Apple Ads 2026: Cut the Hype, Keep the ROAS

By techgrad | October 9, 2025

Apple’s rebrand to Apple Ads doesn’t change the core task: drive profitable acquisition, with App Store Search Results remaining the top-performing placement. Run Advanced (not Basic) with a four-lane structure—Brand, Category, Competitor, Discovery—enforced by negatives, and use Custom Product Pages to align creative to intent for measurable conversion lifts. Bid to a CPA target using observed CVR, adjust bids gradually, avoid early CPA caps, and focus targeting on keywords and geo rather than demographic filters that limit reach. Scale budgets incrementally, measure with an MMP and AdAttributionKit (consider VTA), and prioritize ROAS or LTV/CAC over vanity metrics like impression share.

TL;DR Start with Advanced (not Basic), prioritize Search Results, run a clean four-campaign structure, use Custom Product Pages to match intent and conquest, bid by CPA and conversion rate with small changes, avoid demographic filters, add negatives weekly, scale budgets gradually, measure with an MMP and AdAttributionKit, and keep your eye on ROAS—not impression share.

Apple rebrands, but the job is the same: profitable acquisition

Apple Search Ads is now “Apple Ads.” Translation: Apple’s signaling they’re playing beyond pure App Store search. That’s interesting for the future, but today the revenue workhorse is still the App Store—especially Search Results, where reported conversion rates can clear 60% thanks to explicit user intent. Don’t let the rebrand distract you from the same core job: buy profit, not volume.

Control vs convenience: skip Basic, go Advanced

Basic mode caps spend at $10,000 per app per month and starves you of control. Advanced gives you keyword targeting and bid control, and typically yields 15–25% lower CPIs when managed properly. If you care about efficiency—and you should—Advanced is non-negotiable.

Know your placements (and what they’re for)

  • Search Results: Highest intent, highest conversion. Start here.
  • Search Tab: Pre-search discovery. Treat as incremental reach with tight guardrails.
  • Today Tab: Big visibility, big cost. Use for brand pushes, not efficiency.
  • Product Pages: Smart for conquesting and cross-promoting—pair with Custom Product Pages.

Structure that scales: four campaigns, clean lanes

  • Brand: Exact match your brand/app name. Cheap, protective, and stabilizing.
  • Category: Non-branded intent terms. Monitor competitors and margins closely.
  • Competitor: Bid on rival terms. Win with relevant Creative via Custom Product Pages.
  • Discovery: Broad match test bed. Keep exact-match negatives to prevent cannibalization.

Hard rule: no keyword overlap across these lanes. It keeps reporting clean and budget allocation intentional. Review search terms weekly and add negatives—this is your quality control.

Custom Product Pages: where intent meets creative

Apple lets you build up to 35 Custom Product Pages (CPPs). Use them. Tailor screenshots, messaging, and value props to match the keyword intent or the competitor you’re conquesting. Reported conversion lifts are meaningful—around 8% for games and 6.6% for non-gaming. In other words, CPPs are not decoration; they’re leverage.

Bid like a pro: CPA x CVR, small moves, steady hands

Your bid math is simple: back into max CPT from CPA goals and observed conversion rates. If your CPA target is $20 and you convert at 40%, your ceiling CPT is roughly $8. Make incremental bid changes (think 10–20% at a time) to avoid yo-yoing delivery. Resist slapping on CPA caps too early—let the system learn enough to find pockets of efficiency first.

Targeting: keywords win; demographics can kneecap you

Demographic filters can exclude users who have Personalized Ads disabled. That shrinks reach and muddies performance. Stay focused on:

  • Keywords: Intent targeting still does the heavy lifting.
  • CPP alignment: Creative must match the query or competitor context.
  • Geo: Use geographic targeting to keep spend where you actually monetize.

Scaling: gradual budgets, ROAS over vanity

When a campaign is hitting goals, increase budget gradually. Use Impression Share as a directional signal, not a KPI. It doesn’t pay the bills. ROAS (or blended CAC vs. LTV) does.

Measure like an adult: AdAttributionKit, VTA, and your MMP</h

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