Each week, 600 million people go to the App Store with the intention of downloading apps, with 65% of downloads occurring directly after a search. This makes Apple Search Ads - which is the only channel to advertise directly on the App Store - one of the most important channels to master when scaling your app on iOS.
Until now, Apple Search Ads could be utilized within the Search tab and search results of the App Store, enabling advertisers to reach users when they were searching for a specific app.
As of September 2022, that’s all changed. Apple has rolled out two new Apple Search Ads placements for advertisers’ campaigns - a tremendous boost in the potential of Apple Search Ads. Now you can tap into high intent users during any phase of their app discovery journey.
What are the new ad placements?
The first new placement is at the second top spot of the Today tab, the front page of the App Store. Today tab ads are based on a custom product page you create in App Store Connect. Today tab ads appear on the front page of the App Store, and feature your app icon, name, and subtitle. Here, you’ll reach users as they enter the App Store, grabbing users' attention immediately and offering maximal exposure.
The second is the product pages - while browsing placement, prominently displayed to users when they’re exploring and researching apps on the App Store. These ads appear on an app’s product page at the top of the You Might Also Like list. You can define the app categories where they appear, or run them across all relevant categories
These new placements mean that you can now reach users throughout their entire app discovery journey - from the moment they first enter the App Store, search for a specific app, or research their next download. Whatever a user’s intention for visiting the App Store, you can tap into it.
How to run on a new placement
You can use the new placements through the Apple Search Ads Campaign Management API and the Apple Ads Attribution API. The new placements will be based on CPT pricing, only charging you on the users who tap on your ad.
To run ads on the Today tab, you’ll need to create a custom product page for the placement. The custom product page should have at least four portrait or five landscape images which the ad will be based on. These images will also be the automatically generated background of your ad, using a darkened or blurred visual effect. It’s important to ensure the assets you include are relevant to your app and appropriate, and the messaging offers no promotional claims. Each asset must also include a screenshot of the app that takes up at least 2/3 of the asset area. Custom product pages will need to be approved in App Store Connect, which you can submit independently of an app update, and after your custom product page is approved, it will show up in Apple Search Ads to create a Today tab campaign. Once a Today tab campaign is created, the ad will need to go through Apple Search Ads ad review. This is separate from the App Store Connect custom product page review.
Not all apps will be able to run in the new placements
Not all apps will be eligible for these new placements - for example, currently gambling apps are not eligible to run ads on the Today tab but they are eligible for the product page placement. Advertisers will receive a notice through their account if their ad is ineligible to be used in a specific placement.
Get more out of the new Apple Search Ads placements with Luna
These new placements are set to bring significant opportunities to advertisers. Luna is here to help you navigate the changing landscape of Apple Search Ads, giving you the tools you need to scale and optimize your campaigns the way you want.
Get the ideal bid with Luna’s Optimization Center, see the full user journey, and discover the keywords that work for you - all with Luna’s Apple Search Ads solution.
