Apple announced that it will start displaying ads on its App Store starting Wednesday, Oct. 5. The ads will be shown at the top of the search results page, and will appear upon entering keywords on the search bar.
Apple disseminated the announcement across iOS developers via email, informing them that starting Oct. 5, they will finally have the ability to promote apps to potential customers. As with all forms of advertising, App Store ads will cost developers an undisclosed sum, but Apple is offering developers $100 worth of credit for the first campaign of developers who sign up.
Apple published a dedicated webpage containing in-depth information on its Developers site. The site explains that developers can create campaigns based on a host of parameters, including gender, location, age and search keywords to get their apps some exposure. Apple will charge developers only when their promoted app is downloaded, meaning that developers aren't required to pay starting fees of sorts. Developers can halt the campaign at any moment during its course run. Developers will also be able to set a maximum daily cap to prevent overspending. Apple also included audience refinement options, app adverts scheduling and a dedicated Insights report for campaigns.
Apple said that 65 percent of all app downloads stem from App Store search results. More often than not, apps that might be relevant to a user's search keywords, but are significantly less popular, get buried under the bulk of apps that may be popular but less relevant, with some even completely unrelated to what features a user is intending to locate. Think of the ads as a means to suppress this behavior in search results. Developers can duly showcase their apps to users whose input skirt around the set parameters. This means more developers can target its intended demographic and users can find better and more relevant search results.
"If an ad is not relevant to what the user is looking for, it will not be shown in the ad spot regardless of how much you are willing to pay," Apple says on its search ads site.
Tech Times previously reported that Apple is sandblasting its App Store to remove abandoned and outdated apps on the database.
"To make it easier for customers to find great apps that fit their needs, we want to ensure that apps available on the App Store are functional and up-to-date," reads Apple's support page for Developers, referring to the cleanup initiative that it's giving the App Store.
Apple is constantly polishing its proprietary app store, and ads contribute to the overall atmosphere that the store is in working condition, displaying more relevant search results from a database that doesn't include abandoned and defunct apps.
The App Store contains more than 2 million apps, with 100,000 more being added each week. Combing through that expansive database to find what you're looking for can be a cumbersome task. Hopefully with search ads, Apple can deliver search results that tailor exactly the kind of apps that users are looking for.
