ASA 101: A Definitive Guide to Elevate Your App’s Visibility and Boost Downloads

The Image that shows Apple Search Ads from the Mobile Phone.

Apple Search Ads (ASA) is Apple’s native advertising network – a collection of highly engaged audiences looking for an app that will solve their problem or catch their attention. Apple Search Advertising provides a distinctive approach to reach new audiences and encourage valuable installations with its friendly advertising that blends in with publisher content.

You clearly want to ensure that your investment in ASA will be profitable before making one. For this reason, a thorough rundown of all the possibilities should be the ideal place to start.

There is a lot to learn about ASA. They have made some big changes recently and as a developer, getting your ads to perform well can be time-consuming and confusing. Here’s everything you need to learn to master it from A-Z.

Screenshot of the Header, subheader and call-to-action of the Apple Search Ads website.

What Is Apple Search Ads (ASA)?

ASA is the advertising platform that displays your ads in the App Store. It was launched by Apple in September 2017 to support its plans to become a significant mobile advertisement provider.

According to Apple’s website:
Apple Search Ads helps people discover your app when they search on the App Store, matching customers with your app right when they’re looking.”

Where Is Apple Search Ads Available?

ASA is available in a lot of countries but there are still some countries where the platform is not available yet. According to its website, advertisers in Apple are still trying to work on making the platform available for all countries.

You can see the list of countries ASA is available here.

How Effective Is Apple Search Ads?

The effectiveness of the platform may vary depending on your app, your ads, and your strategy. When used effectively, ASA is regarded as one of the greatest ways to advertise an app, and market data backs this up.

In 2022, the App Store housed 2.184 million applications and games. With 500 million weekly visitors, reports affirm the platform’s success with data.

You may read Apple Search Ads’ success stories to learn more about how it works and how it helps mobile apps succeed.

The Image that shows percentages of the success and effectiveness of Apple Search Ads

What is Cost-Per-Tap (CPT) in Apple Search Ads?

CPT is an advertising model; this means you pay every time someone taps on your ad. Your CPT is calculated by dividing your total cost by the number of impressions you’ve received.

When bidding, you will set your Max CPT per Ad Group or Keyword Level. You will only be charged for the maximum cost Per Tap you choose, but you may miss out on bids if you do not lower your CPT enough to compete with other marketers.

What is Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA) in Apple Search Ads?

CPA is an essential metric for determining the performance of your Apple Search Ads marketing. It mostly affects your bottom line. In order to ensure high Return on Investment (ROI) levels, you should test multiple ad sets at a time and identify the winning ones. In a way, it is affected by the Tap-Through Rate (TTR), the Conversion Rate, and your CPT. Any weaknesses during your user acquisition process can end up increasing your acquisition costs.

The Image that shows Apple Search Ads inside of the Mobile Phone.

Is ASA Just For Apps?

Yes, ASA is a platform that’s created for mobile apps. You can only advertise mobile apps and reach users who are searching for mobile apps.

What Is the Difference Between Apple Search Ads Basic And Advanced?

While the Basic option works with the Cost-Per-Install (CPI) model and allows a maximum budget of $10,000 with up to 50 apps, the Advanced model allows many more options. The Advanced section of ASA allows an unlimited budget with an unlimited number of apps and gives full control of your bids and keywords. It allows catering your ads specifically to different audiences, regions, and more. This section also calculates your bids with a Cost-Per-Click (CPC) model. It’s important to note that the Basic version of ASA doesn’t have these options and targets your audience by machine learning.

In other words, the Advanced section of ASA is where everything happens because you can display your ads to the users who are looking for your app.

Screenshot of the landing page of Apple Search Ads, explaining basic and advanced ads.

How Do Apple Search Ads Work?

ASA allows you to create highly relevant ad groups with one or more keywords and target them by country, language, device type, and ‘App Category’. Apple App Search generates separate search queries for each of the 24 countries where it is available. The platform works by allowing you to bid on keywords so that your app can appear above organic search results when users type in relevant searches on their iPhones or iPads.

With Apple Search Ads, you can establish your own budget, target particular demographics, and track your ROI in real-time. It’s also an excellent approach to encourage individuals who have previously downloaded your software to return and use it again.

Depending on your keyword, bidding, and localization strategy, the ad platform helps you reach your potential users this way.

By now, you should be quite familiar with Apple Search Ads. If you’re just getting started, you should understand the fundamentals of Apple search ads methodology for apps. ASA is a great way to maximize your App Store Page visibility. Through careful implementation and ongoing optimization, your ASA could be one of the most beneficial places to achieve the goals you have for your mobile app.