What is an App Install?
An install is the process of adding an app to a smartphone or a tablet and opening it at least once afterward.
Why are Installs important?
Installs are a key performance indicator in Mobile Marketing because they indicate the basic level of engagement of a user with an app. They are also the basis for a deeper level of engagement that is necessary to create financial gains for the app owner.
Traffic Categories
In general, we can distinguish two different categories of installs. But each of them has several sub-categories.
Organic Traffic
Organic installs are not attributed to a source outside of the app store. So if a user installs an app without clicking an external ad or link before, this is called an organic installs.
There are two organic ways to find an app:
- Performing a search and seeing it on a SERP.
- Browsing the top charts or features.
Organic users are precious because they are free and usually show a higher level of engagement with apps than non-organic users.
To get more organic users, app owners have to do App Store Optimization.
Attributed Traffic
The opposite of organic is an attributed install. If users click a link that refers them to an app’s product page, they belong to this category. There are different kinds of attributed installs, though.
For instance, paid installs are the outcome of user acquisition campaigns via ad networks or similar traffic providers. If users install an app after interacting with an ad, these users are called paid users.
But also users who come to the app store via non-paid sources like social media, blogs, or websites belong to the category of attributed installs.
How Installs are measured
To track installs accurately, app owners need to implement a 3rd party tool. More precisely, they need to add the partner’s SDK into their app. As soon as the SDK is integrated, it will track new installs any time the app is started for the first time on a new device.
Billing based on Installs
It is common for many ad networks to charge advertisers a fixed price for every install they deliver. This price model is called CPI.