual asset.

Review every 14 days. Look for assets with high impressions but low clicks (poor creative hook), high clicks but low installs (weak value prop or bad landing page match), or high installs but low downstream conversion (attracting wrong users).

Remove bottom-performing assets (bottom 20% by conversion rate) and replace with new tests. Keep your asset library fresh with at least 2-3 new assets monthly.

Lever #11: Conversion Action Priority Weighting

If you're tracking multiple in-app events (first purchase, D7 retention, subscription), you can assign priority weights to each conversion action. Google uses these weights to optimise toward higher-value events.

Set first purchase at 1.0x weight, D7 active user at 0.5x weight, and app open at 0.1x weight. This tells Google that a first purchase is 10x more valuable than an app open. The algorithm shifts spend toward users more likely to purchase.

Weight your events based on their economic value, not just their position in your funnel. A D7 retained user who never spends money is less valuable than a D1 purchaser.

Lever #12: Demographic Exclusions (Age, Gender, Household Income)

UAC targets all demographics by default, but not all demographics convert equally. Review demographic performance after 30 days. If specific age groups or genders drive 50%+ higher CPA with no ROAS improvement, exclude them.

Be careful with demographic exclusions. Small sample sizes create misleading data. Only exclude if you have 100+ conversions in a segment and the performance gap persists for 60+ days.

Common exclusions: Gaming apps often exclude 55+ age group. Fintech apps sometimes exclude 18-24 (lower purchase power). EdTech apps might exclude certain household income brackets.

Lever #13: Device Bid Adjustments (Mobile vs Tablet)

Most app installs happen on mobile, but tablets occasionally deliver better user quality for certain verticals (reading apps, productivity apps, gaming). Review device performance after 30 days.

If tablets drive meaningfully better ROAS, increase tablet bids by 20-30%. If tablets underperform, decrease bids by 20% or exclude tablet traffic entirely.

Lever #14: Campaign Experiment Framework (A/B Testing in UAC)

Google's Campaign Experiments feature lets you A/B test changes without disrupting your main campaign. Use experiments to test bid changes, creative variations, targeting adjustments, and attribution windows.

Run experiments at 50/50 split for statistical validity. Collect at least 100 conversions per variant before drawing conclusions. Track not just CPI but also D7 ROAS to measure true impact.

Test ideas: 30% higher target CPA, video-only creative mix, 7-day vs 30-day attribution window, excluding bottom-performing geos.

Lever #15: Attribution Window Optimization (1-day vs 7-day vs 30-day)

UAC's default attribution window is 30 days for clicks and 1 day for views. That's fine for considered purchases (travel, fintech), but too long for impulse verticals (gaming, food delivery). Shorter windows reduce false attribution and improve optimization signal quality.

Test 7-day click attribution if your app drives installs within 48-72 hours of ad exposure. Shorter windows give Google fresher data, improving bid accuracy. Platforms like Linkrunner let you compare ROAS across different attribution windows to find your optimal setting.

If your conversion data is delayed (e.g., subscription confirmations take 3 days to process), consider longer windows to avoid undercounting.

Implementation Playbook: 30-Day UAC Optimization Sprint

Week 1: Audit current setup. Review creative assets, check conversion tracking, verify postback configuration. For guidance on postback setup, see our Complete Postback Setup Guide.

Week 2: Implement quick wins. Add negative keywords, upload new creative assets, set up geographic layering, test target CPA laddering.

Week 3: Configure advanced levers. Set conversion priority weights, adjust ad schedules, enable device bid adjustments, create placement-specific campaigns.

Week 4: Analyse results. Review asset performance, check demographic data, compare campaign structures. For tracking guidance, see Daily, Weekly, Monthly KPIs: What to Track and When for Mobile Marketers.

Plan your next optimization cycle based on what delivered the biggest lift. Most teams see 18-30% ROAS improvement after implementing 8-10 levers from this checklist.

FAQ: Google App Campaigns Questions Answered

How much budget do I need to run UAC effectively?

Minimum ₹50K monthly per campaign. Below that, UAC struggles to exit learning phase and deliver consistent results. If your total budget is under ₹1L monthly, run 1-2 campaigns maximum.

Should I optimise for installs or in-app events?

Optimise for in-app events if you have 50+ weekly conversions on your target event. Optimise for installs if conversion volume is lower, then use cohort analysis to understand user quality by campaign.

How long does UAC learning phase take?

Typically 7-14 days or 50 conversions, whichever comes first. Avoid making major changes during learning phase. Small adjustments (bid increases under 20%, adding creative assets) are fine.

What's the best creative format for UAC?

HTML5 delivers best performance, followed by video, then static images. If you can only create one format, prioritise 15-30 second videos showing your app's core value prop.

How do I know if my UAC performance is good?

Compare your D7 ROAS to your channel average and your CAC payback period to your LTV. If UAC ROAS is within 20% of Meta or TikTok, and CAC pays back within your target window, performance is solid.

Can I target specific keywords in UAC?

No, but you can exclude keywords. Focus on building a strong negative keyword list to prevent wasted Search spend on irrelevant queries.

Getting UAC Right Without Spreadsheet Reporting

These 15 levers work, but only if you can measure their impact accurately. That requires attribution data showing which campaigns drive installs, which drive revenue, and which deliver acceptable ROAS.

Most teams struggle to connect Google Ads data, MMP data, and revenue data into one coherent view. They export CSVs from three platforms, reconcile discrepancies in spreadsheets, and make optimization decisions on week-old data.

If you're spending ₹10L+ monthly on UAC and still reconciling performance in spreadsheets, you're moving too slowly. Modern MMPs like Linkrunner unify campaign data, attribution data, and revenue data into real-time dashboards that show exactly which UAC campaigns drive profitable acquisition. That clarity lets you implement these 15 levers without guessing at impact.

For teams running multi-channel UA across Meta, Google, and TikTok, see our guide on 10 Smart Tactics To Boost ROAS While Keeping CPI Low for strategies that work across platforms.

Ready to optimise UAC with clean attribution data? Request a demo from Linkrunner to see how unified reporting accelerates optimization.