We manage Apple Ads (formerly Apple Search Ads) as one keyword strategy with your App Store Optimization. Paid search shows which terms convert before we commit your metadata to them, and stronger metadata relevance can lower what you pay per tap.
Included in the Full-Stack plan · Month-to-month · No long-term contracts
Most Apple Ads accounts are run as a bidding exercise: pick keywords, set bids, watch cost per acquisition. That leaves the biggest levers untouched. Apple only shows your ad when your app is relevant to the search, relevance is one of the inputs to what you pay per tap, and every tap lands on a product page that either converts or doesn't. Those are App Store Optimization problems. We run both sides as one program, so the ads and the listing improve each other every month.
What you get
Campaigns structured by intent: brand, category, competitor and discovery, each with its own budget and bid logic.
Bids set from your break-even math, not from industry benchmarks.
A monthly search-term review that sorts every converting term into own, contest, rent or drop, and moves the winners into your metadata.
Brand defense measured with holdout tests, not with Apple-attributed installs.
Custom product pages matched to ad groups, so each search lands on the page built for it.
Reporting tied to installs and revenue, read against total installs so paid doesn't take credit for organic.
What's included
Six workstreams, run as one program with your metadata and creative.
Account audit & structure
We audit campaign structure, match types, negatives, attribution and brand spend, then rebuild around four campaign types: brand, category, competitor and discovery. Clean structure is what makes every later decision measurable.
Keyword research & search terms
Discovery campaigns surface what people actually type. Each month we mine the search terms report, promote converting terms to exact match, add negatives, and flag the terms your metadata should target.
Break-even bidding
Bids and CPA goals come from your numbers: revenue per install, conversion rate and target ROAS. We decide per campaign whether Maximize Conversions or manual bids fit. Try the math in our Apple Search Ads calculator.
Brand defense, measured
Since March 2026 Apple can show a second ad further down the results, so bidding on your own name buys order, not exclusion. We test brand campaigns with holdouts and keep them only while they pay for themselves.
Custom product pages for ads
One keyword theme, one ad group, one custom product page. A search for "budget planner" lands on budgeting screenshots, not your generic listing, which lifts tap-to-install rate and the bid you can afford.
Reporting on real return
A monthly plain-English report on spend, installs, cost per acquisition and return by campaign, read against total installs rather than Apple-attributed ones, plus the plan for next month.
Why we run Apple Ads and ASO as one program
Apple Ads and organic search share the same results page, the same keywords and the same product page. Treating them as separate channels leaves money on the table in three places.
Relevance decides whether you can buy the term at all. Apple won't show an irrelevant app's ad at any bid, and advertising relevance is one of the inputs to what you pay per tap (Apple Ads Help, 2026). Metadata that describes your app well makes paid search cheaper.
Paid search is the fastest keyword test there is. A search results campaign tells you within days whether a term converts. That is evidence for putting a keyword in your title or subtitle, instead of waiting weeks to see whether a metadata change moved the ranking.
Every tap lands on your product page. Screenshots, ratings and custom product pages decide your tap-to-install rate, and conversion rate multiplies what you can afford to bid. At a $4 target CPA, lifting conversion from 50% to 65% raises the bid you can afford from $2.00 to $2.60.
The keyword loop: own, contest, rent, drop
Every converting search term from your ads account goes into one of four buckets. The bucket decides what happens on both sides.
Bucket
What it means
What we do
Own
Converts in paid, and you already rank top three organically
Test a lower bid with a holdout on total installs before cutting it
Contest
Converts and describes your app, but you rank fourth or lower
Keep bidding and work the term into your metadata
Rent
Converts, but it's too broad, off-brand, or a competitor's name you can't use in metadata
Apple Ads amplifies whatever your product page already does. If the page converts poorly or recent reviews are dragging your rating down, more spend mostly buys expensive taps. In that case we'll say so on the first call and start with the listing, where the fix is cheaper.
How an engagement runs
The first two weeks fix the structure and the most expensive leaks. After that, the account runs on a steady optimization loop that reports monthly and feeds your organic plan.
01 · Week 1
Account audit
We review structure, search terms, bids, attribution and brand spend, and agree on the numbers that define success: target CPA, return on ad spend and total installs.
02 · Week 2
Restructure & quick wins
We rebuild campaigns around brand, category, competitor and discovery, add negatives, and fix the bids that are losing money first.
03 · Ongoing
Optimize
Bid and budget changes, search-term promotion and custom product page tests. Changes wait for enough data: no rule acts on a handful of taps.
04 · Monthly
Report & feed organic
A report on spend, installs and return by campaign, plus the keyword learnings that go into next month's metadata update.
Pricing
Apple Search Ads management is part of our Full-Stack plan, alongside ongoing ASO, localization and custom product pages. Month-to-month, cancel anytime. Your ad budget is separate from the fee.
An Apple Search Ads agency plans, runs and optimizes your Apple Ads campaigns: campaign structure, keyword research, bids and budgets, custom product pages for ads, and reporting. We also connect the account to your App Store Optimization, so terms that convert in paid search inform your metadata, and stronger metadata relevance can lower what you pay per tap.
How much does Apple Search Ads management cost?
Our Apple Search Ads management is included in the Full-Stack plan at $7,990 per month, month-to-month, together with ongoing ASO, localization for up to 10 markets, in-app events and custom product pages. Ad spend is separate from the fee. For context, the 2026 median Apple Ads cost was $0.92 per tap and $1.80 per install globally, and $1.91 per tap and $4.06 per install in the US (AppTweak, 2026). More in our breakdown of Apple Search Ads costs.
Is Apple Search Ads the same as Apple Ads?
Yes. Apple renamed Apple Search Ads to Apple Ads on April 14, 2025. It is the same platform: you bid on keywords for ads in App Store search results, and can also run ads on the Today tab, the Search tab and product pages.
Should we bid on our own brand name in Apple Ads?
Usually, but test it. Since March 2026 Apple can show a second ad further down the search results, so a competitor can still appear below you and brand defense buys order rather than exclusion. We measure brand campaigns with a holdout on total search downloads and keep them while the cost per incremental install stays below what an install is worth to you. The method is in our guide to brand defense after the second ad slot.
Should we switch to Maximize Conversions bidding?
Campaign by campaign. Apple's Maximize Conversions bidding, available since February 2026, suits campaigns that can fund five or more conversions a day; brand and low-volume campaigns usually stay on manual cost-per-tap bids. We set the target CPA from your break-even math, leave the campaign alone for two weeks, and judge the switch at day 28 against a baseline. See when to switch to Maximize Conversions.
Do we need Apple Ads if we already rank well organically?
Not for every term. If you already rank in the top three for a keyword, ads on it can mostly re-buy installs you would get anyway. We test that with a holdout on total installs before cutting spend, and move the budget to terms you don't own yet.
Apple Ads guides
The playbooks behind how we run accounts: the keyword loop, the break-even math, and the tools.
Book a free 30-minute call. Bring your last 30 days of Apple Ads data and we'll walk through what we'd change first: structure, brand spend, and the search terms worth moving into your metadata. No commitment.
