An Intro to Apple Search Ads for Subscription-Based Apps

Apple's platform presents an array of options for app developers and marketers to promote their apps. Among these, Apple Search Ads stand out as a robust tool for promoting subscription-based apps. But what makes Apple Search Ads so special? The secret lies in the rich, accurate marketing attribution data they provide.

In this article, I'll dig into the world of Apple Search Ads, how they function, and how you can leverage them to grow your app.

Apple Search Ads is a mobile ad platform that allows developers to advertise their apps directly within the App Store search results. When users search for a specific keyword related to your app, your ad can appear at the top of the search results, thereby increasing your app's visibility and potential downloads. This targeted approach makes it a potent tool for promoting subscription-based apps.

The effectiveness of Apple Search Ads is supported by robust statistics that highlight the platform's potential for success. According to AppsFlyer's benchmark index (https://index.appsflyer.com/), Apple Search Ads is ranking number #1 for non-gaming apps user acquisition by retention, showing high value of users acquired through the platform.

These underscore the potential of Apple Search Ads for promoting subscription-based apps, making it a key element in any subscription app marketing strategy.

Marketing attribution data forms the backbone of any advertising campaign. It helps you determine which campaigns, keywords, or ads drive the most subscriptions or in-app purchases, allowing you to optimize your advertising budget for better results. One of the major benefits of Apple Search Ads is that they provide this data on a keyword level, making it easier to attribute in-app revenue and in-app subscriptions to the exact ad spend.

However, accessing this rich data through Apple's API can be challenging without the right technical tools.

Most likely you don't have time and resources to build your attribution solution on top of Apple's API. You want to focus on buidling your app and growing it. So you need to use third party solution to jump start you Apple Search Ads user acquisition.

We at Qonversion are building the powerful analytics platform specifically designed for subscription apps. For full disclosure, I'm the Co-Founder of Qonversion.

Qonversion takes the complexity out of accessing Apple's API by offering this functionality out of the box, enabling you to easily track and analyze your marketing attribution data.

Setting up Qonversion is straightforward.

Once you've linked your app with Qonversion, you can start receiving accurate marketing attribution data from your Apple Search Ads campaigns. You are getting ASA data in a simple customizable dashboard with all metrics needed - from impressions and installs to subscriptions and revenue.

You can also see the ROAS of your campaigns and even keywords. This empowers you to make informed decisions about your ad spend, understand your return on investment, and ultimately grow your subscription base.

Apart from simplifying access to Apple Search Ads attribution data, Qonversion provides in-depth subscription analytics that help you understand your app's performance. It offers insights into subscription metrics like conversion rates, retention rates, and churn rates, giving you a holistic understanding of your app's health. It's not just an analytics tool; it's a comprehensive solution for managing and optimizing your subscription-based app.

Apple Search Ads, combined with the power of Qonversion, can greatly enhance the promotion of your subscription-based apps. By unlocking access to accurate marketing attribution data, you can better attribute in-app revenue and subscriptions to specific campaigns or keywords. This, in turn, empowers you to optimize your ad spend, making every dollar count towards acquiring valuable users for your app.