How to Choose Keywords for Apple Search Ads (2025 Guide)

The average Apple Search Ads campaign targets 150-200 keywords. The top 10% of those keywords will drive 60-70% of your installs.

Choosing the right keywords from the start determines whether your first $5,000 generates meaningful signal or noise. Most apps waste their initial budget testing irrelevant keywords that should never have been included.

Here's how to build a keyword list that drives efficient growth.

Why Keyword Selection Matters in ASA

Unlike Google Ads or Facebook, Apple Search Ads captures users at the moment of active search. They're not browsing Instagram or reading articles—they're specifically looking for an app to solve a problem.

This high-intent context makes ASA one of the most efficient acquisition channels, with average conversion rates of 67.2% in 2024-2025.

But that efficiency depends entirely on keyword relevance.

If your keywords match user intent: You get high tap-through rates (TTR), strong conversion rates (CVR), and low CPAs.

If your keywords are loosely relevant: You waste impressions, accumulate expensive taps from curious users who don't convert, and drain budget without useful data.

The 3-Factor Keyword Selection Framework

Every keyword you target should meet all three criteria:

1. Relevance

Does this keyword directly describe your app's core function, target user, or primary use case?

Examples for a budget tracking app:

High relevance:

• budget tracker
• expense manager
• personal finance app
• spending tracker

Medium relevance:

• money management
• financial planning
• budget planner

Low relevance:

• finance (too broad)
• banking (different intent)
• savings (adjacent but not specific)

If a user searching for this keyword lands on your product page, would they immediately understand why your app appeared? If not, exclude it.

2. Intent

Does the keyword indicate the user is looking for a solution, or just browsing?

High intent:

• best meditation app
• calorie tracker for weight loss
• free project management tool

Low intent:

• meditation (informational)
• calories (ambiguous)
• project management (could be looking for articles, courses, definitions)

Keywords with modifiers like "app," "best," "free," or "for [use case]" signal stronger intent.

3. Volume

Does the keyword have measurable search traffic?

You can evaluate volume through:

• ASO tools (Sensor Tower, AppTweak, App Radar): Provide search popularity scores
• Apple's keyword suggestions: Apple shows estimated popularity during campaign setup
• Search Match performance: Run Search Match for 14 days, then analyze which terms drove impressions

Avoid:

• Extremely niche terms with zero monthly searches
• Misspellings (Apple auto-corrects most queries)
• Hyper-specific long-tail keywords with no evidence of search volume

Where to Find ASA Keywords

1. Your App Metadata

Start with keywords you're already using in:

• App title
• Subtitle
• Keyword field (100-character limit in App Store Connect)
• Description (less critical for ranking, but can inform themes)

These should form the foundation of your Category campaign. If these keywords aren't converting in ASA, your metadata might need optimization.

2. Apple's Keyword Suggestions

During campaign setup, Apple provides keyword recommendations based on your app's metadata and category.

How to access:

1. Create a new ad group
2. Click "Add Keywords"
3. Select "Search for Keywords"
4. Review Apple's suggestions with popularity indicators

Apple's suggestions are a solid starting point but tend to:

• Focus on category-level terms
• Miss competitor-specific keywords
• Exclude long-tail variations

Use them as a baseline, not your complete list.

3. Competitor Keyword Research

Your competitors' keywords reveal what's working in your category.

How to find competitor keywords:

Option 1: ASO Tools

• Sensor Tower, AppTweak, App Radar show:
  • Keywords competitors rank for organically
  • Estimated traffic by keyword
  • Difficulty scores

Option 2: Manual Research

• Search for your top 5 competitors in the App Store
• Note the keywords in their title, subtitle, and visible metadata
• Test searches to see which terms trigger their ads

Option 3: Search Match Mining

• Run a Search Match ad group for 14 days
• Export the search terms report
• Identify competitor names and adjacent apps users searched for

Add top competitors' brand names to a dedicated Competitor campaign.

4. Category and Function Keywords

These describe what your app does, not who makes it.

Examples by app type:

Fitness app:

• workout tracker
• fitness planner
• exercise app
• gym tracker
• personal trainer app

Meditation app:

• meditation app
• mindfulness
• guided meditation
• sleep meditation
• breathing exercises

Productivity app:

• task manager
• to-do list
• productivity app
• note-taking app
• time tracker

Aim for 50-100 category keywords, organized by theme.

5. Search Match Discovery

Search Match is Apple's automated keyword matching feature. It shows your ad for searches Apple deems relevant based on your metadata.

How to use Search Match for keyword discovery:

1. Create a Discovery campaign with Search Match enabled
2. Set a conservative daily budget ($20-$50)
3. Run for 14-21 days
4. Download the search terms report
5. Identify high-performing terms (TTR > 10%, CVR > 60%)
6. Add those terms as exact match keywords in your Category or Competitor campaigns

This is the most effective way to discover keywords you wouldn't have thought of manually.

How Many Keywords Should You Target?

Starting point: 50-100 keywords Mature campaigns: 150-200 keywords Advanced optimization: 200-300 keywords across all campaigns

Distribution by campaign type:

Campaign Type	Keyword Count	Match Type
Brand	5-10	Exact
Competitor	20-40	Exact
Category	50-100	Exact
Discovery	50-100	Broad + Search Match

Organizing Keywords by Campaign Structure

Effective keyword organization prevents cannibalization and enables intent-based bidding.

Brand Campaign Keywords

What to include:

• Your app name (exact variations)
• Your company name
• Common misspellings (if significant search volume exists)

Example for "BudgetPro" app:

• [budgetpro]
• [budget pro]
• [budgetpro app]
• [budget pro tracker]

Match type: Exact match only Bidding strategy: Aggressive (these are your users)

Competitor Campaign Keywords

What to include:

• Direct competitors' app names
• Direct competitors' company names
• Popular apps in your category

Example for budget tracking app:

• [mint]
• [ynab]
• [pocketguard]
• [goodbudget]

Match type: Exact match only Bidding strategy: Moderate (expect higher CPAs than brand)

Category Campaign Keywords

What to include:

• Functional keywords describing your app's purpose
• Use case keywords
• Feature-specific keywords

Example for budget tracking app:

• [budget tracker]
• [expense manager]
• [personal finance app]
• [spending tracker]
• [bill tracker]

Match type: Exact match Bidding strategy: Moderate

Discovery Campaign Keywords

What to include:

• Broad match versions of all exact match keywords
• Search Match (no keywords, just enabled)

Purpose: Find new keyword opportunities and expand reach

Match type: Broad match + Search Match Bidding strategy: Conservative (testing mode)

Keyword Qualification Checklist

Before adding a keyword, ask:

• Relevance: Does this describe my app's core function?
• Intent: Would someone searching this be looking for my app?
• Volume: Is there evidence this term has search traffic?
• Conversion likelihood: Can I convert this user given my app's positioning?
• CPA viability: Can I acquire this user within target CPA?

If you answer "no" to any of these, exclude the keyword.

Common Keyword Selection Mistakes

1. Targeting overly broad terms

Don't: Target "fitness" or "health" Do: Target "workout tracker" or "fitness app for weightlifting"

Broad terms waste budget on users with unclear intent.

2. Ignoring competitor keywords

Competitor keywords typically represent 20-30% of efficient installs for most apps. Ignoring them means leaving acquisition volume on the table.

3. Not using negative keywords

If you target "budget tracker," you'll also show for "free budget tracker" unless you add [free] as a negative keyword (assuming your app isn't free).

Negative keywords prevent waste and improve campaign efficiency by 20-30%.

4. Adding too many keywords at launch

Starting with 300 keywords dilutes budget and delays learning. You need sufficient impressions per keyword to determine performance.

Start with 50-100, then expand based on data.

5. Never refreshing keyword lists

User search behavior changes. New competitors launch. Trending terms emerge.

Revisit your keyword list monthly to:

• Add new Search Match discoveries
• Remove consistently underperforming keywords
• Adjust bids based on competitive shifts

Keyword Research Tools

Free

Apple Search Ads Keyword Suggestions

• Built into campaign setup
• Shows popularity estimates
• Limited to basic suggestions

App Store Search

• Manual competitor research
• Free but time-intensive

Paid (Recommended)

Sensor Tower ($99+/month)

• Keyword difficulty scores
• Search volume estimates
• Competitor keyword tracking

AppTweak ($79+/month)

• Keyword rankings over time
• ASA-specific insights
• Search Match term discovery

App Radar ($49+/month)

• Keyword suggestions
• ASA campaign tracking
• Simpler interface for smaller teams

For most apps spending $5,000+/month on ASA, a paid tool pays for itself within the first month by identifying high-value keywords faster.

Keyword Performance Benchmarks (2025)

Metric	Strong Performance	Average	Weak
TTR	15%+	8-12%	< 5%
CVR	70%+	50-65%	< 40%
CPA	Within target	1.5-2x target	> 2x target

Action thresholds:

• TTR < 5% after 14 days: Pause or lower bid significantly
• CVR < 40% after 30 days: Evaluate relevance, consider pausing
• CPA > 2x target consistently: Reduce bid or pause

Source: SplitMetrics Apple Ads Benchmarks 2025, AppTweak

Your Keyword Research Process (Step-by-Step)

Week 1: Research and List Building

1. Extract keywords from your app metadata (30 minutes)
2. Research top 10 competitors and extract their keywords (1 hour)
3. Use Apple's keyword suggestions during campaign setup (30 minutes)
4. Compile a master list of 100-150 keywords (1 hour)

Week 2: Categorization and Launch

1. Organize keywords into Brand, Competitor, Category, Discovery (30 minutes)
2. Set up campaigns with exact match keywords (1 hour)
3. Launch with conservative bids (15 minutes)

Week 3-4: Discovery and Expansion

1. Run Search Match in Discovery campaign ($500-$1,000 budget)
2. Review search terms report weekly
3. Promote high-performers to exact match campaigns
4. Add low-performers to negative keyword list

Month 2+: Optimization and Scaling

1. Analyze keyword-level performance monthly
2. Increase bids on winners, decrease on underperformers
3. Continuously test new keywords from Search Match
4. Refresh competitor list as new apps launch

FAQs

How many keywords should I target in Apple Search Ads?

Top-performing apps typically target 150-200 exact match keywords across all campaigns. Start with 50-100 to gather data, then expand based on performance. Focus on quality over quantity—10 highly relevant keywords outperform 100 loosely related ones.

What makes a good Apple Search Ads keyword?

Good ASA keywords balance three factors: high relevance to your app's core function, clear user intent indicating they're looking for a solution, and measurable search volume. Avoid overly broad terms or those with low conversion likelihood.

Should I bid on competitor names in Apple Search Ads?

Yes, when done strategically. Competitor keywords capture high-intent users but typically have higher CPTs and lower conversion rates than brand terms. Run them in a dedicated competitor campaign with moderate bids and expect CPAs 30-50% higher than brand campaigns.

How do I find new keywords for Apple Search Ads?

Use Search Match in a Discovery campaign to automatically surface new keyword opportunities. Run it for 14-21 days, then review the search terms report for high-performing queries. Promote these to exact match campaigns. Also monitor competitor apps and use ASO tools for trending search terms.

Should I target misspellings in Apple Search Ads?

Generally no. Apple's search algorithm auto-corrects most common misspellings, so targeting them explicitly is redundant. Focus on correctly spelled variations and let Apple's matching handle minor typos.

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Keyword selection isn't a one-time task. The most efficient ASA campaigns continuously refine their keyword lists based on performance data, competitive shifts, and emerging search trends. Start with strong fundamentals, then let the data guide expansion.