Don't you hate when you accidentally click an ad on your phone? Ad pops up on-screen. You try to X out, but you inadvertently tap it and a new window snatches you away...
As an advertiser, I avoid mobile-app pop-up ads like the plague. Those clicks are mistakes. They waste money and skew data, so I exclude them from my campaigns as a best practice.
Google Exclusion Updates for Mobile Devices
But next month, Google's taking away the ability to mass-exclude Mobile apps placements. From September, exclusions will need to be applied individually.
Google says they're "simplifying" the exclusion controls. In reality, they're removing a business' power to determine where ads show.
"As a result of these changes," Google warns, "you may see a significant increase in mobile apps traffic." In other words, expect an increase in junk clicks.
That's not all. They're also "simplifying" device targeting. Currently, advertisers can specify ads to show or be excluded from Mobile apps, Mobile app interstitials, Mobile web, Tablet apps, Tablet app interstitials, or Tablet web.
Now Google's consolidating those options under the blanket titles "Mobile" and and "Tablet" placements.
How To Adjust To These Changes
First of all, awareness of this update will help you understand why there's a decline in your Google Display Network performance.
Secondly, you'll need to manually check your placements like a hawk for the next few months. You should check your placements regularly anyways, but be especially vigilant in September and October. Check all placements for quality, and manually exclude those apps that drive accidental clicks.
Finally, check that your Content Exclusion settings are up to date. While that won't prevent ads showing on mobile apps, it can improve the overall quality of your placements by ensuring ads don't show on inappropriate content.