Apple Search Ads: Past, Present, and Future

Each good search marketer is at all times searching for various channels to get higher outcomes for purchasers. Most of us have a tendency to stay to the highest two or three choices — Google Adverts or Meta, or maybe we’ll add LinkedIn or Microsoft into the combo. These channels are sometimes already overly saturated, and it’s at all times helpful to have a look at different choices. Any various to the mainstream is price testing!

One choices you might not have thought of is Apple Search Ads. Whereas this platform continues to be restricted in how it may be used (largely for the promotion of cellular apps) we’ve discovered when you’re going after a sure market, you’ll be able to generally obtain higher outcomes from Apple Search Adverts than anyplace else.

On this article I’ll current a case examine of a grocery store centered totally on branding, who needed to extend app downloads. I’ll be evaluating the outcomes of the identical advertisements operating on each Google Adverts, and Apple Search Adverts.

However first, a brief historical past of Apple Search Adverts

Apple Search Adverts launched in 2016. Apple Search Adverts are sponsored advertisements which seem on high of search leads to the Apple App Retailer. In 2017, two choices grew to become obtainable: Search Adverts Superior, and Search Adverts Primary. The primary distinction between these two choices? Primary solely allows you to run advertisements on the high of App Retailer search outcomes with no key phrases or viewers settings, and also you pay per set up. Superior means that you can select from many alternative placements, goal audiences and key phrases, and also you pay per faucet.

A very powerful characteristic of Apple Search Adverts is it might entry information from the App Retailer. No different platform can do that.

Present capabilities and options of Apple search advertisements

The present main use for Apple Search advertisements is the promotion of cellular apps within the App Retailer. 

In 2023, Apple published a press release stating “App Retailer builders generated $1.1 trillion in complete billings and gross sales within the App Retailer ecosystem in 2022.” Additional, they’ve reported developer billings and gross sales to be rising at a fee of about 29% YoY, with a mean of greater than 650 million weekly worldwide guests.

Statista recently revealed that in Q1 2024 round 8.4 billion apps had been downloaded within the Apple App Retailer, whereas there have been 25.6 billion apps downloaded on Google Play. Whereas Google has extra obtain quantity, Apple is best at income era. In Q2 2024, Google generated round $11.2 billion, whereas Apple generated $24.6 billion from in-app purchases, subscriptions, and premium apps.

So though Google Play is a good place to promote apps (and you need to undoubtedly be there for visibility and quantity, in addition to publicity to the Android market), promoting on Apple is more likely to obtain a better ROAS.

Apple Search Adverts has 4 placements to select from. Most don’t require the inclusion of extra creatives, because it makes use of the app itself and pictures obtainable inside your app.

• At present Tab: Positioned on the entrance web page when customers first go to the App Retailer
• Search Tab: The app pops up when folks begin looking out, on high of the advised checklist
• Search Outcomes: The advert seems after folks search, on high of the search outcomes
• Product Pages Whereas Searching: The advert seems within app listings, usually on the backside of web page or within the “You May Additionally Like” part.

Based mostly on the position you select, a couple of completely different concentrating on choices can be found:

• Viewers: Apple mechanically chooses who to look for, however you’ll be able to slim down particular gadgets, demographics, location, and buyer varieties (all customers, new customers, returning customers, customers of your different apps)
• Key phrases: Apple mechanically matches advertisements to searches, however you’ll be able to add key phrases (and unfavorable key phrases) manually

The bids are set by selecting Max CPT (cost-per-tap, successfully cost-per-click.) The concentrating on choices are restricted, however we’ve found the algorithms perceive your app very effectively. We’ve seen nice efficiency utilizing automated concentrating on.

Whereas Apple Search Adverts really feel like they’ve restricted concentrating on choices, they’re truly nonetheless much more focused than Google App campaigns. Google App campaigns solely enable geo-targeting and a few viewers indicators: no placements or (God forbid!) any key phrases in any respect.

Case Examine: Apple Search Adverts vs Google App campaigns

Considered one of our purchasers at Discosloth is a grocery retailer chain with a well-liked app they use for promotions and branding campaigns. Let’s have a look at some precise information from the identical app being marketed on each Google and Apple’s app shops, and examine outcomes.

Length: 40 days

Geo-targeting: quite a lot of small cities throughout US

Finances: a complete of $35,175 throughout Apple Search and and Google Adverts (app set up solely)

Shopper: grocery store chain

Aim: app downloads

Whereas we initially needed to allocate the price range 50/50 between the 2 platforms, we had been unable to spend the whole price range on Apple, so we moved a few of the spend throughout to Google.

Regardless that we spent much more on Google, with a a lot decrease cost-per-tap, the price per set up ended up being a lot increased.

Google Play gave us increased visibility and attain, but additionally made it straightforward to spend the whole thing of the price range. With 3.7x the price range in comparison with Apple, Google solely gave us 2.5x the variety of installs. Taking a look at conversion fee, we will see that Apple’s concentrating on is extremely related with greater than two-thirds of the faucets turning into installs. Google exhibits the advertisements to a wider viewers, so the conversion fee is decrease – solely about 1/12 of the faucets resulted in installs.

Moreover, an important characteristic about Apple Search Adverts is when you run a Search Outcomes marketing campaign, you’ll be able to truly see the search phrases, whereas Google hides this info.

Based mostly on this take a look at, we realized that whereas Apple Search Adverts are way more subtle in each concentrating on choices and the information shared with you, how a lot you’ll be able to spend can be restricted. Even with auto-targeting, Apple continues to be very conservative with how usually your advertisements are proven. In case your aim is to maximise downloads, it’s vital to think about operating each Apple and Google Adverts. Limiting your self to solely Apple Search Adverts can imply reaching solely a few third of the potential downloads. 

Due to this fact, though we don’t assume Apple will exchange Google any time quickly, we do imagine it’s the most suitable choice if you’re prioritizing top quality customers over amount.

What awaits us sooner or later?

Rumors abound over the way forward for Apple Adverts.

For now not less than they’re simply rumors. Nothing is for certain. We do, nevertheless, imagine there’s a excessive likelihood Apple will evolve past serving advertisements within the App Retailer solely. 

The attainable placements we see as almost certainly are Apple TV, sponsored outcomes inside Apple Intelligence – Apple’s new LLM/search engine integration – and even Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional if it ever re-emerges. With the expansion in AI, and Apple utilizing Intelligence to “summarize” net pages, Safari auto-filling web sites you might be searching for, there are undoubtedly alternatives. Don’t anticipate these to evolve tomorrow.

In the intervening time, Apple work with third events to promote advertisements on Apple Information and Apple Shares apps, however this probably signifies that they’re not concerned about turning into an advert platform themselves. They’re extra probably concerned about utilizing an current advert supplier. This is not going to solely enable them to make use of a seamless, confirmed expertise however to additionally keep away from the rising stress that comes inside extremely regulatory environments just like the EU.

One factor is for positive: Apple fastidiously curates its platforms, and for good motive. Google Play is stuffed with spammy, low-quality content material, and Google Adverts itself has at all times been tormented by decrease high quality advertisers as effectively. There may be virtually no risk that Apple would danger their model by opening up the platform to only anyone, so that they’ll probably hold the advertisers inside their ecosystem.