Choosing the right keywords is essential to your growth, and it first requires the ability to think like your users. It’s best to do your own research and consider everything in advance: Who are your users? How do they spend their time? What can your app provide them?
All of this information impacts which words users might type into their search bars. Sure, you can download the entire dictionary of words and re-upload them to the platform, but that’s time-consuming and inefficient. Be strategic to save yourself time and stay up to date on what your audience is really looking for. You can even make it easier for yourself by using an automation tool. It’s always a good idea to start by protecting your brand, then broaden the keywords to widen the targeted audience.
In order for your ads to gain more exposure, the keywords you choose should be not only common, but popular. Apple Search Ads‘ Keyword Popularity Index paints a clearer picture of this – it categorizes different keywords from 1–5 (least to most popular). You can also utilize its other feature, which ranks keywords and the share of impressions that each keyword wins.
This is a balance, of course. For example, if you’re only choosing words categorized as 5, your ads face much more competition from similar apps. To maximize your scale, choose words that are popular enough to gain traction, but unique enough to bypass tough competition.
The advantage of search campaigns is clear – search, by nature, targets high-intent users
Adding exact popular keywords to your campaign is a given, but there’s another important step: highlighting and utilizing negative keywords. Let’s say you have an app focused on pizza delivery, but the keyword “delivery” is also used regularly with grocery delivery apps. Listing “grocery delivery” as a negative keyword ensures that you’re only focusing on words integral to your product and eliminating energy focused on anything unrelated.
These negative keywords need to be added to all relevant campaigns and kept up to date as your list grows, which is a challenge on its own when dealing with large volumes of campaigns and ad groups.
Source: Unity Technologies Blog