If you’re running app install campaigns on Google Ads and struggling to make them profitable — don’t worry, you’re not alone. In this article, I’ll break down a real user scenario and explain step‑by‑step what’s going wrong and how to fix it to get profitable results.
🔎 Scenario: 4 Google App Campaigns But No Profit
A viewer recently asked:
“I launched 4 Google app campaigns but none of them are profitable after 3 days. Should I wait longer? Am I doing something wrong?”
Here’s an overview of their setup:
| Campaign | Budget | Target ROAS | Actual ROAS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Campaign | $40 | 65% | 0.68% |
| US Campaign | $150 | 65% | 0.41% |
| Taiwan + Multicountry | $70 | 60% (before 30%) | 0.47% |
| Brazil | $30 | 60% (new) | — |
Previously, the same account ran a single global campaign with a $20 budget and it was profitable. But after splitting into multiple campaigns and increasing spend, nothing is delivering profit anymore.
Why This Happens — and What to Do
1. 3 Days Is Not Enough Data
Three days of performance is too early to judge your campaigns — especially for new ones. Google’s AI needs enough conversions and traffic to optimize properly.
✔️ Tip: Give new campaigns at least 7–10 days to gather meaningful data before deciding if they’re working.
2. Don’t Use Target ROAS Early
Setting a strict Target ROAS (tROAS) right at the start hinders learning because the system restricts flexibility before it even has data.
Instead:
- Use a Maximize Conversions or tCPA strategy initially.
- Once there is enough conversion data, then switch to tROAS.
3. Scale Slowly
The reason your $20 campaign was profitable is it gave Google room to optimize.
When you split into 4 campaigns and increased budgets aggressively — the system lost its learning stability.
🔥 Best Practice:
➡️ Start with your original winning setup. For example, restart your global campaign but with a slightly higher budget (e.g., $40–$80).
➡️ Let that campaign stabilize before launching new ones.
4. Focus on Strong Performing Countries
In your global campaign, some countries likely performed much better than others.
Instead of targeting everything at once:
- Identify top countries performing well in the global campaign.
- Create separate campaigns only for these high‑value countries.
- Avoid countries that have high spend and zero revenue until later.
This reduces wasted spend and directs budget where it actually works.
5. Understand Your Audience Intent
A high CTR is good — but it doesn’t guarantee intent to convert.
Ask yourself:
🔸 Does your ad clearly communicate the value of your app?
🔸 Are users clicking because they like the creative or because they intend to install and use the app?
If intent is missing, clicks won’t convert into profits.
✔️ Improve ad messaging for intent, not just clicks.
Step‑by‑Step Action Plan
Here’s a recommended plan you can follow:
✅ Day 1–3
✔️ Pause under‑performing segmented campaigns
✔️ Restart winning global campaign with higher budget
✔️ Use a flexible bidding strategy (not tROAS)
✅ Day 4–7
✔️ Let Google gather data
✔️ Watch which countries convert best
✔️ Avoid removing low‑spend countries too early
✅ Day 8–10
✔️ Evaluate campaign performance
✔️ Create dedicated campaigns only for top performing countries
✔️ Consider switching to tROAS once enough conversion history exists
Final Thoughts
📌 Be patient. Google needs learning time.
📌 Scale gradually. Faster isn’t always better.
📌 Data should drive decisions. Not assumptions.
Running profitable app campaigns isn’t just about budget — it’s about strategy, data, and execution.
If you have more data you want help with, or want professional Google Ads consulting, feel free to comment or reach out.
