For mobile apps launching in new markets, Apple Search Ads is often the most intent-rich paid channel available. Users who search the App Store already want an app like yours. Ads appear at the top of search results, and costs are driven by how competitive the keywords are in each country. For a launch, it is usually worth testing early.
Basic vs Advanced
Apple offers two versions. Basic is largely automated: you set a monthly budget and a maximum cost per install, and Apple decides where to show your ads. It suits small teams who want simplicity. Advanced gives keyword-level control, audience refinements, multiple campaigns and detailed reporting. Most growth teams use Advanced once they want to manage cost by keyword and market.
Structuring Advanced campaigns
A common structure uses four campaign types per market:
- Brand: your app name and close variants. Cheap, high conversion, protects against competitors bidding on your name.
- Category: generic terms describing what your app does.
- Competitor: names of competing apps, where policy allows. Expensive, lower conversion; test carefully.
- Discovery: broad match and search match to find new keywords, which you then move into the other campaigns.
Keep markets in separate campaigns so budgets and bids reflect local competition.
Localise the product page first
Search Ads uses your App Store product page as the ad creative. If the screenshots and description are not localised, conversion suffers no matter how good the keywords are. Localise at least the title, subtitle, first three screenshots and description for each launch market. Custom product pages let you match creative to keyword themes, which can lift conversion further.
Budget and bids for a launch
Start with modest daily budgets per market and default bids around the suggested range. After a week, look at tap-through rate and conversion rate by keyword. Raise bids on keywords that convert well below your target cost per install; pause those that spend without converting. Add negative keywords for irrelevant searches surfaced by discovery campaigns.
Measuring beyond installs
Install volume is easy to buy. What matters is whether those users activate, subscribe or pay. Connect Search Ads attribution to your analytics or mobile measurement partner and judge keywords by cost per activated user or cost per paying user. Brand keywords often look expensive per install but bring the best retention.
How it fits the wider plan
Apple Search Ads captures existing demand; it does not create it. Pair it with channels that build awareness, such as short video ads and creator content, and with organic App Store optimisation. As awareness grows, brand searches rise and Search Ads becomes cheaper.
For the full user acquisition path for AI apps and tools going overseas, see our article on how AI products acquire users overseas.
Published by PandaWM, an overseas marketing team based in Hong Kong.