apple-search-ads

What this skill does

# Apple Search Ads for Indie Developers

Plan, launch, and optimize Apple Search Ads campaigns that deliver profitable user acquisition for indie apps.

## When This Skill Activates

Use this skill when the user:
- Asks about paid user acquisition or running ads for their app
- Mentions "Apple Search Ads", "Search Ads", or "ASA"
- Wants to set up ad campaigns in the App Store
- Asks about keyword bidding, CPT, or CPA optimization
- Needs help with campaign structure or budget allocation
- Wants to understand if paid acquisition makes sense for their app
- Asks how to complement ASO with paid promotion

## Pre-Requisite Check: Are You Ready for Ads?

Before recommending any campaign setup, verify these minimum thresholds. Running ads on an unoptimized listing burns money.

### Minimum Thresholds

| Requirement | Threshold | Why |
|-------------|-----------|-----|
| Organic downloads | 100+/month | Proves baseline demand exists |
| App Store page CVR | > 20% | Ads amplify your listing — a bad listing wastes spend |
| Screenshots | 5+ optimized | Paid traffic sees your product page first |
| Ratings | 3.5+ stars (or none) | Low ratings kill conversion from ads |
| Crash-free rate | > 99% | Crashes destroy ROAS through refunds and bad reviews |
| Monetization | Active | No point acquiring users you can't monetize |

**If thresholds are not met:**
- Focus on organic ASO first (use `keyword-optimizer` skill)
- Fix product page conversion (use `screenshot-planner` and `app-description-writer` skills)
- Improve app quality and ratings before spending on acquisition

### Readiness Decision

```
Have 100+ organic downloads/month?
├── NO → Stop. Fix organic first.
└── YES → Is your product page CVR > 20%?
    ├── NO → Optimize listing first, then run ads.
    └── YES → Ready for Apple Search Ads.
```

## Campaign Types

Apple Search Ads offers four placement types. Not all are useful for indie developers.

### Search Results (Recommended Starting Point)

- **Where**: Top of search results when users search specific keywords
- **Targeting**: Keyword-based (exact match or broad match)
- **Cost model**: Cost Per Tap (CPT)
- **Best for**: High-intent users actively looking for your category
- **Indie priority**: Start here. This is where you get the most control and best ROAS.

### Search Tab

- **Where**: Top of the Search tab before user types anything
- **Targeting**: Audience-based (demographics, customer type)
- **Cost model**: Cost Per Tap (CPT)
- **Best for**: Brand awareness and discovery
- **Indie priority**: Use after Search Results campaigns are profitable. Good for launch visibility.

### Today Tab

- **Where**: Today tab in the App Store
- **Targeting**: Audience-based
- **Cost model**: Cost Per Tap (CPT)
- **Best for**: Mass awareness, seasonal pushes
- **Indie priority**: Usually too expensive for indie budgets. Skip unless budget allows $500+/day.

### Product Page (You Might Also Like)

- **Where**: "You Might Also Like" section on other apps' product pages
- **Targeting**: Audience and category-based
- **Cost model**: Cost Per Tap (CPT)
- **Best for**: Reaching users browsing competitor or related apps
- **Indie priority**: Good second campaign after Search Results. Lower intent but can find relevant users.

### Recommended Progression for Indie Developers

```
Stage 1: Search Results (exact match keywords)
    ↓ profitable?
Stage 2: Search Results (broad match for discovery)
    ↓ profitable?
Stage 3: Product Page (competitor audiences)
    ↓ profitable?
Stage 4: Search Tab (brand awareness)
```

## Keyword Strategy

### Keyword Categories

**1. Brand Keywords (Your App Name)**
- Bid on these ONLY if competitors are bidding on your name
- Check by searching your app name — if a competitor appears above you, bid
- Otherwise, save the budget; you already rank #1 organically

**2. Category Keywords (Generic Terms)**
- Examples: "todo app", "weather radar", "habit tracker"
- High volume, high competition, expensive
- Target long-tail variants: "simple todo app", "habit tracker no account"
- These are your bread and butter for growth

**3. Competitor Keywords (Rival App Names)**
- Legal and common practice in Apple Search Ads
- Lower conversion (users wanted the other app) but can be effective
- Best when your app has a clear advantage over that competitor
- Use Custom Product Pages to message directly against competitors

**4. Discovery Keywords (Problem/Solution)**
- Examples: "stop procrastinating", "save money automatically", "focus while studying"
- Lower volume but very high intent
- Often cheapest CPT because few advertisers target them
- Excellent ROAS potential

### Keyword Research Process

1. **Start with brainstorming** — List 50+ terms a user might search
2. **Use Search Ads keyword suggestions** — Apple provides recommendations in the campaign manager
3. **Mine your ASO research** — Keywords from `keyword-optimizer` skill that you can't rank organically
4. **Check autocomplete** — Type partial queries in the App Store
5. **Analyze competitors** — What keywords trigger their ads?
6. **Use Search Ads intelligence tools** — SearchAds.com, SplitMetrics Acquire, AppTweak

### Keyword Selection Criteria

| Factor | Target | Notes |
|--------|--------|-------|
| Relevance | High | Only bid on keywords your app genuinely serves |
| Search volume | Medium-High | Low volume = too few impressions to matter |
| Competition | Low-Medium | High competition = expensive CPT |
| Intent | Transactional | "best X app" > "what is X" |

## Budget Planning

### Budget by App Stage

| Stage | Daily Budget | Monthly Budget | Strategy |
|-------|-------------|----------------|----------|
| **Launch** (first 30 days) | $10-30/day | $300-900 | Discovery, keyword validation |
| **Growth** (months 2-6) | $50-100/day | $1,500-3,000 | Scale winners, cut losers |
| **Scale** (6+ months) | $100+/day | $3,000+ | Maximize profitable keywords |

### Launch Budget Allocation

```
Total: $20/day example

Search Results (Exact Match): $12/day (60%)
  → 10-15 carefully chosen keywords
  → Focus on category + discovery keywords

Search Results (Broad Match): $5/day (25%)
  → 3-5 broad terms for keyword discovery
  → Mine Search Terms report weekly for new exact match targets

Product Page Ads: $3/day (15%)
  → Target 2-3 competitor categories
  → Test which audiences convert
```

### When to Increase Budget

- ROAS > 1.5x target → Increase budget 20-30%
- High impression share on profitable keywords → Increase bid, not budget
- Discovered new profitable keyword clusters → Add budget for new ad groups

### When to Decrease Budget

- ROAS < 0.5x target for 7+ days → Pause or reduce
- CPT climbing with flat CVR → Market is getting competitive, reassess
- Seasonal dip in your category → Reduce and wait

## Bid Optimization

### CPT Benchmarks by Category

These are approximate ranges for the US market. Actual CPT varies by competition and keyword.

| Category | Low CPT | Median CPT | High CPT |
|----------|---------|------------|----------|
| Utilities | $0.30 | $0.80 | $2.00 |
| Productivity | $0.50 | $1.50 | $4.00 |
| Health & Fitness | $0.60 | $1.80 | $5.00 |
| Finance | $1.00 | $3.00 | $8.00 |
| Games (Casual) | $0.20 | $0.60 | $1.50 |
| Games (Mid-core) | $0.50 | $1.50 | $4.00 |
| Education | $0.40 | $1.20 | $3.00 |
| Photo & Video | $0.30 | $1.00 | $3.00 |
| Social | $0.40 | $1.20 | $3.50 |
| Shopping | $0.50 | $1.50 | $4.00 |

### Bid Strategy

**Starting bids:**
- Set initial bids at the median CPT for your category
- Let campaigns run for 3-5 days before adjusting
- Need at least 100 impressions per keyword to evaluate

**Raise bids when:**
- Impression share is low on a profitable keyword (you're being outbid)
- CVR is high but volume is low (more taps would mean more installs)
- ROAS is well above target (room to pay more per user)

**Lower bids when:**
- CPT is above your CPA target and CVR is average
- Impressions are high but TTR is low (keyword may not be relevant