Apple Ads
12 min read

How to set up Apple ads?

  • mustafa
  • Author mustafa
  • Published May 11, 2025

With over 2 billion active iOS devices worldwide and app downloads continuing to surge year after year, the Apple App Store remains one of the most lucrative digital marketplaces for businesses and developers. Apple Search Ads offers an unparalleled opportunity to position your app in front of high-intent users actively searching for solutions in the App Store. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about setting up and optimizing Apple Search Ads to maximize visibility, downloads, and return on investment.

What Are Apple Search Ads?

Apple Search Ads is Apple’s proprietary advertising platform that allows app developers and marketers to promote their apps at the top of relevant search results in the App Store. These ads appear with a small blue “Ad” designation, but otherwise look identical to organic search results, making them highly effective at capturing user attention.

Since their introduction, Apple Search Ads have evolved into two main tiers:

  1. Apple Search Ads Basic: A simplified, automated solution ideal for smaller developers and businesses with limited budgets and marketing expertise.
  2. Apple Search Ads Advanced: A comprehensive platform offering granular controls, extensive targeting options, and detailed reporting for experienced marketers and larger organizations.

Why Invest in Apple Search Ads in 2025?

Before diving into the setup process, let’s examine why Apple Search Ads should be a cornerstone of your mobile marketing strategy:

Benefit Statistics Impact
High Conversion Rates Average conversion rate of 50-70% Much higher than typical digital ad platforms (2-3%)
Strong ROI Average cost-per-acquisition 30-40% lower than other platforms More efficient spending for app marketing budgets
User Intent 70% of App Store visitors use search to find apps Reaches users with high intent to download
Less Competition Fewer advertisers than Google or Meta platforms Lower costs and higher visibility potential
Privacy Compliance Built-in compatibility with App Tracking Transparency Future-proof against privacy regulation changes

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Apple Search Ads

Step 1: Create Your Apple Search Ads Account

  1. Visit searchads.apple.com and click “Sign Up”
  2. Log in with your Apple ID (preferably the one associated with your App Store Connect account)
  3. Complete your business information, including:
    • Business name and address
    • Contact information
    • Tax ID information
    • Billing details

Pro Tip: If you have multiple apps, consider using a dedicated Apple ID specifically for your marketing efforts to keep everything organized.

Step 2: Link Your App(s)

  1. Navigate to the “Apps” section in your dashboard
  2. Click “Add App”
  3. Search for your app using its name or Apple ID
  4. Select your app from the search results
  5. Confirm the connection

Important: Your app must already be published in the App Store before you can advertise it through Apple Search Ads.

Step 3: Choose Between Basic and Advanced

Depending on your marketing needs, budget, and expertise, you’ll need to choose between Apple Search Ads Basic and Advanced:

Apple Search Ads Basic:

  • Maximum budget of $10,000 per app per month
  • Simplified, automated campaign management
  • Limited targeting controls
  • Ideal for beginners or small developers

Apple Search Ads Advanced:

  • Unlimited budget potential
  • Granular control over targeting, bidding, and creative assets
  • Access to comprehensive reporting and attribution
  • Suitable for experienced marketers and larger organizations

For this guide, we’ll focus on Apple Search Ads Advanced, as it provides more flexibility and control.

Step 4: Set Up Your First Campaign in Advanced

  1. Click “Create Campaign” from your dashboard
  2. Name your campaign descriptively (include app name, objective, and date for easy reference)
  3. Select your app from the dropdown menu
  4. Choose your target regions (countries/territories where your app is available)
  5. Set your campaign budget and daily spending cap
  6. Define your campaign schedule (start date, end date if applicable)
  7. Select ad group default bid (maximum CPC you’re willing to pay)

Step 5: Create Ad Groups

Ad groups allow you to organize keywords and audiences around specific themes or user segments:

  1. Name your ad group (be specific about the segment or theme)
  2. Set your default CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) bid
  3. Choose your targeting parameters:
    • Search Match (Apple’s algorithm automatically matches your ad to relevant searches)
    • Keywords (specific terms you want to target)
    • Audience refinements (demographics, device types, etc.)

Best Practice: Create separate ad groups for branded keywords, competitor keywords, and category/feature keywords to optimize bidding and track performance more effectively.

Step 6: Keyword Research and Implementation

Strong keyword strategy is the foundation of successful Apple Search Ads:

  1. Use the Apple Search Ads Keyword Tool to discover relevant terms
  2. Analyze search popularity and relative competition
  3. Add keywords to your campaign in three match types:
    • Exact Match: Your ad appears only for searches that exactly match your keyword
    • Broad Match: Your ad appears for searches that include your keyword and close variants
    • Search Match: Apple’s algorithm determines relevant searches
  4. Set individual bids for high-priority keywords
  5. Add negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches

Step 7: Create and Customize Your Creative Sets

While Apple automatically pulls creative assets from your App Store listing, you can optimize performance by creating custom Creative Sets:

  1. Navigate to the “Creative Sets” section
  2. Click “Create Creative Set”
  3. Select screenshots and app previews from your App Store assets
  4. Organize them for specific audiences or themes
  5. Assign creative sets to specific ad groups

Note: The first three screenshots in your App Store listing are particularly important as they’re most frequently shown in search ads.

Step 8: Configure Attribution and Reporting

To measure the effectiveness of your campaigns:

  1. Set up Apple’s attribution API
  2. Connect any third-party Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs) if you use them
  3. Define conversion events beyond downloads (subscriptions, purchases, etc.)
  4. Configure custom reporting columns to track your KPIs

Step 9: Launch and Monitor Your Campaign

Once everything is configured:

  1. Review all settings for accuracy
  2. Set your campaign status to “Active”
  3. Monitor performance daily during the first week
  4. Look for key metrics including:
    • Impression share
    • Tap-through rate (TTR)
    • Conversion rate (CR)
    • Cost per acquisition (CPA)
    • Return on ad spend (ROAS)

Advanced Optimization Strategies for Apple Search Ads

After your campaigns have been running for at least two weeks and have gathered sufficient data, implement these optimization techniques:

1. Bid Management

  • Increase bids for keywords with high conversion rates but low impression share
  • Decrease bids for keywords with high impression volume but low conversion rates
  • Implement dayparting to bid higher during hours when your target audience is most active

2. Audience Refinement

  • Use the “returned” users segment to target users who have downloaded your app previously
  • Exclude users who have downloaded your app in the last 30 days to avoid paying for reinstalls
  • Adjust demographic targeting based on performance data

3. A/B Testing

  • Create multiple ad groups with different creative sets
  • Test different combinations of screenshots and app previews
  • Analyze performance to identify winning combinations

4. Competitive Analysis

  • Monitor which competitor keywords drive conversions
  • Analyze impression share for category terms
  • Adjust bidding strategy based on competitive landscape

Common Challenges and Solutions

Challenge Solution
High CPAs Review and refine keyword relevance; adjust bids downward; improve App Store listing
Low impression share Increase bids; expand keyword list; check app category relevance
Poor conversion rates Review App Store listing quality; ensure ad relevance to search terms; check app ratings
Limited inventory Expand to additional storefronts; broaden targeted keywords; adjust audience filters
Budget depletion too quickly Lower daily caps; reduce bids on expensive keywords; narrow audience targeting

Apple Search Ads and App Store Optimization: The Perfect Synergy

For maximum effectiveness, your Apple Search Ads strategy should work hand-in-hand with your App Store Optimization (ASO) efforts:

  1. Keyword Alignment: Use the same high-performing keywords in both your App Store metadata and Search Ads campaigns
  2. Creative Consistency: Ensure your ad creative sets highlight the same key features emphasized in your App Store listing
  3. Review Analysis: Address common user concerns mentioned in reviews to improve conversion rates
  4. Ratings Impact: Prioritize maintaining high star ratings, as they significantly impact ad performance
  5. A/B Testing Synergy: Use Creative Sets testing insights to inform App Store screenshot optimization

Measuring Success: Key Performance Indicators

Track these essential metrics to evaluate your Apple Search Ads performance:

  • Tap-Through Rate (TTR): Percentage of users who tap on your ad after seeing it
  • Conversion Rate (CR): Percentage of users who download your app after tapping on your ad
  • Cost Per Tap (CPT): Average cost paid when a user taps on your ad
  • Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): Average cost to acquire one app download
  • Return On Ad Spend (ROAS): Revenue generated relative to ad spend
  • Lifetime Value (LTV): Long-term value of acquired users
  • Keyword Performance: Conversion rates and costs for specific keywords
  • Source Type Performance: How different match types (exact, broad, search) perform

Privacy and the Future of Apple Search Ads

With Apple’s continued focus on privacy (including App Tracking Transparency), Apple Search Ads has become even more valuable as it operates within Apple’s ecosystem and doesn’t rely on IDFA. Here’s how to prepare for future changes:

  1. Leverage Apple’s privacy-compliant attribution solutions
  2. Focus on building first-party data strategies
  3. Use Apple’s conversion value framework to measure post-download events
  4. Stay informed about Apple’s privacy roadmap announcements

Conclusion

Setting up Apple Search Ads requires careful planning and ongoing optimization, but the potential rewards make it well worth the effort. By following this comprehensive guide, you’ll be well-positioned to capture high-intent users at the precise moment they’re searching for solutions like yours in the App Store.

At Watsspace Digital Marketing Agency, we specialize in creating and managing high-performance Apple Search Ads campaigns that drive measurable results. Whether you’re launching a new app or looking to scale an existing one, our team of mobile marketing experts can help you navigate the complexities of the platform and achieve your growth objectives.

Ready to take your app marketing to the next level? Contact our Apple Search Ads specialists today for a personalized strategy consultation.

Check out other posts