Grigoriy MisilyukThis story starts with your decision to monetize mobile apps using the SDK. We understand your reasoning, as in-app traffic accounts for up to 65% of global programmatic advertising spending.
Data on worldwide programmatic advertising and in-app advertising is provided according to Statista research
To enable this, you need a mobile advertising SDK - and there are two ways to get one. There are two ways: to build it yourself or outsource it to a vendor. If you choose to work with a vendor, the most common approaches among all the variety are:
Partner with a custom development company to develop from scratch.
Partner with a provider of a ready-to-use white-label solution.
This article won't discuss how to create an SDK with your in-house team—this will be covered in a standalone blog post later. Instead, we will thoroughly examine the choice between outsourced development and adopting a white-label solution.
To build an SDK with an outsourced team
Quick answer: an advertising SDK is a toolkit baked directly into a mobile app — it shows ads, hooks into ad networks or programmatic demand, and tracks user event data along the way. Two ways to get one: build a mobile advertising SDK from scratch with an outsourced team, or grab an SDK advertising tool that's already built white-label and ready to plug in.
Launching an SDK for mobile app monetization is a relatively affordable option. Designing an SDK is faster than developing a programmatic platform. It is also easier to accomplish this project with the help of an outsourced tech vendor, especially in the context of process management.
Choose to outsource when
Developing your product has its advantages, which lie mainly in the realm of long-term scale:
You have already researched the market and understand exactly what you need.
You need a custom solution that includes many unique features not available in typical products on the market.
You want to own an SDK and sell it as your own solution for monetizing mobile apps.
You want to save money and time by avoiding building your tech team and expanding an in-house department.
You have an idea and want to outsource its implementation to a vendor with a technical background in developing such solutions.
Related challenges
Working with a tech vendor requires extensive communication to manage the work and understand what developers are doing and when.
You have clearly defined what you need; otherwise, you will end up with a non-relevant product.
It's entirely your product—any further changes will require a new development cycle with a previous or new outsourced tech vendor.
Not all vendors have experience developing SDKs for monetization with ads; this requires developers to have technical expertise in both development and advertising technologies.
Often, outsourced developers cannot offer additional business value to your product because they perform only technical ad tech development.
Suppose you do not know what custom features you need, such as OM SDK compliance. In that case, you cannot set a task for the developers, who are also unlikely to set it for themselves.
To adopt a white-label SDK and partner with the provider’s team
A product under the white-label model is built by another expert company that provides you with the technology. You get the ready-to-use product with a monthly fee, branded for your unique marketing promotion. Compared to building from scratch, a white-label mobile advertising platform gets you to market faster, since the heavy technical lifting is already done for mobile app monetization for publishers. You can learn more about white-label software in programmatic and marketing to delve deeper into the benefits of white labeling in our guide.
Choose a white-label solution when
In addition to the long-term benefits that come in other forms compared to outsourced SDK building, the white-label model has a range of other-scale advantages:
You need to quickly enter the market with an already tested and highly competitive product with more than basic functionality.
You want to focus on the business side: connecting in-app partners to your platform and monetizing your app portfolio, if you have one, through programmatic trading.
You lack resources and/or expertise to develop your SDK, even with outsourced developers.
You want to minimize the burden on your management and fully transfer responsibility for the technical side of the product to the tech provider.
Related challenges
The principal point is building a trusting relationship with the provider's team. Adopting a product on a white-label model is, first and foremost, a partnership: the further success of your product depends on investments in it.
The second important point is that white-label technologies are equally available to you and your competitors. The only advice here is to carefully research the market before signing a contract, but it's not easy. From experience, we know that marketing promotions can differ dramatically in content, although they are based on the same core product.
Thorough comparison
The comparison below outlines two common approaches, both preserving SDK’s role in adtech.
An SDK built outsourced | White-label SDK | |
Resources required | Depending on the functionality of the SDK you are building, you may need from three to six months. Another critical factor is the cost of hourly payments for all the outsourcers you need. | Adoption requires no technical resources. You install a ready-made product. You don't need developers, project managers, or other experts who charge per hour. There is only a monthly fee. |
Technical support for the users | After development, it's your product, and you can either hire a team for further technical support, sign an agreement with a vendor for support, or even engage a third-party provider for the same purpose. | Users will contact you as the product provider whenever necessary, while your tech vendor will handle all technical support. |
Customization and further development | If you want to modify the product, you must pay the technical vendor again and start a new development cycle. | Updates are on the provider's side. You don't have to take care of them. You can also order a custom development, paying a fixed price instead of hourly payments for all involved. |
Implementation in the advertising platforms | In outsourcing, you must clearly understand the technical requirements and define your needs to make things work. | The white-label solution is a flexible product that won't require extra effort to adapt. However, it will require the same testing as any other SDK, including one built by outsourcers. |
SDK monetization control | Full control from day one, but you're responsible for building and maintaining every ad network integration and monetization rule yourself. | Monetization setup comes pre-configured by the provider, so SDK monetization control is available immediately, with adjustments handled through the vendor rather than in-house development. |
Marketing and sales strategy | It is entirely up to your team. | It is entirely up to your team. |
Time to market | It takes three to six months to build an SDK and then some unspecified time to start promotion. | Implementation in one day. You can market your product from the first day of signing the contract. |
SDK terms you'll hear: Quick glossary
Here is a short cheat sheet that will help you understand the key terms for SDK advertising and comprehend SDK marketing meaning better.
Term | What It Means |
SDK marketing | Using an SDK to run and manage ad campaigns and promotional activity directly inside a mobile app |
Mobile marketing SDK | An SDK integrated into a mobile app specifically to handle marketing functions — ad delivery, tracking, attribution |
SDK programmatic | The connection between an SDK and programmatic demand sources, letting an app pull in real-time bid-based ad inventory |
White-label SDK | A ready-built SDK provided by a vendor and rebranded under the publisher's own name |
Ad network integration | The connection built into an SDK that lets an app request and display ads from one or more ad networks |
Event tracking | The SDK's function of logging user actions (clicks, views, installs) for reporting and optimization |
To summarize and inspire
As has already been mentioned, in-app advertising already accounts for around 65% of programmatic advertising spending. If earlier, the application connection was based on specific customized adapters, now we have a versatile and easily scalable method. As a result, the industry is growing faster, and monetization has become progressively more profitable.
The choice between the white-label model and building your product may seem complicated initially. Still, with more immersion in the subject, you will quickly choose your best option. As a rule, in most cases, a white-label SDK is the best and only possible choice for many ad platform owners. Meanwhile, companies with sufficient experience monetizing mobile publishers frequently choose to develop their native products by outsourcing.
White-kabel mobile SDK by the TeqBlaze team
Meet a white-label mobile SDK for app monetization, built for running ads in applications straight from the ad platform's servers. It enables stable, reliable integration between apps and the programmatic infrastructure of your monetization partners. Use it as a standalone monetization solution or run it alongside other SDKs — it integrates smoothly into diverse programmatic platforms and works especially well paired with the white-label SSP + Ad Exchange platform.
The SDK connects directly to TeqBlaze's white-label DSP and other parts of programmatic infrastructure, so mobile inventory flows into the same RTB auctions as your web and CTV supply.
Our solution adds real value to your business and can be customized to fit specific needs. Our app developers built it to support solutions powered with iOS, Android, or Unity. Ad formats available out-of-the-box include Banner HTML, Outstream video, Interstitial ads (HTML/Video), In-app native (without video asset), and Google IMA SDK in-stream video for monetizing live-streaming platforms. The SDK also supports mediation across ad networks like AppLovin MAX, AdMob, and ironSource. First-party data collection and event tracking come built in, and custom modules can be developed on request.
If you have any unresolved questions, get in touch with us. We'll provide quick, thorough feedback and look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership. We wish you mobile expansion!
