Apple Ads Placements are the four App Store positions where Apple Ads Advanced promotes apps (search results, the Search tab, the Today tab and product pages), of which only search results use keywords.
Apple Ads (formerly Apple Search Ads) offers four App Store placements in its Advanced tier; Apple Ads Basic runs in search results only. Search results ads appear for relevant queries, at the top of the results or, since early 2026, further down the page; advertisers can't choose or bid for a position. Search tab ads sit at the top of the suggested apps list before anyone types. Today tab ads appear on the App Store's front page and send taps to a custom product page. Product page ads top the "You Might Also Like" list at the bottom of other apps' pages. All four are billed per tap.
Only search results ads use keywords (or Search Match), so that placement follows ASO's logic: the query reveals intent, and the ad draws on your default or a custom product page. The other three are browse placements, reached through audience settings and context rather than queries, and in our experience suit reach and launches better than keyword testing. The extra search results position also changes brand defense: another ad can now appear further down the page, so holding the top ad on your own name no longer keeps competitors' ads off that screen.
Example
A meditation app splits its budget between exact-match search results campaigns on "sleep sounds" and its brand name, and a Today tab campaign that points to a custom product page built around a new sleep feature. It judges the search campaigns on cost per install and the Today tab campaign on reach.