Search tab suggestions, timed to browse#
Quick answer: Search tab ads appear on the suggested apps screen shoppers see before they type, across 91 markets. They win as a discovery surface: broad themed ad groups, Search Match switched on, and a weekly harvest that graduates proven queries to results campaigns.
by the folkfox bench.
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What are Search tab ads?#
Search tab ads sit on the suggested screen inside the App Store search experience, reaching shoppers before a query is typed. They are a browsing surface rather than an answering one, closer to a shelf end than a till. Start at the Apple Ads hub to place this deck in the family.
Like search results and the Today tab, the Search tab serves 91 markets. Read Apple on Search tab inventory and our search results deck for the query-led counterpart.
How do you farm discovery without waste?#
Keep ad groups broad and themed, switch Search Match on in a quarantined group, and harvest the search term report weekly. Winners graduate to exact match in results campaigns, while persistent browsers stay negative so discovery spend keeps exploring.
Cap bids below results levels: browsing taps convert softer than query taps. Our keywords deck sets the harvest policy, and our team reviews harvests that stall.
| Lever | What it means |
|---|---|
| Structure | Broad themed groups, Search Match quarantined apart |
| Harvest | Weekly search term review with exact graduation path |
| Bids | Capped below results bids, raised only on proven queries |
| Scale | One discovery group per category before splitting further |
When does the Search tab earn its budget?#
Launch once results campaigns prove the category converts: the Search tab then widens the funnel instead of guessing it. New apps with unproven positioning should win three exact queries first, then let discovery roam.
Seasonal browsing peaks reward early builds, since suggestion inventory follows store traffic. Give harvests four full weeks before judging the surface.
Where does the Search tab deliver?#
On the suggested apps screen inside search, across the same 91 markets as results and the Today tab. Product page placements remain the narrower set at 90 markets, unavailable in mainland China.
Pair Search tab discovery with product pages built for browsers, since suggestion tappers arrive with cooler intent. Our product pages deck covers the landing side.
Why pay for shoppers with no query?#
Because suggestions shape the shortlist before the query exists, and harvests turn that browsing into exact match assets. Every graduated query lowers future discovery cost, since proven terms leave the prospecting pool.
Because rivals defend queries but rarely defend suggestions. Read Apple on reaching browsers early and cap the bids in our bidding deck.
Discovery Planner
Plan a Search Match harvest loop: size the discovery budget, set the graduation bar and fix the weekly review cadence.
Discovery Planner
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Discovery taps convert softer than query taps, so cap bids and harvest weekly. Read Apple on Search Match.
Your harvest plan
Run the plan to see the harvest target and the graduation bar.
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Fresh search tab wire
Live headlines on discovery, suggestions and browsing demand from the folkfox journal.
Ready when you are#
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