Utilizing Strategic Bidding and Keyword Journeys to deliver Apple Ads success

Apple Search Ads, rebranded to ‘Apple Ads’ in April 2025, is Apple’s advertising solution for advertisers wishing to increase app visibility within the App Store. Gaining visibility in the App Store is essential, as competition to attract new users is fierce, with over a thousand new apps added daily. Apple Ads offers advertisers one of the most efficient acquisition channels for iOS apps, thanks to the ability to reach a high-intent audience, offer premium placements, and safe access to first-party data. 

This blog outlines a successful test using Apple Search Ads including;

• What the Apple Search Ads test entailed
• Tactics used for testing
• Key findings

Apple Ads also offer advertisers the opportunity to protect and defend brand terms, which can help prevent competitors from ‘stealing’ traffic while maintaining brand visibility within the App Store. Utilizing Apple Ads with specific tactics is a good example of how we combine channel automation with human expertise to interpret data and identify trends, ensuring client campaigns run as efficiently as possible.

The Test

Like all the teams at M+C Saatchi Performance, the Search & Social team runs ongoing testing across channels and tactics to continually optimize client campaigns. This includes bidding tactics on Apple Ads to protect brand terms. 

In one case (with a sports betting app), the team tested automated bidding strategies with Search Ads Maven by Kochava, an Apple Ads campaign management platform. 

• Market: US
• Timeframe: Spring & Summer 2024
• Goal: Acquire new customers within the target cost per acquisition (CPA) range
• Strategy: Apply new automated bidding strategies for brand, generic & competitor keywords

Testing Tactics:

1. Brand Defense via Strategic Losing^TM Campaign: 

This proprietary automation template from Search Ads Maven maintains bid position just below the winning bid level for a specific keyword when the cost per tap (CPT) is too high, allowing competitive bidders to win the impression at increased cost. Over time, competitors may either increase spend to maintain impression share, or reduce bidding entirely on specific keywords as they exhaust their budget. When bidding automation detects the CPT drop below a certain threshold, either in the day or over time, the algorithm shifts to a winning strategy, capitalizing on the now lower-priced keywords. 

2. Generic Keyword Journey Campaign: 

This automation template manages bidding based on the role of each keyword on the path to conversion, from initial exposure to delivering business goals. Within Search Ads Maven, the Keyword Journey strategy strikes the balance between optimizing spend on high-performing keywords and allocating controlled “exploratory spend” to keywords that haven’t yet converted but show potential.

Using a 30-day lookback window, the automation evaluates each keyword during every cycle and categorizes it into one of five distinct stages. Each stage represents a step in the keyword’s journey:

1. Exploration Stage – For keywords with limited or no activity, a strategic exploratory bid is applied to test performance potential without overspending.
2. Impression Stage – The keyword is receiving impressions at a given bid level.
3. Tap Stage – Once taps are observed, a new bid strategy is activated to increase visibility and encourage deeper engagement.
4. Install Stage – When installs are attributed, the bid is further refined to prioritize acquisition efficiency.
5. Goal Stage – If the keyword starts producing downstream goals (e.g., purchases, subscriptions), the bid is optimized for maximum ROI.

This adaptive approach ensures that every keyword is treated according to its performance maturity—aggressively bidding on proven performers while cautiously investing in new opportunities that may evolve into future winners.

Key Findings:

The tests showed a variety of results across campaigns. Significant improvements in cost-per-goal efficiency were observed across all campaigns, with the client’s primary goal being a lower cost per first-time deposit (CPFD). The impact on user registration and first-time deposits differed, with two campaigns showing strong growth and one prioritising cost reduction over volume.

Brand Defense Strategic Losing Campaign achieved significant growth:

• Registrations increased by 134.8%
• First-time deposits (FTD) increased by 100.3%
• 52.8% reduction in CPA

Generic Keyword Journey Campaign focused on cost efficiency:

• 58.7% decrease in CPA
• 40.3% reduction in overall spend, despite a decline in registration and FTD

Competitive Keyword Journey Campaign showed strong conversion growth:

• FTD increased by 48.7%
• Registrations rose by 23.0%
• 55.8% decrease in CPA and a 28.3% decrease in spend

In Summary

​​Strategic testing frameworks are an essential part of all performance campaigns, regardless of the channel. In this instance, the tactics tested showed the importance of understanding the nuance of the different types of campaigns Apple Ads offers advertisers. 

The brand defense tactics enabled the client to protect their brand against competitor bidding, reduce overall spending on brand terms, while increasing performance for almost all metrics 

The generic keyword journey campaigns enable an understanding of user intent and behavior, helping to identify how users search for apps or competitors. 

These strategies, combined, enabled the team to make informed, data-driven decisions on how to utilize the budget most effectively. 

To learn how we can develop a testing framework, Apple Ads strategy, or paid search and social plans tailored to your brand, please contact us.

Source: phased testing run with Search Ads Maven by Kochava between April and July 2024