What are Apple Search Ads?

Apple Search Ads are a recent addition to the range of user acquisition channels available to app marketers. These are naturally to target Apple Device owners, and offer certain clear advantages from a demographic standpoint which up to recently wasn’t available.  With Apple Search Ads Advanced, you have a range of ad placements that will increase the visibility of your app and encourage downloads. This is typically advised for customers looking to focus on markets with heavier users of Apple products. You're not alone if you find yourself among those unfamiliar with Apple Search Ads.

It's essential to recognize that not utilizing Apple Search Ads means missing out on a significant opportunity to grow your business, depending on the market and TG you’re targeting. 

Who should use Apple Search Ads?

App publishers and developers who want to improve the exposure and downloads of their apps can use Apple Search Advertising for high value users, in markets with dominant volume of Apple Users. For individuals who are new to the App Store or those who wish to make their current apps more visible, the platform is especially helpful. In-app purchases, subscriptions, and other programme features can all be promoted via Apple Search Advertising. Given the change in tracking policies implemented by Apple in 2020 with iOS14, this is a more direct form of attribution that allows advertisers to see where their users are engaging, and optimise acquisition of Apple users specifically. Apple Ads ecosystem is able to pass on specific data points to different MMPs which allows for smoother attribution of installs, and acquisition compared to Meta.

Is attribution of users and sources possible? 

Yes, Apple Search Advertising allows both user and source attribution. Publishers of apps can monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns, including the number of taps and installs brought about by their advertisements. Companies may also improve the performance of their campaigns by using attribution tools to pinpoint the origins of their app downloads and user engagement.

Working with an Apple Ads partner for your performance marketing needs:

Partner agencies can help app publishers make the most of their Apple Search Ads campaigns. They have the knowledge and experience needed to create effective campaigns, identify and target relevant keywords, optimize ad placements, and manage budgets effectively. Working with an Apple Ads partner can help app publishers get the best possible results from their advertising efforts.

What do partner agencies know that others don’t about Apple Search Ads?

Partner agencies have access to tools and resources that enable them to optimize their clients' campaigns more effectively. They also have a deep understanding of the App Store and the search algorithms used to determine search results. This enables them to create campaigns that are more targeted and effective, driving better results for their clients

Key terms to understand in Apple Search Ads:

Taps - the number of times an ad is tapped by a user.

Cost-per-tap (CPT) pricing - the amount an advertiser pays for each tap on their ad.

Installs - the number of times an app is downloaded and installed as a result of an ad campaign.

Drive visibility and downloads of your app with ad placements including:

Today tab

Search tab

Search results

Product pages — while browsing

Here’s more information about each placement option:

• On the App Store's home page, where users begin their visit, tab advertisements today give you the opportunity to reach people with high-impact content. This placement's ad creative is based on a unique product page. While creating your custom page on App Store Connect, use our ad creative guidelines. Before your ad may run, Apple Search Ads must first approve your ad creative for use on the Today tab once the App Store gives its approval for your custom page.

• Your advertisement will be prominently displayed at the top of the list of suggested apps on the Search tab, giving you the opportunity to reach consumers before they do specialised searches.

• With an advertisement at the top of pertinent search results, Search results ads allow you to target users when they conduct specialised searches. You can select your own keywords or use those we provide to match your advertisement to potential customers' search phrases. Matching is based on the search query, which is a clear indicator of the customers' intent.

• Product pages, while browsing ads, let you reach people while they browse apps on relevant pages across the App Store, whether their journey started on the App Store or from an outside link. When interested users have scrolled to the bottom of relevant product pages, ads appear at the top of the You Might Also Like list.

To manage budgets effectively in advertising campaigns, setting a daily budget is crucial. When creating a campaign, the daily budget should be set to determine the average amount to be spent per day for the entire month. Monthly spend will not exceed the daily budget multiplied by the average number of days in a calendar month, which is calculated as 30.4 days. Campaigns can be paused, removed, or set an end date to control spending. Adjusting the daily budget will affect monthly spend, and recalculation is necessary to ensure the budget is managed effectively.

Apple Search Ads Advanced is a platform that automatically optimizes audience settings to help you reach the maximum number of App Store customers. However, you can make optional adjustments to drive new downloads or reacquisitions among specific audiences. By modifying your audience settings, you can narrow down your audience, which will ultimately reduce the number of impressions your ad will receive.

For instance, you can set device type settings to show your ads only to customers using device types that are compatible with your app, such as only on iPad or iPhone. You can also refine location settings within certain countries and regions if your app serves specific areas only, ensuring that your budget isn't spent on ads shown outside those areas.

Apple Search Ads Advanced automatically sets your ad groups to reach the broadest audience, but you can modify optimizations to focus on specific groups of customers. Customer type options include All users, New users, Returning users, and Users of my other apps. To target re-installs, you can choose the Returning users option, enabling you to reacquire customers who have previously downloaded your app.

By setting up your Apple Search Ads campaigns to include Returning users, you can optimize your potential for both downloads and in-app spend. Redownloads occur when a customer downloads your app, deletes it, and downloads the same app again following a tap on an ad on the App Store, or downloads the same app on an additional device. You can gain insight into how many of your installs are new downloads or redownloads of your app, which can help you better understand customer behavior and inform your marketing strategies.

Modifying your audience settings on Apple Search Ads Advanced allows you to target specific audiences to drive new downloads or reacquisitions, and gain insight into how many of your installs are new downloads or redownloads of your app. However, it's essential to keep in mind that modifying your audience settings will narrow your audience and reduce the number of impressions your ad receives.