Apple Search Ads Glossary

An Apple Search Ads account lets you create and manage ad campaigns for your apps. Accounts must be linked to your App Store Connect account. Accounts allow for specific role assignment, such as admin, campaign group manager, and read only.

An Apple Search Ads user role with permission to access account settings, view reporting, and manage all app promotions or campaigns, users, billing, and API connections.

An Apple Search Ads user role with permission to access account settings and manage billing.

An Apple Search Ads user role with permission to view reporting and data across the account.

The page in Apple Search Ads where you can access your account’s business details, manage and invite users, create and view API authorizations, view and update your payment method, and see your change history for activity on your account. You can get to the Account Settings page by clicking your name in the top-right corner of any page in your account.  

The menu within Apple Search Ads Advanced that’s used to activate, pause, remove, or duplicate/share campaigns, ad groups, keywords, or negative keywords. The Actions menu also gives you the option to download campaign metrics or campaign and ad group settings. 

Apple Search Ads Advanced campaigns contain ad groups where you can specify different max CPT bids and audience settings. Today tab, Search tab, and product pages ad groups include bids and audience settings only. Search results ad groups can contain bids, audience settings, keywords, negative keywords, and ad variations. Each campaign can be made up of one or more ad groups.

A unique numerical identifier assigned to each ad group in Apple Search Ads Advanced.

The indicator that shows whether an Apple Search Ads Advanced ad group is running, paused, on hold, or removed.

The Apple Search Ads Advanced dashboard that contains your list of ad groups in any campaign. From this dashboard, you can manage campaign settings, view a list of ad groups, adjust your budget, see your ad group change history, and view reports.

A unique numerical identifier assigned to each ad variation in Apple Search Ads Advanced search results campaigns.

All ads on the App Store have a blue background and ad disclosure icon. It could appear in one of several formats, depending on the user’s device and what may work best for the search query and user.

The place on the App Store where your ad appears. Ads can run on the Today tab, on the Search tab at the top of the suggested apps list, at the top of App Store search results, or on relevant product pages to users who have scrolled to the bottom of the page. Learn more

The indicator that shows whether a default ad, ad variation (custom ad), or Today tab ad is active, paused, incompatible, disabled, on hold, unsupported, or deleted.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced, a search results ad with creative based on a custom product page you’ve set up in App Store Connect. (See custom ad)

The Apple Search Ads Advanced dashboard that shows current and historical performance data for all ad variations, including your default ad and custom ads. From this dashboard, you can create and remove ad variations, change the status of ad variations, and edit a custom ad’s name. 

The All Keywords dashboard in an Apple Search Ads Advanced search results campaign lets you see all of your keywords, their bids, and their performance metrics across all ad groups in the campaign.

API stands for application programming interface, and allows two software platforms to interact with each other. Apple Search Ads Advanced offers APIs to support campaign management, measurement, and reporting. (See Attribution API and Campaign Management API)

An Apple Search Ads Advanced user role with permission to view reporting and manage all campaigns across the account with read and write capabilities, and manage an API connection.

An Apple Search Ads Advanced role with permission to view reporting and data across the account with read only permission, and manage an API connection. 

An Apple Search Ads Advanced role with permission limited to specific campaigns groups. Users with this role can view reporting and manage all campaigns and settings within a campaign group with read and write capabilities, and manage an API connection.

An Apple Search Ads Advanced role with permission limited to specific campaigns groups. Users with this role can view reporting and data for the campaign group, and manage an API connection.

A unique numerical identifier assigned to each app on the App Store.

Ratings and reviews provided by App Store customers to give feedback on their app experiences and help others decided which apps they’d like to try.

The process Apple uses to review any new app before it appears on the App Store. The reviews are designed to ensure that an app performs well, does what it says it does, and conforms to our data and other policies.

An Apple Account is the personal account you use to access Apple services like the App Store, iCloud, and more. It includes the email address and password you use to sign in, as well as all of the contact, payment, and security details that you’ll use across Apple services.  

One of a select group of leading campaign management companies Apple Search Ads has identified to help Apple Search Ads Advanced customers manage, measure, and optimize their campaigns. Partners work closely with Apple Search Ads to help ensure they provide the highest level of support and expertise. Learn more

The platform used to upload, submit, and manage apps on the App Store via the web or iOS. A suite of tools also lets you view sales reports, access app analytics, and invite users to test apps with TestFlight. App Store Connect is also where you create custom product pages for your app. To use Apple Search Ads, your account must be linked to App Store Connect.

A showcase page for an app where every element can attract users and drive downloads. The product page tells people what your app does and who it’s for. It includes your app name, subtitle, icon, app previews, screenshots, description, keywords, and promotional text.  

The act of crediting a user action, such as a download, to a particular app promotion or campaign.

The Apple Ads Attribution API enables you to measure and attribute app downloads that originate from Apple Search Ads app promotions and campaigns.

The maximum time allowed between an ad tap or impression and a conversion when performing attribution. The attribution window for Apple Search Ads is 30 days.

Apple Search Ads Advanced targeting criteria, including customer types (all users, new users, returning users, users of your other apps), demographics (age and gender), locations, and devices (iPhone or iPad). Audience settings are applied at the ad group level. Note that using audience settings can limit the number of impressions your ad receives.

Tap-through average cost-per-acquisition is the total Apple Search Ads Advanced campaign spend divided by the number of taps on your ad that led to installs within the reporting period.

Total average cost-per-acquisition is the total Apple Search Ads Advanced campaign spend divided by total installs resulting from a view or a tap on your ad within the reporting period.

Average cost-per-thousand-impressions is the average amount an Apple Search Ads Advanced advertiser pays per one thousand ad impressions on the App Store.

Average cost-per-tap is the average amount an Apple Search Ads Advanced advertiser has paid for a tap on their ad.

The average amount spent each day, or spend divided by the number of days shown in the date range on the Apple Search Ads Advanced Campaigns dashboard.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced, your maximum cost-per-tap (max CPT) bid is the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for a tap on your ad. In Apple Search Ads Basic, your maximum cost-per-install (max CPI) is the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for a download of your app.

In the Apple Search Ads Advanced campaign settings template and the Campaign Management API, billing event is the billable action that must occur for a campaign to be charged. A tap on your ad would be a billing event.

A keyword setting in Apple Search Ads Advanced search results campaigns that helps control how ads are matched to user searches on the App Store. Broad match ensures your ad will run on relevant close variants of a keyword, such as singular, plurals, misspellings, synonyms, related searches, and phrases that include that term, fully or partially.

An option for pre-approved Apple Search Ads Advanced advertisers who are paying via monthly invoicing. A budget order ensures a cap on the total spend across campaigns in a campaign group, over a specified period of time, so you never exceed your total budget.

A set of ad groups that share a budget, location targeting, and other settings in Apple Search Ads Advanced. Campaigns are set to run ads either on the App Store Today tab, on the Search tab, in App Store search results, or on product pages across the App Store as people browse apps, and they’re often used to organize categories of products or services that you offer. Your account can have one or many campaigns running.  

Campaign groups can include one or more Apple Search Ads Advanced campaigns, and are useful for agencies managing multiple clients. 

An Apple Search Ads user role with permission to view reporting and manage all campaigns and settings in a campaign group.

A unique numerical identifier assigned to each campaign in Apple Search Ads Advanced.

An API that Apple Search Ads Advanced developers, agencies, and third-party platforms can use to build software that manages campaigns and pulls reports programmatically.

The campaign settings template offers an easy way for Apple Search Ads Advanced advertisers to update multiple campaigns and ad groups at once. It can be downloaded from the Actions menu on the Campaigns dashboard, and allows you to quickly edit settings like daily budget, default max CPT bids, audience, and more.

The indicator that shows whether a campaign in Apple Search Ads Advanced is running, paused, on hold, or removed.

The first page Apple Search Ads Advanced advertisers see when you sign in to your account. From this dashboard, you can view a list of your campaigns and campaign history, edit your budget, create new campaigns, and pause, activate, or remove existing campaigns.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced, this serves as a record of changes to your account, who made the change, and when. The Change History icon (a circular, counter-clockwise arrow) can be accessed from any dashboard in your account.

An Apple Search Ads Advanced dashboard that lets you view data in bar graphs, charts, and as trend lines to quickly visualize performance over time. You can measure a variety of key metrics by date, ad group, device, or according to specific audience settings.

Also known as an install or a download, a conversion happens when a user taps an ad and then downloads the ad’s app. 

The cost of acquiring one customer. Typically calculated by dividing the total amount spent on an advertising campaign by the number of customers acquired through that campaign. (See average CPA)

The amount an Apple Search Ads Basic developer pays each time an App Store customer taps their ad and downloads their app. 

The amount an Apple Search Ads Advanced advertiser pays for each tap on your ad. Avg CPT divides the total amount spent on a campaign by the number of taps generated. (See average CPT)

The amount an Apple Search Ads Advanced advertiser pays for one thousand ad impressions. Search tab campaigns previously used this pricing model. (See average CPM)

Tap-through conversion rate is the total number of Apple Search Ads Advanced installs resulting from taps on your ad divided by the total number of taps within the reporting period.

Total conversion rate is the total Apple Search Ads Advanced installs resulting from a view or a tap on your ad divided by total number of taps within the reporting period.

An Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting dimension that indicates the source of an ad’s creative. This could be a custom product page, a default product page, or previously built Creative Sets. 

In Apple Search Ads Advanced, a search results ad with creative based on a custom product page you’ve set up in App Store Connect. (See ad variation)

An additional version of your App Store product page that highlights specific app features or content, has a unique URL, and can include a deep link. You can create up to 35 custom product pages and use them as the basis for your ad creative in Apple Search Ads Advanced.

A reporting option in Apple Search Ads Advanced that allows you to set report granularity; run expansive queries for key metrics at the keyword, ad group, campaign, country or region, or app level; and schedule reports to automatically run daily, weekly, or monthly. Learn more

The average amount allocated for an Apple Search Ads Advanced campaign to spend each day over the course of a month. A campaign’s monthly spend won’t be more than the daily budget times the average number of days in a calendar month, which is calculated as 30.4. On days with opportunities to get more downloads, a campaign’s spend may exceed the daily budget. A campaign will continue to spend every month based on its daily budget amount unless it is paused, removed, or reaches its end date. If an end date is set, the campaign won’t spend more than its total number of days times the daily budget.  

The number of calendar days left until an Apple Search Ads Advanced campaign end date is reached, based on the account time zone. If no end date is set, the campaign spend will automatically extend to each new month based on the daily budget amount.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced, a link that directs people from a custom product page on the App Store to a relevant place within an app. A deep link can be a universal link or a custom URL.

To promote your app in search results, Apple Search Ads automatically creates a default image and text ad using the first few screenshots and app previews taken from the App Store product page.

A bid that applies to all keywords in an Apple Search Ads Advanced search results ad group unless an individual keyword bid is applied. (See max CPT bid)

The user device on which your ads may appear (iPhone or iPad). In Apple Search Ads Advanced, ad groups can target both types of devices or one only. 

An element of your Apple Search Ads Advanced campaign that can be included in a custom report. For example, campaign ID or bid amount. Dimensions appear as rows in custom reports.  

The estimated average cost-per-acquisition you could see over a seven-day period after applying a recommendation in Apple Search Ads Advanced, based on historical data.

The estimated installs you could see over a seven-day period after applying a recommendation in Apple Search Ads Advanced, based on historical data.

The estimated amount you could spend over a seven-day period after applying a recommendation in Apple Search Ads Advanced, based on historical data.

A keyword setting in Apple Search Ads Advanced search results campaigns that provides for the tightest control over searches where your ad may appear. This match type matches your ad to searches on an exact keyword, as well as common misspellings and plural variations.

From any Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting dashboard or tab, you can filter the data you see using a range of general, performance, or advanced options available in the Filters menu. In custom reports, you can choose to filter data by campaigns, promoted apps, countries and regions, campaign status, or ad group status.

Protects the data and privacy of all individual within the European Union.

A value-added tax levied on most goods and services in countries such as India and Malaysia. 

Apple’s identifier for advertisers. This alphanumeric string is unique to each device when serving advertisements. 

The share of impressions your Apple Search Ads Advanced search results ad(s) received from the total impressions served on the same search terms or keywords, in the same countries and regions. Impression share is displayed as a percentage range, such as 0‑10%, 11‑20%, and so on. This metric is only available in Apple Search Ads Advanced predefined Impression Share reports and on the Recommendations page.

A measurement of the total number of times your Apple Search Ads Advanced ad appeared on the App Store, within a particular time period.

Any action taken by a user inside an app, such as a purchase.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting, the total number of new downloads and redownloads from users who tapped your ad within a 30-day window.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting, the total number of tap-through and view-through new downloads and redownloads resulting from an ad within the reporting period.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting, the total number of new downloads and redownloads from users who viewed your ad, but didn’t tap it, within one day of the ad view.

A relevant word or term someone may use when searching for an app like yours. In your Apple Search Ads Advanced ad groups, you can add keywords that you think your customers would search for on the App Store. 

A unique numerical identifier assigned to each keyword in Apple Search Ads Advanced.

The indicator that shows whether a keyword in an Apple Search Ads Advanced search results campaign is active, paused, on hold, or removed.

The Keywords tab in an Apple Search Ads Advanced search results ad group lets you see the ad group’s keywords, bids, and performance metrics. The tab is accessed from the Ad Group Keywords dashboard.

An attribution model that gives all the conversion credit to the last touch-point a prospect experiences before downloading. More specifically, it’s the ad that was last seen or tapped before the person downloaded the app.

The total amount an advertiser wanted to spend on an Apple Search Ads Advanced campaign. Campaigns created prior to June 2022 can retain lifetime budget.

Apple Search Ads Advanced supports location refinement in many countries and regions. If your app only serves certain areas, this feature ensures you don’t use budget showing ads for searches occurring outside of those areas. An example would be a food delivery app that only serves the area around San Francisco.

An Apple Search Ads Advanced term that appears if the data you’re requesting to see within a performance chart is below Apple’s privacy threshold. For example, search terms must reach at least 10 impressions, otherwise the “low volume” value will appear in your search term chart. Age, gender, or location reports require at least 100 impressions before Apple Search Ads can show any values.

Indicates whether an Apple Search Ads Advanced search results ad impression was the result of Search Match or a bidded keyword.

An Apple Search Ads Advanced search results keyword setting that helps you control how your keywords are matched to user searches. (See broad match and exact match)

For Apple Search Ads Basic developers, maximum cost-per-install is the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for a customer to install your app after tapping your ad.

For Apple Search Ads Advanced advertisers, maximum cost-per-tap bid is the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for a tap on your ad.

App title and description within a product page on the App Store. Apple Search Ads depends on metadata to create and serve ads on the App Store.   

A third-party expert hired by advertisers and marketers. MMPs interact with various marketing channels independently to count app installs and measure post-install events.

The total amount you want to spend each month on an Apple Search Ads Basic app promotion.

An attribution model that gives varying values to multiple publishers or advertising partners who have touched the user as they move through the conversion funnel and download an app.

A term in an Apple Search Ads Advanced search results campaign or ad group that prevents your ad from appearing for certain App Store searches.

A tab found within the Apple Search Ads Advanced All Keywords dashboard and the Ad Group Keywords dashboard. The Negative Keywords tab lets you view all negative keywords in a search results campaign or ad group, add more negative keywords to the campaign or ad group, and delete negative keywords.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting, new downloads from users who tapped your ad and have not previously downloaded your app. These are counted within a 30-day window.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting, the total number of tap-through and view-through new downloads resulting from an ad within the reporting period.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting, new downloads from users who viewed your ad but didn’t tap it, and have not previously downloaded your app. These are counted within one day of the ad view.

The placement of ads within search engine results. 

A user setting that determines whether audience information, such as age, gender, or app downloads and purchases, may be used to help improve the relevance of Apple-delivered ads. If a user turns off the Personalized Ads setting on their device, such audience setting information will not be used. 

The process of optimizing the content and structure of an App Store product page to make it more appealing to customers and potentially help boost organic listings for the app. Adding a video or changing copy are examples of actions a developer or advertiser can take to optimize their product page.

The words or phrase that a user enters into the App Store search engine.

How an app ranks in terms of impression share compared to other apps in the same countries and regions. Rank is displayed as numbers from 1 to 5 or >5, with 1 being the highest rank. This metric is only available in Apple Search Ads Advanced predefined Impression Share reports and on the Recommendations page. 

An Apple Search Ads Advanced user role with permission limited to specific campaign groups. Users with this role can view reporting manage all campaigns within a campaign group.

An Apple Search Ads user role with permission limited to specific campaign groups. Users with this role can view reporting and data for the campaign group.

A page within Apple Search Ads Advanced that provides personalized recommendations to help advertisers optimize their campaigns and improve performance. You can view keyword and bid recommendations for search results campaigns, and daily budget recommendations for all ad placements.

For Apple Search Ads Advanced search results campaigns, a recommended bid may appear in the Max CPT Bid column alongside some keywords on the All Keywords dashboard. Applying these bids can increase the likelihood of your ad showing. Recommendations are based on various factors including historical data related to past performance and recommendations. Actual outcomes, including changes in spend and average CPA, may vary. For more information, check out the Recommendations page in your account.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting, redownloads from users who tapped your ad within a 30-day window. These are counted when a user downloads your app, deletes it, and downloads it again on the same device or a different one following an ad tap.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting, the total number of tap-through and view-through redownloads resulting from an ad, within the reporting period.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting, redownloads from users who viewed your ad but didn’t tap it. These are counted when a user downloads your app, deletes it, and downloads it again on the same device or a different one within one day of the ad view.

The way Apple Search Ads measures how closely an ad matches the context of a search query.

The ratio of revenue generated by an advertiser’s investment in Apple Search Ads. Campaign (or app promotion) revenue divided by ad cost x 100.

A French law that intends to make the business of media-buying more transparent. It requires that only the advertiser who owns both the app and the Apple Search Ads account can promote an app on the App Store in France. 

An Apple Search Ads Advanced feature for search results campaigns that allows ads to be matched automatically to search terms without requiring the advertiser to figure out all keyword possibilities and actively bid on them.

A relative indicator of an Apple Search Ads Advanced keyword’s popularity. The search popularity indicator is designed to help you learn which keywords in search results campaigns might be most important for promoting your app. Search popularity is displayed as numbers from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most popular. 

An ad created with Apple Search Ads that appears in search results on the App Store.  

An ad created with Apple Search Ads Advanced that appears at the top of the suggested apps list on the App Store Search tab.

A keyword or phrase that people have used to find the particular type of app they’re looking for on the App Store.

The tab within any Apple Search Ads Advanced search results campaign or ad group that provides insights into bidded keyword and Search Match performance metrics. This tab shows you search terms that led to impressions, taps, and installs, along with search queries that Search Match automatically matched to your ads.

Apple Search Ads uses this type of auction to determine the actual amount you’ll pay for advertising on the App Store. Apple Search Ads Advanced campaigns use a cost-per-tap (CPT) model, so you pay only when a user taps your ad. Apple Search Ads Basic app promotions use a cost-per-install (CPI) model, so you pay only when a user downloads your app. With either solution, the second price auction allows you to bid competitively without the worry of overpaying.

In Apple Search Ads Advanced reporting, the sum of the cost of each customer tap on your ad over a particular time period.

For Apple Search Ads Advanced search results campaigns, this is our suggestion for a bid amount to increase the likelihood that your ads are shown for relevant searches on the App Store. It’s based on what we know about your app and the max CPT bid advertisers with similar apps are willing to pay for the same keywords. 

The number of times your Apple Search Ads Advanced ad was tapped by customers divided by the total impressions your ad received.

The number of times your Apple Search Ads Advanced ad was tapped by users within a particular time period.

An ad that appears prominently on the front page of the App Store. Today tab ads are fully visible when people first arrive, and feature your app name, icon, and subtitle. Each ad uses a custom product page you set up in App Store Connect as the tap destination. Your app name, icon, and subtitle must be approved for advertising before your ad can run.

A tax that applies to transactions in certain countries or regions.