What are Apple Search Ads?
Apple Search Ads (ASA) is an paid user acquisition channel that allows brands to promote their app at the top of search results in the App Store, based on relevant keywords that the brand bids on. ASA Basic is a pay-per-install pricing model while ASA Advanced is a cost-per-tap model.
Apple Search Ads were introduced by Apple in 2016. One of the main differentiators of Apple Search Ads is their simplicity of setup and unique access to running paid promotions in the Apple App Store.
To run ads, you provide the app name to promote, total budget, and cost you are willing to pay per install. Apple Search Ads also respects users’ privacy choices since it doesn’t build specific profiles on individuals. This limits marketers’ ability to display ads to specific cohorts of users or run look-alike campaigns. Search Ads have been largely embraced by developers as an easy way to increase their app’s exposure.
There are a variety of best practices for Apple Search Ads that you can implement to boost their performance. Specifically, make sure that you:
- Select and implement keywords strategically
- Optimize your ad’s TTR (tap-through rate)
- Leverage cross-platform attribution that gives you the full story
- Let data reign