#256: Ad quality is hurting retention & app revenue with Alex Yerukhimovich, General Manager at AppHarbr

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of ad quality on user retention and app revenue with insights from Alex Yerukhimovich of AppHarbr.

For many app teams, ads are treated as a necessary tradeoff — something you accept in exchange for revenue. But ad quality isn’t just an ad ops issue. It directly shapes user experience, retention, and how people perceive your app. In this episode, we’re sharing an App Talks interview where David Murphy speaks with Alex Yerukhimovich, General Manager at AppHarbr. Alex breaks down what ad quality really means in practice, why the problem is getting worse, and how bad ads can quietly undermine performance — through shorter sessions, higher churn, and even one-star reviews that impact store visibility. From disruptive ad behaviour to scams and deceptive creatives, this conversation is a practical look at why publishers need more transparency and more control over what gets served inside their apps. Today’s topics include: Ad quality defined: why users see ads as part of the app experience — and blame publishers for what they see The three major categories of “bad ads”: inappropriate content, disruptive behavior, and malvertising scams Why ad quality is becoming a bigger problem outside gaming, especially for apps built on long-term retention How bad ads damage monetization and…

People in this episode

Host: David Murphy

Guest: Alex Yerukhimovich

Topics covered

• ad quality
• user experience
• retention
• monetization
• app performance
• transparency in advertising

Keywords

• ad quality
• user retention
• app revenue
• disruptive ads
• malvertising
• app experience
• churn
• one-star reviews

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AppHarbr

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