Ask HN: Can AdMob (or any other ad network) be used for Desktop Apps? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Can AdMob (or any other ad network) be used for Desktop Apps?

7 pointssoapdog4 comments

Hello HNers,

I am building cross-platform software that works in the desktop (mac & windows) and mobile (iOS & Android). I am thinking about making it ad supported but while we have a lot of solutions for mobile, I could not found any solution for the Desktop. I am thinking about using AdMob and loading its web code in a little webview in the program. This would work on both mobile and desktop but I don't know if it is allowed. Anyone knows better?

Any developer using some Ad solution for the Desktop? Anyone knows if loading the web code in a web view inside a program is allowed? (I don't see any info about this in their terms)

I know this is not a coding question but a developer strategy question. As many developers look forward to create multiple sources of income, I'd like to know more about what developers here are using for servings ads in mobile and desktop space.

cheers andre

Most advertising providers I am aware of, including the biggie (Google), specifically prohibit this because of widespread misuse of it in the late 90s and early 2000s. Specifically, bad actors frequently distributed malware with unwanted advertising or, even better, malware with invisible advertising which used user behavior to simulate realistic-looking patterns of clicks.

There exist ways to get paid money for installing desktop applications. In case the above paragraph wasn't enough of a clue, you don't want to be associated with them.

I doubt any mobile ad network will tolerate this - it sounds technically possible, but they'll catch you and boot you. The advertisers are buying mobile inventory, not desktop app inventory. If you do this, you'll likely need two different ad providers, one for mobile and one for desktop.

The hard part will be finding an ad provider willing to do desktop apps at all without getting into something sleazy like toolbar bundling (aka peddling spyware). I know BuySellAds launched a solution but don't know about its quality. The Deck Network and Fusion Ads are both willing to put ads in desktop apps but are very picky about publishers. Microsoft's done some experimenting but I don't know if they have a real product here.

We have a Cocoa framework: http://buysellads.com/sell/developer

However, it's not incredibly popular in the sense that we have 100's of desktop apps using it. We do have some that use it successfully though. And it's mainly used as a way to help get people into the paid versions of their apps, by putting ads in the free version :)

Anyhow, just wanted to point out that at BSA, putting ads in a desktop app is OK with us.

I don't know about AdMob, but AdSense and others prohibit the ad URL being opened in another tab in their TOS. Basically when the ad is clicked the user should be led straight to the advertiser's site in the same browser window/session. That can become an issue if you're using a web view.

CPM based ads might work better.

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