Intent at the point of install
Someone searching the App Store has already decided to install something. The only question left is which app.
App Store advertising
Apple Search Ads
The App Store search results page is the last thing between a user and an install. Apple Search Ads buys that position — usually at the highest conversion rate and the most predictable cost of any app acquisition channel.
Where it pays
The last
The last
step
What Apple Search Ads is genuinely good at — and where it earns its place in the budget.
Defending your brand term
Competitors can and do bid on your app name. Owning that search is often the cheapest install you will buy.
Conversion rates other channels cannot reach
Tap-through-to-install rates on App Store search consistently exceed those of interest-based social advertising.
Clean, first-party measurement
Attribution inside Apple's own ecosystem sidesteps much of the tracking loss that affects other channels.
Scope
Inside the
Inside the
account
What we do on an Apple Search Ads account, week to week.
- Keyword strategy from discovery through to exact-match harvesting
- Brand defence campaigns and competitor conquesting where it pays
- Custom product pages matched to keyword themes and creative sets
- Bid management by keyword tier rather than by account average
- Search-match and broad-match campaigns used deliberately as a discovery engine
- Optimisation toward post-install value, not only toward install volume
- Coordination with App Store listing work so paid and organic reinforce each other
Placements
Search results, Search tab, Today tab, product pages
Best for
iOS apps with a working retention curve
Typical setup
1–2 weeks including measurement checks
Reporting
Weekly dashboard, monthly review call
Worth knowing
Installs are the start of the measurement, not the end
An install that never opens the app twice is a cost, not a result. We connect Apple Search Ads to your in-app events so bidding moves toward the keywords that produce users who stay.
Questions
Before
Before
you ask
Does this work for Android too?
Apple Search Ads is iOS only. The equivalent on Android is Google App campaigns, which we run as part of Google Ads.
How does it compare with Meta for app installs?
Apple Search Ads usually delivers a lower cost per install with higher intent; Meta delivers greater volume. Most apps need both, with the split decided by retention data.
What if our App Store listing is weak?
Then fix that first — paid traffic to a poor listing wastes budget. We will tell you which listing elements to address before we recommend spending.
Results
A case from
A case from
this channel
Client names stay confidential; the figures do not.
Finland · B2C · Mobile app
Cutting cost per conversion on a €1 802 test budget
Three months. Rebuilt around exact-match intent and a corrected conversion model.
Impressions
Conversions
Total budget
Cost per conversion
Other platforms