Apple Ads (formerly Apple Search Ads) Deep Analysis

Process

• Collect Apple Ads account data (exports from Apple Ads dashboard or pasted metrics)

• Identify active placement types (Search Results, Search Tab, Today Tab, Product Pages)

• Evaluate all applicable checks as PASS, WARNING, or FAIL

• Calculate ASA Health Score (0-100)

• 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 &#x26; 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 &#x26; 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:

Placement

Where

Best for

Benchmark CPT

Search Results

Below search results

High intent, bottom funnel

$0.50-$3.00

Search Tab

Top of Search tab

Discovery, mid funnel

$0.30-$1.50

Today Tab

App Store home

Brand awareness

$1.00-$5.00

Product Pages

Competitor/related app pages

Competitor conquesting

$0.50-$2.00

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):

Category

Avg CPT

Avg TTR

Avg Install CVR

Target CPI

Games

$0.50-$1.00

3-5%

55-70%

$1.00-$3.00

Health &#x26; Fitness

$1.50-$3.00

2-4%

45-60%

$3.00-$8.00

Productivity

$1.00-$2.50

2-3.5%

50-65%

$2.00-$5.00

Finance

$2.00-$5.00

1.5-3%

40-55%

$5.00-$15.00

Education

$1.00-$2.00

2-4%

50-65%

$2.00-$6.00

Shopping

$0.80-$2.00

2.5-4%

45-60%

$2.00-$5.00

Lifestyle

$0.80-$1.80

2-3.5%

45-60%

$2.00-$5.00

Country-level benchmarks:

• Tier 1 (US, UK, AU, CA, JP): CPT 2-3× above global average; highest LTV

• Tier 2 (DE, FR, KR, SG, HK): CPT 1-1.5× above global average

• Tier 3 (BR, IN, MX): CPT 30-60% below Tier 1; high volume, lower LTV

Checks:

• Actual CPI vs target CPI (from MMP); flag if >2x target

• CPI trend over 30 days (improving or worsening?)

• Revenue events: is ROAS positive within MMP attribution window?

Overall Benchmarks (2025 SplitMetrics data)

Metric

Search Results Average

TTR (Tap-Through Rate)

9.7%

Conversion Rate

66.2%

CPT (Cost Per Tap)

$2.25

CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)

$3.76

• US is the highest-cost market

• AMEI (Africa/Middle East/India) is most cost-efficient and stable

• International markets often deliver 3-5x better CPI than US with comparable LTV for subscription apps

Platform Changes (v1.5)

ID

Check

Severity

Notes

ASA-MA1

Multiple ads per query readiness

Medium

Rolling out March 2026: up to 2 ads per search query (was 1). Changes competitive dynamics: more search results real estate available. Evaluate bid strategy for increased competition

Deprecated:

• Creative Sets: fully deprecated. Only CPPs now (up to 70 per app)

• CPA Cap: being retired in favor of Target CPA via Maximize Conversions

• Demographic audience targeting as primary strategy: 78% of App Store search volume comes from devices with Personalized Ads off (Apple's Q1 2022 internal data; conversion rate is nearly identical between opted-in and opted-out users — 62.1% vs 62.5%)

Output Format

## Apple Ads Audit

**ASA Health Score: [X]/100**

### Critical Issues ([count])

- [Issue with specific impact and fix]

### High Priority ([count])

- [Issue]

### Campaign Structure

PASS/WARNING/FAIL for each check category

### Benchmark Comparison

[Metric] | Your Account | ASA Benchmark | Status

### Quick Wins (do this week)

1. [Most impactful fix with expected outcome]

2.

3.

### Recommended Next Steps

[Prioritized action plan]

Scoring Weights

Category

Weight

Campaign Structure

25%

Bid Health

20%

Custom Product Pages

15%

Attribution &#x26; MMP

15%

Budget Pacing

10%

TAP Coverage

10%

Goal KPI Assessment

5%

Data to Request from User

If not provided, ask for:

• Campaign list with spend, installs, CPT, TTR, CVR (last 30 days)

• Active placement types

• MMP being used (AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch, Singular, or none)

• Target CPI / CPA and app category

• Countries/regions active

• Whether Custom Product Pages are set up in App Store Connect