Apple Search Ads Set to Rule the Mobile Marketing World
By Space Coast Daily // December 23, 2021
Android today holds 72% of the market and is undoubtedly the most popular open-source operating system globally. However, though iOS has a global market share of only 27%, iOS users tend to spend more on apps and in-app purchases.
Their higher spending tendencies led to the start of Apple Search ads in 2016, which now helps thousands of developers reach their users. Besides, with 70% of App store users using the search feature to find the right app, Apple search ads have a 50% conversion rate.
Apple Search Ad plans
There are two types of apple ads available to use depending on your needs and level of expertise- Apple search ads basic and Apple search ads advanced.
1. Apple Search Ads Basic
This is the basic version designed for mobile advertising beginners. You pay only for installs, and there’s no long-term commitment. Besides, you can stop or pause your app promotion whenever required.
While easy to set up in a few minutes, the lack of keywords or audience refinement restricts its targeting options. Its intelligent automation, however, limits the number of apps to promote.
Basic search ads fit budgets up to $10,000 per app per month, so it’s better to move to the advanced options for higher budgets. However, the basic account gives you a $100 credit for new accounts to try the apple search ads basic plan for free.
2. Apple Search Ads Advanced
Apple Search Ads Advanced works like most ad networks and offers more options like selecting keywords and audiences for your ads. You also have access to advanced metrics giving more insight into your campaign performance to perform better.
While there’s no new account credit, there’s no limit to budget or number of apps. Besides, there are more targeting options based on customer types, search matches, keywords, demographics, locations, and device types.
How to set up and launch ad campaigns
You can easily set up Apple Search Ads by logging in with your Apple ID and selecting the app published through Apple Developer Console to promote.
Next, in the basic plan, you select your targeted countries or regions, your monthly budget, and max cost-per-install (CPI). You then enter your payment method details and use your $100 promo credit, if any.
In the case of the advanced plan, you once again select your budget and decide where your ads are shown by targeting specific areas and devices. You can also schedule ads and choose the ad price based on the cost-per-tap (CPT) model, where you decide how much you are willing to pay for a tap on your ad.
By leaving the search Match option on, Apple automatically matches your ad to users looking for similar apps. You must also select relevant app keywords, including negative keywords in the campaign.
3 Reasons to use Apple Search Ads
Besides their attractive plans, these three reasons should give you a reason to start using Apple search ads in your mobile marketing campaign:
a) Optimal quality and quantity
With more than 2.22 million apps in Apple’s App store, these ads can place your app at the top of the results page for users looking for similar apps.
b) Improved rankings
The App Store algorithm considers paid and organic traffic, so you receive improved organic results and higher app store rankings. A massive and relevant audience thus ends up seeing your ads.
c) Future predictions
App Store users are predicted to spend $185 billion on IAPs, subscriptions, and paid apps by 2025 compared to Google Play users expected to generate just $85 billion.
While Apple Search Ads are relatively new in mobile marketing, they are here to stay. No doubt iOS will not compete with Android when it comes to market share.
However, iOS compensates for the poorer traffic by generating quality traffic of iOS users who are more likely to spend money on apps and in-app purchases. And with some countries like the USA having more iOS than Android users, it’s definitely worth using Apple Search ads to advertise your app in these countries.
