Today, Google has announced that they are piloting a test to show ads for apps in the Google Play store.
The test starts off with app discovery ads in search results. Ads trigger due to relevant search queries in the way Google’s AdWords search advertising works.
Search ads on Google Play will enable developers to drive more awareness of their apps and provide consumers new ways to discover apps that they otherwise might have missed.
Below is an example of an ad that appears in a search for “coupon app”. In this example, the ad is signified by the yellow “Ad” icon the company uses in Google.com search results.
The test will run with ads from a pilot group of advertisers who are already running search ad for their apps. The number of users reached during the pilot will be limited, so a good percentage of Google Play store users won’t even see the ads. Even though the test only includes app marketers currently using AdWords, the campaign isn’t going to be tied on the front end. As of this moment, we will not be able to buy Play store app ads in AdWords, although that could come later.