Apple Search Ads is essential for developers who want to market their apps on the App Store. The results speak for themselves:
- 65% of downloads happen directly after a search.
- Search is the primary way people discover apps on the App Store — 70% of App Store visitors use search to discover apps.
- 78% of App Store iOS 15 search volume came from devices with Personalized Ads turned off in the first quarter of 2022.
- We match your ad with people based on a direct signal of their intent — their search term —delivering an average conversion rate of over 60%.
Apps are a primary focus of consumers’ attention, which is why Apple Search Ads is a critical channel for mobile marketers.
We have created this ultimate guide so you can learn all about Apple Search Ads, how to use it, why it is essential, the valuable benefits of using it, and how to develop a strategy for success.
What is Apple Search Ads?
The App Store for iPhone and iPad is a global platform that connects businesses of all sizes with over 650 million people each week. For over a decade, it’s proven to be a safe and trusted place for people to discover and download apps. As the exclusive advertising channel of the App Store, brands looking to grow their business via apps have prioritized Apple Search Ads as a fundamental piece of their app marketing strategy.
The sheer number of apps available to consumers is staggering, which is probably why the majority of downloads—almost 65%—happen directly after a search. Apple Search Ads takes full advantage of the real estate on the App Store with ad placements that help reach users as they search and browse.
Marketers have two options. With Apple Search Ads Basic, you can spend up to $10,000 per app/per month and advertise up to 50 apps. Even though it’s “Basic,” it’s actually really smart! Intelligent automation matches your ad to interested users and maximizes your results.
With Apple Search Ads Advanced, there is no budget limit, and you can promote as many apps as you want. You can also manage your bids, target audiences, regions, and keywords. To be successful, you need to understand consumer behaviors on the App Store. Apple Search Ads is a crucial tool in a marketing professional’s toolbox and can be highly effective in getting apps noticed and downloaded.
Why is Apple Search Ads important to digital marketing?
The app marketplace is highly competitive, and to be successful, you must stand out and promote your apps effectively. Digital marketing itself is hard enough, but marketing apps in an ocean of similar products can be overwhelming and appear out of reach if you know the ins and outs. Today’s saturated market makes it that much harder to compete, but if you know how to use Apple Search Ads to your advantage, it could be the thing that sets you apart.
Apple Search Ads targets audiences who are ready to download an app and make a purchase. Generally, they aren’t just “browsing.” They are prepared to buy. Therefore, Apple Search Ads conversion rates are much higher than other ad platforms.
The benefits of Apple Search Ads
The benefits of Apple Search Ads include higher-than-average conversion rates, highly engaged users, an affordable way to market your apps, and an easy-to-use platform. Let’s take a deeper dive into each one of these benefits.
High conversion rates
Apple Search Ads match your ad with people based on a direct signal of their intent — their search term —delivering an average conversion rate of over 60%.
Engaged users
Apple cares deeply about relevance and uses keywords to help people find exactly what they want on the App Store. This keeps users engaged and builds trust with the Apple brand that you can leverage by hosting your app on the App Store.
Easy-to-use
Although you need to understand how bidding works and how to use Basics or Advanced, the Apple Search Ads platform is straightforward and easy to use.
Massive reach
With so many iPhones in the world, Apple Search Ads can reach your customers in virtually every country in the world.
How to get started with search results ads
Search results ads provide an opportunity for customers to discover your app at the exact moment they’re searching for a new app to download. When a user conducts a search on the App Store, your ad can appear as the top result, making it highly visible and accessible to the user.
Although not overly complicated, search results ads will be easier to use if you understand their basic fundamentals. Let’s dive into each element and discuss how to use them to your advantage.
Keywords. Search results ads allow marketers to bid on keywords like they would using PPC ads.
Broad match guarantees that your ad will be displayed for closely related variations of a keyword. These variations can include singular and plural forms, misspellings, synonyms, associated searches, and phrases that either wholly or partially include that specific term. Use broad match to save time on building keyword lists. Apple Search Ads Advanced can do the work for you so you don’t have to think of every possible keyword combination.
You can also use the “exact match” option, which gives you more control over your keywords and how Apple will match search terms with your product. This allows you to select a precise term along with its closely related variations, such as frequent typos and plural forms. While this may lead to a reduction in the number of ad impressions, it could boost your tap-through rates (TTRs) and conversions as the audience that interacts with your ad is likely more interested in your app’s offerings.
Ads. In contrast to many other forms of online advertising, marketers do not directly upload ads for Apple Search Ads. Instead, they utilize custom product pages, which are essentially alternative versions of your App Store product page, each designed to spotlight a specific feature or content. You can make new ad variations based on custom product pages you’ve set up in App Store Connect.
On iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 or later, you have the ability to create these additional product pages to highlight distinct features or content within your app – for instance, a certain sport, character, show, or gameplay element – and share them with various audience groups through unique URLs. These pages also offer a platform to feature seasonal or culturally significant content. Every custom product page can contain screenshots, promotional text, and app previews that are different from those on your primary product page.
Targeting groups/customer types. In the search ads results, Apple Search Ads enables targeting to groups of users based on types or their interaction with your app. For example, you can target new users who haven’t yet tried your app, returning users, or those who use some of your other apps. This feature is convenient for segmenting the right audience for your ads.
Bidding. Bidding works like other auction-based platforms; you choose an amount based on the highest you are willing to pay for a click. Typically, the higher bid (and most relevant) ad wins the auction and appears at the top of search results on the App Store. It’s essential to plan your bidding process strategically, and you can find dozens of resources online to help you do this.
Device segmentation. Another handy setting is the ability to target users of specific devices, such as tablets. You can adjust your bids based on device type, and Apple Search Ads will automatically serve your ads to users of the correct device.
Location segmentation. Often, advertisers want to promote a specific region. Using Apple Search Ads, you can target users in a certain country or region where you set the parameters.
Demographic segmentation. Targeting a specific demographic is also essential when marketing your app. You can select criteria based on age, gender, and other factors to fine-tune your audience. However, keep in mind that Apple Search Ads won’t deliver ads to children under 13, and in many cases, users must be 18 before seeing the ads, depending on the country.
Keep in mind that modifying your audience settings will narrow your audience and reduce the number of impressions your ad receives. If you’re going to modify audience settings in any of your campaigns, it’s a good idea also to create a campaign that will reach all eligible users. This will allow your ads to appear to a broader set of users who may also be interested in your app but may fall outside of your modified settings.
Ad tracking. Apple Search Ads only keeps track of downloads, not any in-app events. You will need to use a third-party metrics system for that.
Ad scheduling. You have complete control over when your ad appears in Apple Search Ads using the scheduling feature. You can refine your schedule to include months, days, and the time of day.
Strategic tips for your Apple Search Ads
Although Apple Search Ads is an effective marketing tool, you must plan ahead and develop a solid Apple Search Ads strategy to get the most out of your investment.
Tips for setting up your advertising strategy
- Define your goals. As with any marketing campaign, the first step is to define your goals. What do you want to get out of your campaigns? How much do you plan on investing, and what do you expect for an ROI?
- Research how your customers search for apps. Customers on the App Store are not searching in the same way they search on Google or other search engines. Typically, they use shorter keywords and a more direct approach. People might search for software reviews or how-tos on Google, but when searching for an app, they behave differently, sometimes using only a single keyword. Understanding this and structuring your campaigns around your customers’ behaviors is essential. Learn more great keyword tips from Apple Search Ads.
- Review your app’s metadata. The ad will use the metadata from your app listing. Therefore, before you begin any campaign, ensure the information reflects what you want new users to see. You cannot change it once the campaign has already started. It’s also important to note that Apple Search Ads may show different versions of the same ad to different users.
- Ready your app. Make sure your app is ready to go before running an ad campaign. Make any last-minute adjustments and configure in-app tracking and other settings before you launch your engagement. Once it has begun, it is too late to change things.
Tips for you Apple Search Ads Advanced campaigns
- Be strategic about your campaign structure. The structuring of your Apple Search Ads Advanced search results campaigns can influence their performance, reporting, and scalability.
Make sure to consider various scenarios throughout the year, such as seasonality and upcoming product launches. You may want to structure your campaigns so that they can be easily managed during these peak periods.
For optimal results, we advise categorizing them by keyword theme or strategy, starting with four main types:
Brand campaign: Tailored for customers searching for your app or company name. The keywords should be directly related to your app and brand and set to the exact match type.
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- Category campaign: Targets customers searching for nonbranded terms related to your app’s category or function. The keywords should describe your app, set to exact match.
- Competitor campaign: Designed for customers searching for apps akin to yours within the same or related categories. The keywords should be specific to your app type and set to exact match.
- Discovery campaign: Reach a broader audience and find popular search terms as potential keywords. This campaign uses broad match keywords and Search Match for automatic matching to relevant terms. It comprises two ad groups:
- A broad match ad group including all keywords from the other three campaign types, with the match type set to broad and Search Match turned off.
- A Search Match ad group without any keywords but with Search Match enabled for automatic matching with App Store searches.
In certain scenarios, campaigns might need to be divided based on budget, especially when penetrating new markets. In such cases, campaigns could be split by country or region to better manage each budget. Each of these campaigns can contain four ad groups focusing on the four keyword themes mentioned above: Brand, category, competitor, and discovery.
2. Set up your match types. When setting up ads, you have the choice of using broad match or exact match for your keywords. Broad match will run on close variants, including singular, plurals, misspellings, synonyms, and related searches. Exact match will show your ads to users who type in your exact keyword and its close variants, like common misspellings and plurals. There are advantages and disadvantages to using each type. Research them and pick the one that will work for you. You can use both for the best results.
3. Negative keyword match types are used in search results campaigns to prevent your ads from showing for certain searches that don’t align with your targeted audience or product. Using these match types correctly allows you to more efficiently use your ad budget by preventing your ad from appearing in irrelevant searches.
There are two main types: exact match and broad match.
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- [Negative] Exact Match: This type blocks your ad from appearing for a specific word or phrase but does not block close variants like common misspellings and plurals.
- [Negative] Broad Match: This type blocks your ad from showing for any searches that include all of the words in your negative keyword, regardless of order. However, it doesn’t block synonyms or close variants.
4. Configure location and device segmentation. Part of strategizing for your campaigns means configuring your ads to target specific devices, locations, and demographics. Spend time studying these settings and making the best choices for your ads. Remember, if you target too tightly, you could restrict traffic. A pro tip is to build both: highly targeted and widely targeted. That way you won’t experience any negative limitations.
5. Refine your bid strategy. A solid bid strategy is necessary to win the auction and have your ads selected and shown to customers. Balance your investment with the payoff and bid as high as possible for campaigns critical to your marketing plan.
6. Schedule your campaign. Consider the best month, day, and time to promote your apps. You may have different schedules for ads targeting other markets around the globe. One of the great things about Apple Search Ads Advanced is you can schedule your ads whenever you want.
FAQs
Are there other Apple Search Ads placements besides search results ads?
In addition to search results ads, Apple Search Ads offers three other placements that do not require a user to search in to search on the App Store.
Today tab ads reach users when they first come to the App Store to discover and download apps. With ads on the Today tab, you can promote your app where more than half a billion people start their App Store journey each week. The prominence of this placement — which is fully visible when people first arrive — makes it a good option to drive awareness of your app, especially for new content launches, special events, and seasonal promotions.
Search tab ads attract customers at the start of their app search journey. Search tab ads on the App Store Search tab provide an opportunity to promote your app at the top of the suggested apps list, increasing awareness and downloads. Over 70% of App Store visitors use search to discover new apps, making the Search tab a crucial location to capture their attention. Ads on the Search tab are created using the assets uploaded to your App Store product page, featuring your app name, icon, and subtitle.
Product page ads reach users as they browse apps. Product page ads allow you to promote your app to users who are actively researching and browsing different pages on the App Store. These ads appear at the top of the You Might Also Like list for users who have scrolled to the bottom of relevant product pages, providing a valuable opportunity to capture their attention. You can run your ad across all relevant app categories or refine the categories where they appear. Product page ads are created using the assets uploaded to your App Store product page, featuring your app name, icon, and subtitle.
Visit the Apple Search Ads help article Ad Placement Options for more information.
What is an ad group, and how does it work?
An ad group is a targeted group of users you want for your ad. It might be a demographic group (males aged 18-25) or a specific country or region. Once you set up your ad group, those users who fit the profile will be shown your ads.
How does Apple Search Ads bidding work?
It works like other auction platforms or PPC tools. You set a maximum bid amount for how much you are willing to pay per click or download, and if yours is the most relevant, Apple Search Ads will choose and display your ad in search results.
What is Search Match?
Search Match is a default feature of Apple Search Ads Advanced campaigns. With Search Match on, your ad may match automatically to search terms. It takes all the guesswork out of coming up with effective keywords. Search Match uses metadata from the App Store listing, information about similar apps, and other resources to match ads to relevant searches.
What type of metrics can I expect to see with Apple Search Ads?
Your dashboard will allow you to see how your ads perform and check things like:
- Spend
- Average CPM (cost-per-thousand-impressions)
- Average CPT (cost-per-tap)
- Average CPA (cost-per-acquisition)
- Impressions
- Taps
- Installs
- TTR (tap-through rate)
- CR (conversion rate)
The chart displays the last seven days of activity, but you can change the time period to see more data.
Are you maximizing your Apple Search Ads program?
Today’s marketers are as busy as ever! It’s important to have the right tech foundation in place to help you quickly scale your campaigns, leverage automation to take on repetitive tasks so your team can focus on more strategic functions and generally make it much easier to manage big programs.
As part of Skai’s omnichannel marketing platform, our App Marketing solution helps your app stand out among millions in the top stores with Apple Search Ads, Google Universal App Campaigns, and more. Skai leverages an advanced algorithm based on AI and machine learning to ensure your ads reach your target users. Increase installs and user acquisition with streamlined automation, optimization, and reporting.
Client results include:
- 280% increase in installs for DraftKings
- 314% increase in registrations for C-Date
- 20% decrease in cost per acquisition for eToro
- 2x increase in conversions for Epix Now
To learn more, please schedule a quick demo with our helpful team.
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