In our previous blog, we have discussed how Apple Search Ads has emerged as a powerful platform for app advertisers aiming to reach their target audience on iOS devices. One key aspect that drives the success of Apple Search Ads campaigns is strategic keyword bidding. By effectively bidding on keywords, advertisers can optimize their ad placements, maximize visibility and drive quality installs.
In this article, we will explore the best practices for keyword bidding on ASA, and how AI-led keyword discovery and optimization can empower app advertisers to make the most of their campaigns to achieve exceptional results.
Types of Keyword Bidding for Apple Search Ads Campaigns
The three broad strategies for optimal campaign performance can be bucketed as:
- Brand: search on a particular brand name/exact match
- Generic/broad match: category-related user intent keywords
- Competitor: bid on competitor keywords to broaden your share of voice and increase visibility
Best Practices for Keyword Bidding on Apple Search Ads
- Conduct thorough keyword research: This is the foundation of building a successful keyword bidding strategy. Marketers can start by listing all the relevant keywords that align with the app’s features, functionality, and target audience. To expand the keyword list, often marketers begin by identifying high-volume and low-competition keywords. Strive for a balance between relevance and search volume to target keywords that align with user intent and have the potential to drive meaningful engagement.
- Prioritize relevance: Relevance is key when it comes to keyword bidding. Targeting highly relevant keywords increases the likelihood of the ad appearing in front of right users who are genuinely interested in the app, leading to higher conversion rates.
- Leverage match types: ASA offers different match types to refine keyword targeting. Broad Match allows your ads to appear for search queries that are variations or synonyms of your targeted keywords. However, it’s essential to monitor performance closely and regularly review campaign reports to identify any irrelevant matches. Interestingly, while phrase match and exact match can offer more control, an experienced ad partner can help you to experiment with different match types to find the right balance between reach and precision based on your campaign goals.
- Monitor and optimize: Any ad campaign relies on regular monitoring and optimization for its success. ASA is no different. Keep a close eye on performance metrics such as impressions, tap through rate and conversions. Identify keywords that are driving positive results and increase bids for those keywords to boost visibility. Conversely, identify underperforming keywords and consider adjusting bids, pausing, or removing them from your campaigns. Continuously testing and optimizing your keyword bids based on performance data is key to maximizing your return on investment (ROI).
- Monitor the competitive landscape: While you may be doing your ASA right, it is possible that your competition is even doing better! It’s important to stay informed on the competitive landscape to make sure which competitors are consistently appearing in top ad positions. It’s also important to keep an eye on bid fluctuations and adjust your bids strategically to maintain a competitive edge in the auction.
- Match keywords to the right metadata fields: To ensure that your application gets indexed for chosen keywords on the App Store, it is important to strategically position each keyword in the appropriate metadata field basis its importance. Essential metadata fields for such keyword optimization include the app name, subtitle, keyword field and search ads. Several key factors can impact app rankings. For eg, the app title is one such important factor prioritized by the App Store, as it not only serves as the first impression for potential users, but also carries the greatest weight in keyword rankings.
But Wait, Is Manual Keyword Bidding & Optimization Enough for Your Goals?
While keyword bidding and optimization requires expertise, manual keyword bidding involves constant monitoring and adjustments. Because manual keyword bidding relies on man-hours, advertisers can also find themselves struggling to handle the complexity of large-scale campaigns and optimize for each individual keyword. Manual efforts also mean that you are limited by the amount of keywords that can be generated and bid upon.
This can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially for campaigns with a large scale. It’s challenging to manually keep up with the ever-changing competitive landscape and adjust bids in real-time to maintain a competitive position.
Advertisers may rely on their intuition or limited data to make bidding decisions, which may not always lead to optimal results. Additionally, manual optimization may lack the ability to quickly adapt to changes in user behavior and market dynamics, potentially resulting in missed opportunities or inefficiencies in bid management.
Automated keyword bidding can revolutionize the efficiency and scalability of an ASA campaign. With AI-driven solutions like Newton, advertisers can leverage automated bidding strategies to save valuable man-hours that would otherwise be spent on manual bid adjustments. In addition to this, Newton also gives advertisers access to real-time data and makes bid adjustments based on performance goals. With automated keyword bidding, the share of voice – and hence the scale of campaign – can be maximized to deliver scalability, performance, and broader reach.
Want to see if your keyword bidding strategy is effective? Request a free ASA audit with our team of experts!