Apple Ads (formerly Apple Search Ads) Deep Analysis

Process

1. Collect Apple Ads account data (exports from Apple Ads dashboard or pasted metrics)
2. Identify active placement types (Search Results, Search Tab, Today Tab, Product Pages)
3. Evaluate all applicable checks as PASS, WARNING, or FAIL
4. Calculate ASA Health Score (0-100)
5. Generate findings report with action plan

What to Analyze

Campaign Structure (25% weight)

BOFU; Bottom of Funnel (Search Results, Exact Match brand)

• Brand keyword campaign present (own app name + misspellings)
• Competitor campaign present (competitor app names as keywords)
• Category campaigns targeting high-intent generic terms (e.g. "workout app", "budget tracker")

MOFU; Middle of Funnel (Search Match / broad discovery)

• Search Match campaigns active in at least one ad group for discovery
• Search Match ad groups isolated from Exact Match (separate ad groups; never mix)
• Search Terms Report reviewed to mine converting queries for Exact Match promotion

Campaign Architecture Rules:

• Brand / Category / Competitor should be separate campaigns (different CPT bids, budgets)
• Search Match ad groups isolated from manual keyword ad groups; NEVER mix in same ad group
• Goal: let Search Match discover, then promote winners to Exact Match campaigns

Bid Health (20% weight)

CPT (Cost Per Tap) vs Install Rate by Match Type:

• CPT vs category benchmarks (see Benchmarks section below)
• TTR (Tap-Through Rate): benchmark >2.5% for Search Results, >1.5% for Search Tab
• Conversion Rate (tap → install): benchmark 50-65% for brand terms, 20-40% for category
• CPT/CPG (Cost Per Goal): compare against target CPI/CPA from MMP

Bid Strategy:

• Manual CPT bidding appropriate for small/new accounts
• Maximize Conversions (GA February 26, 2026): AI-powered auto-bidder using Search Match that sets optimal bids per search query in real time. Target CPA (weekly average target) replaces CPA Cap (being deprecated). Recommended daily budget: at least 5x target CPA. Two-week learning period minimum. Current limitation: only optimizes for installs, NOT post-install events (no trial, subscription, or ROAS optimization yet)
• CPA Goals available at campaign level; evaluate if conversion volume supports it (>100 installs/month per campaign)
• Are bids differentiated by match type? (Brand Exact > Category Exact > Search Match)
• Keyword-level CPT bids set, not just ad group default?

Keyword Health:

• Irrelevant Search Terms (from Search Match) identified and excluded via negative keywords
• Low-performing keywords paused or bid reduced (TTR <1% + high CPT)
• High-volume generic terms checked for intent quality (avoid "free apps" type queries)

Custom Product Pages (15% weight)

Creative Sets fully deprecated. CPPs are now the sole ad variation mechanism. CPP limit doubled to 70 in October 2025.

Custom Product Pages (CPP):

• CPPs created in App Store Connect? (up to 70 per app as of Oct 2025)
• At least 3 CPP variants tested per campaign type (different value props per audience)
• CPP assets aligned with ad group keyword themes (e.g. fitness keywords → fitness screenshots)
• CPPs increase conversion rates ~8% for games, ~6.6% for non-gaming apps (per AppTweak CPP guide)
• SoundCloud case study: CPPs in competitor campaigns led to 58% CR increase, 39% CPI reduction (AppTweak case study)
• Critical: 78% of App Store search volume comes from devices with Personalized Ads off (per Apple's Q1 2022 internal data, 9to5Mac). Use creative-based targeting (CPP asset alignment) rather than demographic audience filters

Default (Store Listing) Creative:

• App icon, subtitle, and first 3 screenshots optimized; these show in ads by default
• Short description (170 chars) compelling and keyword-rich
• Preview video present (strongly recommended for TTR improvement)

Creative Testing:

• CPP performance compared: which variant has highest TTR and lowest CPI?
• Deep links in CPPs available on iOS/iPadOS 18+ (test for re-engagement)
• CPPs can now be assigned organic keywords (WWDC 2025), bridging paid/organic optimization

Attribution & MMP Health (15% weight)

MMP Integration (Critical):

• MMP (AppsFlyer / Adjust / Branch / Singular) integrated with Apple Ads via AdAttributionKit + ATT
• Apple Ads properly connected as a partner in MMP dashboard
• In-app events being sent back to Apple Ads (enables Maximize Conversions and ROAS optimization)
• Post-install event quality: are purchase, subscription_start, or other revenue events tracked?

AdAttributionKit & Dual Attribution (April 10, 2025):

• Apple Ads registered with AdAttributionKit (SKAN v1-3), creating dual attribution for the first time
• Installs now report through BOTH SKAN/AAK postbacks AND the AdServices API
• WWDC 2025: configurable attribution windows, overlapping re-engagement windows, attribution cooldowns, and country codes in postbacks (Apple Developer, WWDC25 session 221; Singular recap)
• SKAdNetwork conversion values configured in MMP (maps user actions to conversion windows)
• ATT opt-in rate monitored (low ATT rate = less MMP data, more reliance on SKAN/AAK)
• Privacy threshold considerations: are campaigns getting postbacks or null reports?

Attribution Windows:

• Default Apple Ads attribution: 30-day click, 1-day view; appropriate for app install goals?
• WWDC 2025 added configurable windows and overlapping re-engagement windows (iOS 18.4+, requires EligibleForAdAttributionKitOverlappingConversions=YES in Info.plist; see WWDC25 session 221)
• For re-engagement or subscription goals: evaluate longer lookback windows

Budget Pacing (10% weight)

• Daily cap set at campaign level (budget pacing in ASA is daily, not monthly)
• Actual daily spend vs daily cap ratio: flag if consistently hitting cap (could be missing volume)
• Conversely: flag if spend is <50% of daily cap (creative or bid issue, not budget)
• Budget split across placement types aligned with performance (don't over-invest in underperforming placements)
• Lifetime budget campaigns (if used): check end dates and pacing curves

TAP Coverage: Placement Types (10% weight)

ASA offers 4 placement types; evaluate coverage and performance:

Evaluation:

• Search Results: must be active (highest intent placement)
• Search Tab: active for scale? Evaluate CPT and TTR vs Search Results
• Today Tab: only if budget >$3k/month and brand awareness is a goal (high CPT, low intent)
• Product Pages: competitive opportunity; are competitor CPPs being targeted?

Goal CPA / KPI Assessment (5% weight)

Benchmarks by Category (2025-2026 ASA averages):