The introduction of ad variations using custom product pages was one of the most significant developments for Apple Search Ads marketers. By creating different combinations of their App Store listing through the use of visual assets and messaging, app marketers are now able to create a more relevant and consistent UA funnel for their potential users.
In Apple Search Ads, it is possible to create ad variations by aligning different ad groups with the relevant product pages created in App Store Connect.
Compared to other UA channels, Apple Search Ads already had significantly higher conversion rates, which is around 61% according to our latest benchmarks. Thus marketers are still wondering how and if ad variations will impact conversion rates and UA costs on the App Store.
This article was first published on searchads.com.
As SearchAds.com, we are excited to share the first results our partners obtained after implementing ad variations in their Apple Search Ads campaigns.
Benefits of ad variations
Source: MobileAction
Methodology
We ran statistical tests on campaigns where ad variations were implemented. We observed the campaign level metrics and their change after the implementation of ad variations.
We focused on 4 different metrics:
- Conversion Rate: Calculated installs/taps
- Tap-Through Rate: Calculated as taps/impressions
- Cost per Acquisition: Calculated as total spend/total installs
- Install/Impression: As ad variations have the potential to impact both TTR and CR, the installs/impressions metric was used as an indicator of the aggregate impact ad variations had on Apple Search Ads campaigns.
Photo and video apps lead the race
Apple Search Ads is one of the most popular UA channels for non-gaming apps as it allows marketers to reach high-quality audiences. For apps that have various functionalities that target different segments, ad variations were expected to impact the non-brand keyword performance significantly.
Photo & Video apps are great examples, possessing many different functionalities such as selfie filters, image editing, video editing, etc. By aligning their ad groups with these themes and more, some of the video apps connected to SearchAds.com experienced significant improvements in their UA metrics.
As the adoption rate was higher compared to other categories, we could also pull some aggregate data on Photo & Video apps. Across X number of apps and Y number of campaigns, the install/impression ratio increased from roughly 5% to 16%.
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Start nowInstall/Impression: Before vs After ad variations
Source: MobileAction
One specific campaign demonstrated outstanding results.
Metric changes before and after ad variations (1)
Click on image for full size
Source: MobileAction
The average TTR for this particular campaign increased from approximately 2% to nearly 20%. Similarly, the conversion rate reached an astounding average of 80% after ad variations were implemented.
Overall, the impression/install rate increased nearly 10 times, exceeding 15% on average. As your conversion metrics improve, you will be able to increase the competitiveness of your bids, which will allow you to start scaling your campaigns. In this case, there was a 25% decrease in the CPA for this campaign.
Finance Apps
Finance apps have also started experimenting with ad variations in Apple Search Ads. Being one of the most competitive categories, especially Crypto and Payment apps are relying on Apple Search Ads to acquire new users with higher LTVs.
Metric changes before and after ad variations (2)
Click on image for full size
Source: MobileAction
The TTR for this Finance UA campaign nearly tripled, with an 18% increase in conversion rates. The install/impression ratio went up to nearly 20% on average compared to the 5% before the implementation of ad variations. The CPA for this campaign was reduced by approximately 27%.
Gaming Apps
We observed several Gaming apps which significantly improved their campaign metrics by utilizing ad variations. Interestingly, for Gaming apps, ad variations had a much greater impact on TTRs compared to Conversion Rates.
Metric changes before and after ad variations (3)
Click on image for full size
Source: MobileAction
The TTR for this campaign increased approximately 62% after the implementation of ad variations. The ratio of installs/impressions also increased by around 59%. While the conversion rate was relatively stable, the average CPA decreased by 15%.
Verdict
According to our initial research, ad variations seem to be already helping app marketers acquire users more efficiently at lower costs. As UA and Creative teams get better at utilizing this feature, there is no doubt that Apple Search Ads will become an even more attractive UA channel for mobile marketers.
Through SearchAds.com, you can easily set up and manage your ad variations to save time. You can also set up AI-based automation rules which will monitor and optimize your campaigns for both upper funnel metrics and in-app events, to maximize ROAS in Apple Search Ads.
Schedule a call with our Client Partners today to learn more!
