Stack · Published 2026-04-07 · 2 min read
Apple Search Ads: a working playbook
A short summary of an interview with Viktor Orlov, founder of Asapty.
Link to the video.
Keyword analysis
- Apple's keyword popularity estimate does not work at the moment. You cannot rely on the popularity stars.
- Market size is better estimated through ASO tools such as FoxData.
- For picking keywords:
Not ChatGPT and not Google Keyword Planner. Use Apple's own suggestions right inside the interface.
The auction
- Apple has a minimum bid threshold below which it will not give you traffic at all. The threshold depends on the niche.
Example: invoice maker starts at $15 per install.
Campaign structure
- Recommended structure: one campaign equals one keyword.
Many keywords in one campaign means worse access to traffic.
- How to find the bid:
The auction reacts almost instantly, so
- start at about $0.10;
- raise it every hour until the first impressions appear.
- Main placements:
Use Search Results and Product Pages. Today Tab and Search Tab do not work — they suit brand awareness rather than user acquisition.
Optimisation
- Apple does not learn the way Meta and Google do, so traffic is stable from the start. You can change the budget without fear of breaking the learning phase.
- A campaign can run for months or years without performance degrading.
- Impression Share is the percentage of the auction you are buying out. If your share is close to 100%, raising the bid further is pointless. Impression share is convenient to work with in Asapty.
Duplicating campaigns does not work.
Geos
- Non-obvious geos work: Poland, Hungary, Switzerland. It is better to start by localising the ads.
Integration
- Any MMP is fine for working with Apple Search Ads.
A comment from me: in AppsFlyer, keyword analytics is a paid feature (ROI360).
News: Apple is adding a new search placement, probably below the results.
Next week, together with Kostya Pytkov (@UhtredMohair, ten years in user acquisition, spending $30–50K a month on subscription apps and $50K+ on gaming), we are launching a mini-course on Apple Search Ads and TikTok. We will go through detailed account setup and different working strategies.