Get started with app discovery and marketing

Hi, everyone. Welcome all, and thank you for joining today's presentation on app discovery and marketing.

I'm Meghana, and I'm part of the App Store Scaled Engagement team, and I'm joined by Chris, part of the Apple Search Ads team. We've got a lot of great material to share with you today, so let's dive in.

For today's agenda, I'll start with a brief overview of how people can discover apps on the App Store.

Then we'll review the different tabs people can browse on the App Store as they look for great apps.

Next, we'll take a look at the role of search in app discovery, including tips for making your app discoverable by your target audience.

And lastly, we'll share ways you can drive referral traffic to your product page. This includes from sources outside the App Store and through Search Ads campaigns.

Okay, let's get started with discovery on the App Store.

The App Store makes it easy for users to discover and download amazing apps, games, and more. Customers find new apps and their favorites on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV.

The App Store is a safe and trusted place for people around the world to discover your app, reaching customers in more than 170 territories on more than 1.5 billion devices, and in more than 40 languages.

More than 600 million visitors come to the App Store every week, giving you a tremendous opportunity to showcase your app, or game, and drive downloads.

So how can you get your app in front of the right people, and encourage them to download it? Your product page is the place where people can get the most information about your app, or game, and why they'll love it. Your product page shares a wealth of information about your app, and this information can also appear in other areas of the App Store, including the Today, Games, and Apps tab, as well as in search results. Let's dive in to see how you can make the most out of your product page and help people discover it. Your app icon is one of the first things people see on your product page. It's also what they'll see on their Home screen once they download your app. It should make a strong first impression with people and communicate what your app is all about. Alongside your app icon, people will see your app name. When choosing an app name, we recommend something that's simple, easy to spell, and memorable. Make sure your app name hints at what it does, and isn't too generic, or too similar to other app names.

Next is your app subtitle. Think of this as your app's tagline, or a summary of your app in a short phrase.

Below your app icon, name, and subtitle are screenshots and app previews. Screenshots are a powerful way for you to visually communicate the most compelling features and benefits of your app. You have the flexibility to display screenshots in portrait, or landscape orientation, and can include up to 10 of them on your product page. App previews are a great way to showcase the functionality of your app in a video format visible on your product page.

When creating app previews, make sure the first few seconds are visually compelling in order to capture people's interest.

When people scroll down your product page, they'll see your app description. It should highlight the key features and unique benefits of your app, or game.

Promotional text appears at the top of your description, and is a great place for people to learn the latest news about your app, such as new features, or limited time sales. You can easily include this information and make updates without having to submit a new version to App Review.

Next are ratings and reviews about your app. This can help new users understand what features and benefits are most compelling, and encourage downloads. For ratings and reviews, we offer you APIs that you can use to easily request ratings within your app, as well as ways you can respond to those reviews.

Your product page also displays any active in-app events within your app, or game, which can help generate excitement and increase awareness about them.

You can create in-app events for things like game competitions, content premieres, challenges, major updates, and more that take place within your app, and you can feature up to five in-app events on your product page at a given time.

If your app offers in-app purchases, such as consumable items, or a subscription, these will appear in the information section of your product page. You can also promote specific in-app purchases, which will elevate them on your product page with unique visuals and metadata. You can include up to 20 in-app purchases at any time, so you can highlight specific content based on your business needs. For example, if you have a limited time price promotion, or exclusive content.

Promoted in-app purchases can also appear in search results, which can help drive additional discovery of your app.

As I shared earlier, the App Store is available in more than 40 languages and in 170 territories. Localizing your app is the best way to reach people in more places and grow your business. When localizing your app in new languages, be sure to translate all of your product page metadata to deliver a high quality experience. You can also localize your app name by storefront, and add keywords for each additional market to better help your app connect with the local audience.

After you've created your product page, you can use the product page optimization feature to understand how different metadata can improve engagement and drive downloads.

By using this feature, you can test different icons, screenshots, and app previews to find out which resonate with people the most.

For additional guidance on creating your product page and more detail on many of the topics I just mentioned, you can visit the Apple Developer website.

Now that we've shared how to create an amazing product page experience that encourages people to download your app, let's talk about how the App Store provides a relevant browsing experience for people.

The App Store has a global team of editors that focus on helping people discover and engage with apps and games that fit their needs. People can browse curated selections on the Today, Games, and Apps tabs, and they can also use the Search tab to find a new favorite.

Our team looks for great apps and games across all categories and business models. While there is no specific checklist of requirements for featuring, when selecting apps and games to highlight on the App Store, we consider the factors shown here. Our editors look at design, such as the UI, or user experience, and features that may be new, or unique. Accessibility and localization are also important considerations as we look for apps, or games that provide a high quality experience for everyone around the world.

Our team also looks at product pages to see how developers showcase the distinct content and features within their apps.

You can share your app, or game with us by submitting your information through the Apple Developer website.

You can use this form to let our team know about new launches, major feature updates, in-app events, and more. Our editors read every submission to help connect developers making great apps with people who will love them. And if your app, game, or development team has a unique story that our editorial team should know, definitely be sure to tell us about it.

Now, let's talk about one of the most popular and powerful ways customers find new apps, search.

In addition to browsing the App Store, search is a popular way for people to discover new apps and games. Apps can appear on the search landing page before someone begins a search, as well as in search results after they've entered a search term. In addition to apps and games, search results can include in-app events, in-app purchases, and editorial stories, which offer additional opportunities to drive discovery.

To help you make the most of search, consider making a strong impression with your metadata, such as a compelling app icon, title, and screenshot, thinking about how you might use in-app events to highlight timely content, or activities in your app, exploring promoting in-app purchases to showcase particular purchases within your app, and finally, being strategic with your keywords.

Let's review some best practices for choosing those keywords. Keywords help determine when and where your app appears in search results. Keywords are limited to 100 characters total, so here are some best practices to help you make the most of them.

Choose keywords based on words you think your audience will use to find an app like yours. You want to specify your app's features and functionalities in order to help our search algorithms surface your app in relevant searches. Be sure to separate your terms with commas rather than spaces in order to maximize your character count. Don't include your app name, or category, as these are already indexed by the algorithm, and don't use plurals, as these don't add any additional value.

If offering your app in multiple territories, be sure your keywords are localized in order to help people find your app more easily using their preferred language. Finally, only include trademark terms if you have the proper approval to do so.

Now that we've reviewed how people can discover, browse, and search for apps and games on the App Store, let's discuss how you can direct people to your product page from outside the App Store. People can be directed to your product page from a variety of referral sources, including your organic sources, such as your website, social media efforts, and email campaigns, as well as paid marketing efforts, such as advertising. Our App Store marketing tools website offers resources to help you promote your apps outside the App Store.

From this website, you can generate short links, QR codes, and more that direct people to your App Store product page. You can also create custom assets, which include your app icon and App Store badge, and even localize this content in multiple languages, so you can more easily promote your app in international markets.

This website also links to our App Store Marketing Resources and Identity Guidelines. This provides App Store badges and product images, as well as guidance on graphic standards, messaging, and writing style.

Another way you can refer people to your product page is with Safari Smart App Banners. These banners display on your website, and have a look and feel that's similar to the App Store. You can use smart app banners to send people directly to your product page, or if someone already has your app installed, the View link will change to Open, and you can even use the feature to link to specific in-app content.

Another way to create a great landing experience when coming to your product page is through custom product pages. You can direct people outside the App Store to a version of your App Store product page that showcases specific features, or content. For example, an app like Forest Explorer might create a page highlighting the livestreaming feature for people interested in following climbers in real-time, and create another custom product page that highlights the GPS tracking feature, which might appeal to people interested in planning a group climb with friends.

You'll share each custom product page using its unique URL in your marketing efforts, such as social media advertising, or email campaigns. Each page is fully localizable, and you can submit custom product pages independent of an app binary update. You can have up to 35 custom product pages per app published on the App Store at any given time. You can also use custom product pages to create ad variations with Apple Search Ads. You can learn more about how to create and use custom product pages on the Apple Developer website.

We shared a lot of information about how people can discover your app and tools you can use to market it, and now, you might be wondering how you can measure how effective your efforts are.

With App Analytics in App Store Connect, you can get data you won't find anywhere else about how many people discover, download, and interact with your app. With App Analytics, you can get data related to your App Store performance and marketing campaigns, your app engagement and usage, in-app event performance, proceeds per paying users, and more. This data helps you understand how people discover, download, and use your app, and can help you improve your app experience. All data in App Analytics and all the other features we covered today are included and available to you at no cost as part of your Apple Developer Program membership.

To get more information about all the features and tools we covered today, you can visit the Apple Developer website, where we share best practices, feature overviews, and video resources to help you make the most of your business on the App Store. And with that, I'll pass it to Chris, who will share more about how you can use Apple Search Ads to help people discover your app.

Thanks, Meghana. Now that we've covered all of the ways that people can discover your app, or game, let's explore how to promote your app where it matters the most, throughout the App Store, the place that these engaged users go to discover and download apps.

Available in 61 countries and regions around the world, Apple Search Ads lets you tap directly into the intent that motivates every visit to the App Store.

Our ad placement options drive visibility and downloads of your app at key moments throughout the user journey.

First, the Today tab is the front page of the App Store, where millions of visitors start their journey to discover new apps. It's where people find stories and collections that inform, help, and inspire.

A prominently placed ad on the Today tab helps you maximize visibility of your app. High impact ad creative is designed to capture people's attention when they first come to the App Store. Each Today tab ad is based on a custom product page you create in App Store Connect, and is thoughtfully integrated into the user experience.

As Meghana mentioned, search is the primary way people discover apps on the App Store, as 70% of App Store visitors use search to discover apps. With an ad on the Search tab, you can capture users' interest right as they begin their search. Your ad will appear prominently at the top of the Suggested apps list.

With search results ads, you can reach people when they search for something specific by promoting your app at the top of relevant search results.

65% of downloads happen directly after a search, and we match your ad with people based on their direct signal of intent, which is their search query.

Our intelligent technology matches the search term with the apps being promoted, delivering an average conversion rate of 60%.

You can also use custom product pages to create ad variations aligned with different keyword themes and audiences.

And finally, we saw earlier that app product pages give people the information they need to decide which apps to download.

Whether a user's journey starts within the App Store, or from an external source, such as marketing campaigns, referral traffic, or any other links, they visit product pages to get details about the apps that interest them.

Our new product page placements let you reach people when they're actively researching apps, and getting information to help them decide whether to download.

Your ad will appear to interested users who have scrolled down to the bottom of relevant product pages.

Setting up a campaign is simple, and it's easy to get started.

You'll choose your app, select your ad placement, and choose one, or more countries and regions where you want your ad to run.

There's no minimum spend for Apple Search Ads campaigns, which means you can invest as much, or as little as you want.

You'll add a daily budget, which is the average amount you want to spend each day. The daily budget is optimized for days where there are more more opportunities to get downloads, and you can change it at any time.

You can also add an optional start and end date for your campaigns, where you'll also set a max cost-per-tap bid. Pricing for all of our placements is based on a cost-per-tap model, so you determine the maximum amount that you're willing to pay for a tap on your ad.

The actual cost is a result of a second-price auction, so you can bid competitively without the worry of overpaying.

Apple Search Ads automatically optimizes a lot of your campaign settings to help you reach more App Store users and drive more downloads. But you can make adjustments based on your specific goals.

In search results campaigns, you can choose to use Search Match, a feature that automatically matches your ad to search queries without keywords, or you can add keywords to your campaigns.

Keywords are relevant words, or phrases someone may use to search for an app like yours. Your keywords and your bids help determine when your ad appears in search results.

In product page campaigns, you can choose to have your ad run across all relevant app categories, or in categories similar to, or different from yours.

Within any campaign, you can automatically optimize your ad to reach all eligible App Store users, or you can modify settings to focus on specific audiences you choose. Keep in mind that you'll limit impressions if you narrow your audience.

The ad for your campaign is automatically created using the assets you already uploaded to App Store Connect. Search tab and product page ads feature your app name, icon, and subtitle. Search results ads can use default ad creative based on your app's product page, or you can create ad variations from custom product pages you've set up in App Store Connect.

Ad variations allow you to align ad creative with specific audiences and keyword themes.

And Today tab ads are always created from a custom product page. The custom product page used must include at least four portrait, or five landscape assets.

Before your Today tab ad can run, your ad creative will be reviewed by Apple Search Ads.

Once your campaigns are up and running, reporting options provide rich data about your campaign performance.

Use the Campaigns dashboard, Charts dashboard, and custom reports to easily view campaign performance metrics and effectively measure your return on ad spend.

Our customers are seeing great results with Apple Search Ads.

For example, Delivery Hero, developer of the food and drink app foodpanda, maximized impressions and downloads while improving acquisition costs, seeing a 20% increase in incremental app downloads at an 18% average lower cost per user acquisition while using Apple Search Ads.

With "Marvel Future Revolution," players can transform into superheroes in the Marvel universe.

During the app's launch, publisher Netmarble drove global downloads while boosting revenue, retention, and return on ad spend.

They were able to more than double revenue per install at a 40% lower cost per install compared to similar ad platforms.

To learn more about the capabilities of our platform, the Apple Search Ads certification is a great way to gain the skills and knowledge you need to give your campaign performance boost. Our certification process is a comprehensive online resource that lets you fast track your expertise with Apple Search Ads Advanced, learn best practices that drive results with our curated lessons, stay ahead of the curve with the latest updates and new lessons, and join a community of certified app marketers.

To learn more and get started, please visit the resource section on the Apple Search Ads website.

At Apple, we believe that advertising, when done right, supports discovery, helping people uncover brands and products that align with their interests, all while honoring their privacy.

All of our placements come with the same central focus on privacy, transparency, and data control that makes Apple's platforms trusted by users around the world.

We look forward to helping you grow with Apple Search Ads. To get started today, simply visit the Apple Search Ads website.

Thank you all for watching.