Apple AdsApp Store app promotion

Apple Search Ads is now called Apple Ads. The broader brand covers Apple advertising, while this guide focuses on Ads on the App Store: reaching people when they discover apps, measuring what happens after the install and connecting acquisition to product economics.

IK.Agency now includes Apple Ads in our mobile app marketing service. We can audit an existing account, build keyword and campaign structures, connect attribution and launch a controlled test across priority markets.

Where Apple Ads appears

Apple Ads Advanced offers four placements inside the App Store. Each captures a different moment and should not automatically be combined into one campaign.

• Today tab provides broad reach on the App Store front page.
• Search tab reaches users before they enter a query, above the Suggested list.
• Search Results captures expressed demand after a search query.
• Product Pages places an ad on another app's product page, above the recommendation area.

All four placements use cost-per-tap pricing. Keywords apply specifically to Search Results. Apple maintains the current specifications in its official placement overview.

Basic or Advanced

Apple Ads Basic is designed for a simpler launch. The advertiser selects an app, countries and a monthly budget, while the system automates delivery in Search Results. Billing is based on installs and there is no manual keyword or bid management.

Advanced gives teams access to four placements, keywords, bids, audiences, custom product pages and deeper reporting. Performance teams and agencies generally need Advanced because it makes hypotheses, economics and sources of growth visible. Apple compares the two modes in its Apple Ads solutions guide.

What to prepare before launch

Paid acquisition cannot compensate for a weak product page or disconnected analytics. We validate the foundation before creating campaigns.

1. The iPhone or iPad app is published and available in the target storefront.
2. Apple Ads is linked to App Store Connect with the correct roles and payment method.
3. The product page continues the ad promise and communicates value immediately.
4. Product events distinguish install from activation, trial, purchase and retention.
5. Every market has an acceptable CPA, payback window and priority segment.

When an agency manages the account, the client should retain ownership of its assets. A dedicated campaign group can provide the required access without transferring control. Apple documents the account connection in its App Store Connect setup guide.

A practical search campaign structure

Search Results works best when demand is separated by user intent. A useful baseline has four directions.

Brand

Queries containing the app or brand name. Keeping them separate makes branded demand and its economics visible.

Category

Queries that describe the problem or product category. The user knows what they need but has not selected a specific app.

Competitor

Queries for alternative products. Intent may be strong, but cost and conversion often differ from brand and category traffic, so they need separate controls.

Discovery

Campaigns that find new terms through broad match and Search Match. Queries that prove their value move into exact match, while exact negatives prevent discovery from bidding on the same traffic again.

Apple recommends a comparable setup in its campaign structure best practices. We also separate major markets when budgets, language or unit economics differ.

Manage Bids or Maximize Conversions

Manage Bids gives teams keyword-level control and a maximum CPT bid. It is useful when precise control over search terms, spend and segment economics matters.

Maximize Conversions combines Search Match with automated bidding toward an average target CPA. It needs sufficient budget, reliable conversion signals and room to learn. Apple recommends a budget that can support roughly five conversions per day and advises using manual bidding for pre-order campaigns. Current requirements are explained in the Maximize Conversions guide.

The right choice depends on data volume, analytics maturity and acceptable CPA variation. We start from those constraints and compare approaches in a controlled test.

Keywords and ad variations

Keyword strategy should reflect intent, not search volume alone. Strong search terms move from discovery into exact campaigns. Weak or irrelevant terms become negative keywords. We also monitor overlap so that campaigns do not compete for the same query.

Custom product pages can align the ad with a specific feature, segment or use case. The destination should continue the same idea instead of returning every audience to one generic page. Apple explains this approach in its ad variations best practices.

The broader creative principle is the same across performance media: every iteration should test a documented hypothesis. Our guide to the performance creative testing system shows how we organize that process.

Measuring value beyond installs

Apple Ads reports impressions, taps, TTR, conversion rate, average CPT, CPA, installs, new downloads, redownloads and impression share. A tap-through install uses a 30-day attribution window, while a view-through install uses one day. Apple defines these metrics in its reporting documentation.

An install is only the beginning. Decisions should connect Apple Ads data with product outcomes:

• registration or onboarding completion;
• activation of the core feature;
• trial, subscription or purchase;
• retention and repeat revenue;
• cohort LTV and payback.

The AdServices Attribution API can provide placement, campaign, ad group and keyword detail without identifying the user or device. AdAttributionKit adds privacy-preserving postbacks. Apple describes both approaches and their limitations in its attribution documentation.

Markets and restricted categories

The list of supported storefronts is different from the list of countries where an advertiser can register. Validate both on the current Apple Ads Countries and Regions page.

Regulated categories have additional restrictions. Real-money gambling, for example, can advertise only in Search Results, to adults, in eligible markets and after Apple verifies the relevant local licence. It cannot use Today tab, Search tab or Product Pages. We check every product and market against the current Apple Advertising Policies before planning creative or media.

How IK.Agency manages Apple Ads

We treat the channel as part of a complete mobile acquisition system rather than judging it on cheap installs alone.

1. Audit the App Store product page, account and analytics events.
2. Define markets, unit economics and the target post-install actions.
3. Build the campaign structure, keyword map and negative keywords.
4. Plan custom product pages and controlled test hypotheses.
5. Validate attribution against the MMP and product analytics.
6. Launch a limited test, promote proven terms and scale only valuable cohorts.

Ready to add Apple Ads to your acquisition mix? Explore our mobile app marketing service and tell us about the app, target markets and primary product event. We will begin with an audit and propose the structure of the first test.