Apple Search Ads

What the source does

• FilesystemNone observedNo reads or writes in the source
• NetworkNone observedNo outbound calls in the source
• ShellNone observedNo commands run in the source
• DependenciesPinnedNothing floats
• SecretsNone foundNo keys in source

Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass.

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha 7fd70e317e5c · 18 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publisherrshankras GitHub userOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source folderrshankras/claude-code-apple-skills/skills/app-store/apple-search-adsThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceMITAs the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict7fd70e317e5cA new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedLast push 85 days ago
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Apple Search Ads campaign strategy for indie developers — paid acquisition, keyword bidding, budget planning, and ROAS optimization. Use when user asks about running ads, paid user acquisition, or Apple Search Ads…

---
name: apple-search-ads
description: Apple Search Ads campaign strategy for indie developers — paid acquisition, keyword bidding, budget planning, and ROAS optimization. Use when user asks about running ads, paid user acquisition, or Apple Search Ads campaigns.
allowed-tools: [Read, Glob, Grep, AskUserQuestion, WebSearch]
last_verified: 2026-07-16
review_by: 2027-06-22
---

# 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. All placements price as **cost-per-tap on a second-price auction** — you pay just above the next-highest bid, never your max — with **no minimum spend**, and daily budgets are adjustable anytime.

### 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)
- **Requirements**: Ads always come from a Custom Product Page with **≥4 portrait or ≥5 landscape assets**, and undergo a separate creative review
- **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)
```

### Discovery Campaigns as Keyword Research

Beyond acquisition, a low-budget broad-match discovery campaign is the cheapest source of Apple's official keyword popularity data and the real queries users type. Even if it never turns a profit, harvest the Search Terms report into your organic metadata — see `keyword-optimizer` advanced tactics (§14) for the quarterly routine.

## 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

### The ASA → Organic Halo

Paid conversions on a keyword lift that keyword's **organic** rank — Apple's algorithm reads them as conversion velocity. Two implications:

- Run exact-match campaigns on your target organic terms to accelerate ra

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git clone https://github.com/rshankras/claude-code-apple-skills
git -C claude-code-apple-skills checkout 7fd70e317e5c

Works in

1. 2026-10-18
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 7fd70e317e5c

Questions about Apple Search Ads

• github.com/rshankras/claude-code-apple-skills/tree/main/skills/a — the audited source at commit 7fd70e317e5c and every finding aboveObserved · 18 Oct 2026

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