Paid and organic UA
- Paid: Apple Search Ads, Google App campaigns, Meta, TikTok, ad networks, influencers. Measured by CPI and return on ad spend.
- Organic: app store optimization, featuring, word of mouth, content and SEO — see organic installs.
Good UA does both: paid campaigns raise download velocity, which can also lift app store ranking and organic installs.
Key metrics
- Cost per install (CPI)
- Lifetime value (LTV) and LTV:CAC
- Day-1/7/30 retention by channel
- App store conversion rate
Don't forget the store page
Every ad ends on a store page with stars and reviews. If recent reviews complain about a bug, you pay for clicks that don't convert. Agencies running UA for clients often watch their clients' reviews for exactly this reason.
Example
An agency launches a campaign for a finance app. Before scaling spend, it checks the app's latest reviews — and spots a login issue that would have wasted half the budget.