AdMob - "Invalid or non-existent app url" while creating an ad

Question

I am trying to create a house-ad campaign for my Android application, but unfortunately encountered a problem while providing an URL.

Please find error message below:

There were problems with your submission.
Invalid or non-existent app url

What is strange... when I provide an address for any website (not linking to Google Play application), followed by http://, there is no problem at all!

Has anyone of you also encounter such a bug on AdMob website?

For your information, I have checked this behavior on Google Chrome, IE7 and Firefox - no change.

This may be possibly a duplicate of:
Admob - can't create any ads (admob wizard crappy?)

... but I have decided to find a solution in new thread.

Best regards,
Bartosz Ostrowski.

Answer 1

Try using this link from the android developer page in the format:

http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=<package_name>

(do not include the < or >)

If that doesn't work or gives any errors then try:

market://details?id=package_name

source is here: http://developer.android.com/distribute/googleplay/promote/linking.html

EDIT: I just added one today (June 7, 2013) and no issues, used market://details?id=com...

Answer 2

Problem seems to be solved. I have received an e-mail from AdMob Publisher Support saying that the problem will be solved by the end of the week - it is solved the same day.

Now "market://..." link is accepted without any problems.

Answer 3

I found a fix. It is a crappy workaround, but if you use the web link you can get your ad working.

Use the https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id= url.

Then use http://goo.gl/ to create an short url. If you use this short url your url will be approved.

Only disadvantage is clicking the ad first opens the browser and then the Play store. I also posted this problem on the Google Admob Group so I hope there will be a fix soon. In the meanwhile the above solution will help showing houseads despite this issue.