Apple Search Ads Best Practices: A Simple Guide

Linus AntlovAI-Assisted byLinus Antlov Updated on

If you are reading this, you likely know that Apple Search Ads (ASA) is a powerful way to grow your mobile app. However, you might also be feeling frustrated that your campaigns are costing more than you expected.

I see this often with the founders and marketing teams I work with. It is very common to feel like you are just guessing with your budget.

The good news is that you don’t need a massive team to fix this. You just need a clearer structure and a focus on the right data. Here are a few best practices I use to help my clients turn their ads around, or help get them started on the right foot.

1. Keep Your Campaign Structure Simple

When starting out, it is easy to get overwhelmed. Some guides suggest dozens of campaigns, but I find that usually just makes things messy.

In my experience, sticking to three main campaign types works best for most apps:

  • Brand Campaign: This targets your own app name. It is crucial because if you don’t bid on your own name, other apps might appear there instead. Additionally, it makes it unprofitable for competitors to bid on your brand name.
  • Non-Brand Campaign: This is your main campaign. I prefer to group both “Generic” keywords (like fitness app) and “Competitor” keywords (your rivals’ names) here. It simplifies your setup, and instead of clicking around to find which campaigns you put specific keywords.
  • Discovery Campaign: This is where you find new ideas. You don’t pick specific exact match keywords here; instead, you let Apple discover new keywords for you to put into above two campaigns. It’s the best way to find ways to scale Apple Search Ads spending.

2. Understand Broad vs Exact Keywords


Knowing when to use which match type is half the battle. This helps you control your budget while still finding new users.

  • Exact Match: This is used on the Brand and Non-Brand campaigns. This tells Apple: “Only show my ad if someone types exactly this.” It gives you control over your spending for exact keywords.
  • Broad Match: Only use this for the Discovery campaign. It casts a wider net to help you discover more keywords that users are finding your app from, to drive profits. I find this the best way to find more new customers for your app.

A Helpful Tip: Adding Negatives to Discovery

This is a step many people miss. If you are bidding on the keyword “diet planner” in your Non-Brand campaign, you should add “diet planner” as a negative keyword in your Discovery campaign.

Why is this important? Because you don’t want your Discovery campaign to compete with your main campaigns. Using negatives forces Apple to only look for new terms in Discovery, which saves you money.

3. Track What Happens After the Install

This is the “technical” part that I really enjoy. Many people only track “Installs” or “CPA” (Cost Per Acquisition).

But an install doesn’t pay the bills, subscriptions and purchases do. If you pay £2 for a user who never opens the app, that budget is wasted. To see your true business ROI, you need to look deeper.

You need to focus on tracking post install metrics. This means checking if a user actually signed up, started a trial, or bought something.

  • Manual Tracking: If you are just starting, you can look at your Apple data and compare it raw data from tools like RevenueCat. Some of these give you granularity to see which keyword drove the sale.
  • Tools: As you grow, tools like SplitMetrics or Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs) like AppsFlyer become essential. They connect the dots for you, showing you exactly which keyword brought in a paying customer. For example, I was initially exporting Apple Search Ads data, and linking it to AppsFlyer raw keyword data, to see which keyword drove post install data. Using tools like Splitmetrics, this is automated.

Focus on Profit, Not Just Installs

At the end of the day, success comes down to understanding your performance data. If you know exactly how much profit each keyword generates, you know which keyword to bid higher for.

I know this can sound a bit technical at first. If you ever find yourself getting stuck or just want a second pair of eyes on your setup, feel free to reach out. I offer audits to help get your tracking and campaigns working properly.

You can learn more about how I can help on my Apple Search Ads Services page.

Linus Antlov
Linus Antlov

Digital Marketing Expert with 10+ years experience growing businesses via Growth Marketing.

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