What Is Apple Search Ads (ASA)?

Apple Search Ads is Apple’s paid program that places your app in prominent App Store spots — most notably at the top of Search results — based on keyword targeting and an auction. You bid, Apple scores relevance and expected tap-through, and you pay per tap (CPT).

In short: in Search results, you show up when people are already searching for what your app does.

Ads can appear in Search results, the Today tab, the Search tab, and Product pages of iOS apps. For Search results ads, you target keywords (Exact or Broad), Apple runs an auction, and you’re charged only when someone taps.

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For example, a user searches “budget planner.” Your promoted result appears at the top. A tap = you pay your CPT; impressions alone are free.

What is Apple Search Ads Search Popularity?

Search Popularity is Apple’s relative index of how frequently a keyword is searched on the App Store. It’s a demand signal — not exact search volume.

Think of a 0–100-style meter that compares keywords to each other. Higher means more people search that term, but higher ≠ better if relevancy or conversion is weak.

How to use it:

• Shortlist and cluster by theme (brand, generic, competitor).
• Balance head terms (demand) with long-tail (often higher intent).
• Localize by market — popularity shifts across countries/locales.

For example, “meditation” may rate higher than “sleep sounds,” but a sleep app might convert better to “sleep sounds” because it matches the job-to-be-done.

What is Apple Search Ads Impression Share?

Apple search ads impression share definition: Impression Share is the percentage of total eligible impressions your ad actually received for a keyword or audience segment.

It shows how much available visibility you captured. Low Impression Share usually points to budget caps, bids too low vs. competition, or weak relevance/expected TTR.

Formula:

Impression Share = (Your Impressions ÷ Total Eligible Impressions) × 100

For example, 20,000 impressions out of 80,000 eligible = 25% Impression Share.

FAQs

What is Apple Search Ads?
Apple Search Ads is Apple’s advertising platform that places app promotions in App Store placements (like Search results) using keyword targeting and an auction, with cost per tap billing.

What is Apple Search Ads Search Popularity?
It’s Apple’s relative index of how often a keyword is searched on the App Store — useful for comparing demand, but it’s not exact search volume.

What is Apple Search Ads Impression Share?
It’s the percentage of total eligible impressions your ad captured for a keyword or audience segment: (Your Impressions ÷ Eligible Impressions) × 100.

Is Search Popularity the same as volume?
No. It’s a comparative index. Treat it as a demand signal, then validate with your impressions and install data.

How do you calculate Impression Share?
Impression Share = (Your Impressions ÷ Total Eligible Impressions) × 100.

How do I increase Impression Share without blowing up CPT?

• Lift daily caps before bids; throttling hides delivery.
• Sharpen relevance (metadata/creatives) to boost expected TTR — better quality can win more auctions at the same CPT.
• Harvest queries from Broad/Search Match → move winners to Exact.
• Add negatives to cut junk.
• Segment brand vs. generic; shift budget to the cheapest CPA pockets.

Is Search Popularity the same as volume?
No. It’s a relative index of demand — not raw counts. Use it to compare keywords, then validate with real impressions, taps, and installs by locale/date. Treat Search Popularity as a compass; your actual traffic metrics are the map.

Broad vs Exact: which wins on cost?
Broad vs Exact don’t define cost directly — they define how closely a user’s search term has to match your keyword. Any CPT/CPA differences are a side effect of the traffic they pull in.

Exact: tighter match, usually higher relevance and stronger CVR, more stable CPA; great for scaling proven terms (often best for brand).
Broad / Search Match: wider net, can surface new queries and sometimes cheaper CPT, but with more waste; best used for discovery with tight caps + negatives.
Play: explore with Broad/Search Match → graduate consistent winners into Exact.