Mobile ad formats
- Search ads in mobile results, often with call and location assets
- Social ads in feeds, Stories and Reels
- In-app ads: banners, full-screen interstitials, native ads and rewarded video in games and apps
- App install ads that promote downloads
- Location-based ads targeted near a place or a store
What makes mobile ads work
- Vertical creative that works without sound and grabs attention in a second or two.
- Fast, mobile-friendly landing pages; a slow page wastes the click.
- Click-to-call and directions for local businesses.
- Frequency caps, so people don’t see the same ad too often.
Privacy changes
Apple’s App Tracking Transparency, introduced in 2021, requires apps to ask permission before tracking people across other apps, which reduced tracking-based targeting on iPhones. Consent rules in the EU also apply, so first-party data and conversion tracking set up with consent matter more than ever.
Mobile advertising example
A pizza restaurant runs search ads for “pizza near me” shown only within 3 km, between 11:00 and 21:00. The ad has a call button and a directions link, and its page has a one-tap order button. It also runs a Stories ad with a short video of the oven at lunchtime. The restaurant counts calls, direction requests and online orders, and sees most of its results come from phones.
Mobile ad checklist
- Use vertical or square creative with the message in the first two seconds, and captions for sound-off viewing.
- Make landing pages fast and easy to use with a thumb.
- Add call and location assets for local businesses.
- Set locations and times when people are likely to act.
- Check results by device and adjust bids.
- Track calls and store visits where available.
Mobile advertising mistakes
- Sending mobile clicks to a page designed only for desktop.
- Letting ads run on in-app placements with accidental clicks.
- Tiny text and images in the ad.
- Ignoring app and web privacy rules for location data.
Mobile advertising FAQs
How is it different from other online ads?
It uses the same platforms, but with mobile formats and mobile context. See display ads and mobile page optimization.
What are app install ads?
Ads that promote a download. See app store optimization and Instagram advertising.