More ads are coming to App Store searches

Apple is moving ahead with a significant expansion of advertising in the App Store, changing how promoted apps appear in search results for millions of users worldwide.

9to5Mac reports.

Apple broadens App Store advertising

The company confirmed that, starting March 3, App Store search ads will no longer be limited to a single promoted placement at the top of search results. Instead, paid ads will also appear further down the results list, blended with organic app listings. The rollout will begin in the United Kingdom and Japan, with all Apple Ads markets expected to adopt the new format by the end of March.

The expanded ad placements will be available on iPhones running iOS 16.2 and later and iPads on iPadOS 16.2 and later. Advertisers will not need to change their campaigns to participate. Apple will automatically distribute existing App Store search ad campaigns across multiple positions in the results, with placement determined by Apple’s algorithm rather than direct bidding for specific slots.

Search ads will continue to appear in other familiar locations as well, including the Today tab, at the bottom of app product pages, and in suggested apps within the Search tab before users enter a query. App Store advertising has become a key revenue driver for Apple’s Services business, with analysts estimating that the program generates several billion dollars annually in advertiser spending.

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