How do I work with CPI networks to get the highest quality installations?

CEO of Mobio Advertising Agency Alexey Pisarevsky told App2Top.ru why you should not abandon the CPI model, as well as how to buy the right installation.

Alexey Pisarevsky

Recently, there have been a lot of materials about the disadvantages of the CPI model, which claim that it is not transparent, that the installations purchased in this way have very low quality (motivated installations are added to traffic anyway). We decided to figure out how to work with CPI traffic correctly in order to get the highest quality installations, and what to do with those who add motivated installations.

First of all, you need to understand that CPI networks work according to the partner model. On the one hand, there is a client who is willing to pay a certain price for installing the application. On the other hand, there are webmasters (partners) who deliver traffic and receive payment for each installation. Partners can be owners of VKontakte websites, applications or public sites, as well as media buyers who buy ads in CPC grids and convert them into installations

Example of the CPI network interface for partners

The network itself, as a rule, is interested in providing the highest quality traffic. However, it is difficult to control all partners, so one way or another they mix motivated installations.

What exactly do I need to do to get the highest quality installations from CPI networks?

1) Ask the network to send the sub_id of the sites from which traffic is coming to the link. Analyze conversions both across the network as a whole and for each sub_id. In this case, if there is low-quality traffic from some site, you can tell the grid about it and they will take action. Frankly motivated traffic can simply not be paid for.

For example, if you use AppsFlyer and a regular link for the network looks like http://app.appsflyer.com/app_id?pid=source then start using the link http://app.appsflyer.com/app_id?pid=source&aff_sub ={sub_id}. Then you can use the aff_sub variable to separate the sources.

2) Send data to the network not only about the installation, but also about target events — registrations, refunds, payments. In this case, the network will be able to see for itself which sites are receiving the highest quality traffic and promptly manage it on its side. However, you should also be careful with this — by sending a postback about events, you give the site an opportunity for markups, because in this case they can easily motivate users not only to install, but also to a specific action inside the application. Therefore, such data should be given only to reliable and trusted partners.

3) Do not take more grids than you can control. If you do not regularly analyze traffic from the network, it is possible to skip a lot of low-quality installations. Partners are able to pour such motivated traffic that users go through tutorials and even several levels, but do not make purchases. So traffic needs to be monitored throughout the entire time working with the source at least once a week, and this is difficult to do if you have several dozen networks per manager. In addition, it is important to understand that the traffic sources of different grids overlap quite strongly, so it is not so much the traffic itself that comes to the fore, as the ability to purchase it. 

4) If there is a suspicion that webmasters are mixing motivated traffic, it is worth looking at conversions to installations. Motivated traffic is characterized by high conversions — 30% and above. Competent webmasters dilute motivated installations with a large number of cheap clicks so that the conversion rate is not so high. In this case, it becomes not so easy to recognize fraud. However, it is quite difficult to evenly interfere with clicks and motivated traffic, so if, for example, the conversion rate usually stays at 5%, and on some day it rises sharply to 30%, this is a reason to think.

An example of uniform conversions to installations. Such a picture does not arouse suspicion, of course, if there are no other signals that the traffic is not of high quality

5) In most cases, it makes no sense to prohibit grids from using the source if you use it yourself. For example, if you buy it yourself Таргет@Mail.ru and you have a lot of cheap installations coming from there, then it is unlikely that the network partners will do it better. And if Таргет@Mail.ru if it doesn't work for you, then it's quite possible that partners will be able to get high-quality users from there at a bargain price.

6) Be careful when raising the price of the installation. When network volumes drop, there is always a temptation to raise the price a little and get the same number of installations. However, in this case, you run the risk that partners from other networks will come to the network for a higher price, and as a result you will receive the same traffic, but at a higher price. Therefore, if your volumes have dropped in some network, do not rush to raise the price while other grids continue to provide traffic.

By far, the best way to get high—quality traffic is to buy it yourself from transparent channels such as Google Adwords, Facebook, Таргет@Mail.ru and others. In this case, you can be sure that nothing is being kneaded for you. However, it is not always possible to make installations in the right volume and at a reasonable price on your own. There is often not enough traffic, or there are not enough resources to buy it — in this case, partner traffic using the CPI model will help a lot. This model has its pros and cons, but the main thing is to remember that you need to analyze the quality and work with sources here no less than when working with other models.