App Store Search Ads

With the release of the new iOS App Store in 2017, Apple launched their own pay-per-click platform.

I approach Apple Search Ads in the same way I approach Google Paid Search - leveraging keyword planning to determine potential traffic and planning.

Tools I use:

  • TheTool.io

  • Google Keyword Planner

  • LSIGraph

  • Search Ads Advanced for international campaigns

Example Campaign

Campaign Objectives:

  • Brand

  • Topical

  • Industry Branded Terms

  • Competitors

  • Broad

International Campaigns:

  • United States

  • United Kingdom

  • Australia

  • Canada

  • Mexico

  • France

  • New Zealand

  • Germany

What I’ve Learned

Avoid Cannibalism - Negative Keywords

Even though it’s been almost two years since launch, Apple’s marketing platform is still in its infancy (IMHO).

After seeing performance results from my campaigns, as well as insights from Apple’s Search Ads team, I’ve found that not utilizing negative keywords will directly impact the performance of your campaigns on Apple’s platform.

Apple tends to rely on broadly matching keywords with “related” phrases that can increase costs and drive acquisition quality down. When building Ad Groups, I keep a running list of Negative Keywords tailored specifically for each Ad Group that minimizes cannibalization.