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 (AppTweak data)
SoundCloud case study: CPPs in competitor campaigns led to 58% CR increase, 39% CPI reduction
Critical: 78% of App Store search volume comes from devices with Personalized Ads off. 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 & 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 & 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, and country codes in postbacks
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
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 & 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

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 & 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

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