Most recently Apple has done what it does the best, surprised as all. This time the groundbreaking announcement was the new Apple Search Ads Basic product.
Even though there isn’t too much fuzz about it on the internet, we at Mobile Action think that this announcement is a signal of big changes coming to App Store Optimization in the Apple App Store.
A year ago Apple announced the initial version of Apple Search Ads, which is being renamed now as Search Ads Advanced. Everyone went absolutely crazy about it and how would it change the way we promote our apps in the App Store. Since then, Apple Search Ads has expanded into new countries and what was initially only available in the US is now accessible in 7 different countries.
Now, Apple has dropped the bomb once again with their most recent announcement. Although it’s not getting the attention it should be getting, we have done our very best to compile all the necessary information you need to know about Search Ads Basic. Also, as we think the announcement of Search Ads Basic is actually much bigger than the product itself we also wanted to share some of our thought about how will it affect the future of Search Ads and ASO in general.
An Overall Look At Search Ads Basic
So, what’s up with Search Ads Basic? What does it provide to us that we couldn’t get with the original version of Search Ads, which is now called Search Ads Advanced?
Simplicity…
Rest assured this statement is not an overstatement. The new Search Ads Basic is truly simple. In fact, the only steps you need to take is to set your budget, maximum Cost Per Install and leave it. Apple claims that the rest shall be done by them and they usually deliver on their promises.
Interestingly, the pricing of Search Ads Basic is a little different than Search Ads Advanced. We are all familiar with the Cost Per Tap method with Search Ads. However, with Search Ads basic, Apple has decided to go with a Cost Per Install method instead. The interesting part is they want to keep Search Ads Basic on a small scale. The way they do this is that they limit the maximum monthly budget to $5000.
If you wish to know more about Search Ads Advanced we have a dedicated guide on our search ads blog which will give you all the necessary information you need to know about Apple Search Ads.
Getting Started
Getting started with Search Ads Basic is even simpler. You link your iTunes Connect, select an app you want to promote, set the max. CPT bid and set a max budget and leave the rest to Apple.
At the end of each month, you come back to see your monthly report on how many installs you get and see the money spent. Basically, it’s a simple process of set it and leave it.
The important point is that Apple considers downloads from Search Ads Basic as high quality installs. Thus, they affect your rankings. We will talk about the implications of this in a while.
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The Future Implications of Search Ads Basic
The most obvious result of the launch of Search Ads Basic is that it will be more accessible by smaller developers who don’t have the time or resources to manage and optimize Search Ads in its current form.
However, it’s more important to see the bigger picture. At least to have a glimpse of it. The point is that Apple by launching Search Ads Basic is making Search Ads an inseparable part of ASO. Adding in the fact that installs from Search Ads campaigns being considered as high-quality installs, Search Ads is more important than ever.
With making it accessible to everyone, the importance of Search Ads even goes higher as it will almost become mandatory.
However, Search Ads Basic is currently only live in the US and is expected to launch in the other 6 countries sometime next year.
What do you think about the impact of Search Ads Basics? Do you think that it will reshape how we do App Store Optimization in the future?
