App developers for Apple’s devices are about to get a major boost in exposure, thanks to a new search ads program.
Apple confirmed the debut of these new ads yesterday, set to release this fall on the App Store. With that, both developers and companies will have a way to promote their apps in a non-intrusive manner, so that interested consumers can check them out and quickly download them to their device of choice.
The ads will appear on the top of the main app store page, with a number of targeting features to help users find similar apps to the ones they’re looking for. These will be done through names and keywords, setting up the ideal advertising slot for a developer to promote a specific app.
However, the program will be careful when it comes to recommendations, and will avoid suggesting an app that a user may already have on their device. Apple will also use both demographic and location-based data to suggest local companies when relevant. Relevance will play a big part, so users don’t get flooded with apps they’ll never use, according to the company. Their user tracking won’t be used for recommendations either, as no data will be taken from other apps.
“Over 65 percent of downloads come directly from searches on the App Store,” the report noted, indicating that various targeting features will play a part when it comes to specific application suggestions.
Better still, advertisers will only need to pay if a user taps their ad. There’s also an auction system in place to assure that market pricing doesn’t go through the roof. Apple will also make sure that Search Ads are based on certain demographics, such as specific keyword selection, audience targeting and APIs based across management, reporting and campaign creation.
All taken together, this could be quite a useful tool for both Apple and its advertisers when it launches this fall.
