Best practices for custom product pages with Apple Search Ads

Key takeaways

• Custom product pages let developers create tailored App Store pages to match user intent and boost conversions.

• In Apple Search Ads, ad variations based on custom product pages can improve ad relevance, increase conversion rates, and lower cost-per-install (CPI)

• Use custom product pages to target specific audiences, highlight features, promote seasonal campaigns, and engage a specific segment of your audience.

• To create effective custom product pages, align visuals and messaging with user intent and continuously test different variations.
• SoundCloud reduced cost-per-install by 39% and increased conversions by 58% by using custom product pages used as ad variations in Apple Search Ads.

What are custom product pages?

With custom product pages, app developers can create up to 35 variations of their App Store product page. Custom product pages enhance user experience by allowing developers to customize visuals, promotional text, and app previews to match user intent. You can add an app deep link to your custom product page to optimize the user experience. When users click ‘Open’ on your custom product page, the app deep link directs them to specific content in your app.

Custom product pages integrate seamlessly with Apple Search Ads. You can use them either as a tap destination for Today tab campaigns or with ad variations for search result campaigns.

Custom product pages used as ad variations in Apple Search Ads have proven to improve conversion rates and reduce cost-per-install (CPI) and are particularly effective for:

• Targeting specific keywords within Apple Search Ads search result campaigns

• Engaging a specific set of users

• Highlighting key features

• Launching new updates

• Seasonal campaigns

They also help in competitive positioning and capturing brand intent by ensuring the most relevant content appears for branded and competitor searches.

To learn more about CPPs, check out our step-by-step guide to custom product pages..

What are the benefits of using custom product pages as ad variations in Apple Search Ads?

Creating ad variations brings a wide array of benefits to your Apple Search Ads campaigns, from boosting your app’s relevance to offering a more tailored user experience for users.

Increased relevance

Custom product pages make your app more relevant by allowing you to show an App Store page in which the benefits you highlight particularly match what users are searching for. By creating specific pages tailored to different search queries, advertisers can show users content that feels more aligned with their interests and needs. This personalized approach to user acquisition makes it more likely that visitors will find your custom product page more engaging than the standard product page, which should encourage them to hit the download button.

The health tracker app Flo has created several custom product pages to optimize their Apple Search Ads campaigns. For pregnancy-related keywords, Flo chose to feature a pregnant woman in the first screenshot. For keywords such as “hormone tracker” and “mood tracker” Flo has designed a custom product page highlighting overall women’s health.

Enhanced campaign performance

Custom product pages offer users a more relevant and personalized experience, which can greatly improve conversion rates. In turn, a higher conversion rate can lead to a lower cost per install (CPI) and more efficient ad spend.

AppTweak’s ASO Trends & Benchmarks Report reveals that apps experienced a 6.6% increase in conversion rates after using ad variations, while games saw an increase by up to 8%.

More granular insights

In Apple Search Ads, you can monitor the performance of all your ad variations. You can analyze key metrics such as impressions, tabs, cost per tab, installs and more. These metrics can give more detailed insights into the performance of certain ad variations which can be leveraged to optimize campaign performance but also your default App Store page.

Gopuff has created an ad variation for an ad group targeting very generic keywords related to “Delivery”. The ad variation shows screenshots with longer and more descriptive captions than the default App Store page. The metrics provided in Apple Search Ads can give Gopuff more insights about the performance of this specific custom product page which they can leverage to optimize campaign performance but also their default App Store listing.

When to use custom product pages in Apple Search Ads

As a destination for Today tab campaigns

Today tab ads use a custom product page as their tab destination. Today tab ads are most often leveraged for brand awareness campaigns, making the custom product page crucial for turning curiosity into downloads.

Since users aren’t actively searching for your app when they land on the Today tab, the custom product page should be simple and engaging. Highlight key benefits with bold visuals, clear messaging, and a strong CTA.

If you are running a broader marketing campaign tied to a seasonal event or feature launch and you want to pair it with a brand awareness campaign using Today tab ads on the App Store, it is recommended to create a custom product page that is aligned with the broader marketing campaign to increase recognition.

Targeting specific audience

Apple Search Ads offers a range of audience targeting options that, when combined with ad variations based on custom product pages, can significantly enhance the relevance of your app for specific search queries. You can configure ad groups to target users based on factors like age, gender, device type, language and customer type.

By creating ad variations, developers can create tailored experiences for various audience segments, enhancing engagement and conversion rates.

Highlighting key features

With ad variations, you can create different versions of your App Store page, each highlighting features that speak directly to what different users are looking for. This makes your app feel more relevant by showing potential users exactly what they need.

For example, a plant app like PictureThis could have one custom product page focused on plant identification tools for people wanting to figure out what kind of plant they’re dealing with, while another custom product page can highlight tips and advice on how to keep plants healthy and thriving. By matching your app’s features to user interests, custom product pages make your app more appealing and boost the chances of getting downloaded.

Seasonal or Promotional Campaigns

For time-sensitive promotions, custom product pages give you the flexibility to spotlight seasonal or limited-time content in a way that feels targeted and relevant. For example, an e-commerce app could create a special custom product page featuring exclusive Valentine’s Day products, available only during that time. This way, users searching for specific keywords related to the holiday instantly see relevant offerings, making the app more engaging and boosting the chances of conversions.

Launching new features

Creating dedicated custom product pages that showcase your app’s latest features is a great way to re-engage users who may have stopped using it, by showing them how the app has improved or evolved. At the same time, these pages can catch the attention of new users by highlighting recent innovations and making it clear how these updates enhance the overall experience.

Re-engaging returning users

A custom product page with a compelling re-engagement message can drive users back to your app. For example, a streaming app could create a custom product page highlighting new, exclusive movies to lure back previous subscribers.

The simplest way to target returning users is by leveraging the audience targeting settings in Apple Search Ads and specifically target returning users. Then, create an ad variation that highlights what’s new—focusing on recent updates, improvements, and new features added to your app in the past weeks or months. This approach provides a compelling reason for previous users to revisit and re-download your app, showcasing how it has evolved since they last used it.

Here, the musical app Deezer, had a custom product page emphasizing the newly introduced feature of translated lyrics, specifically targeting returning users with the message that this highly requested feature is “finally” available.

Targeting competitors with stronger messaging

Apps can leverage custom product pages to target competitors strategically. Diverting traffic from competitors is challenging, but the right messaging can do wonders.

One effective tactic is to identify weaknesses in your competitor’s app—such as common complaints found in their negative reviews. Then, use a custom product page to clearly showcase how your app addresses these issues, positioning it as a superior alternative. This targeted approach can help give more context to undecided users and give your app a competitive edge.

In AppTweak, you can examine your competitor’s custom product pages in our CPP Explorer App Store examples article.

Strengthening brand defense

People searching for a specific brand might have already some familiarity, making them more receptive to specific messaging. Advertisers can leverage custom product pages to go beyond generic messaging and showcase more creative messaging or feature-focused content.

By highlighting key features or new functionalities directly within branded searches, advertisers can educate users about the latest updates, reinforcing their interest and increasing the likelihood of adoption. This approach ensures that potential users not only recognize the brand but also gain a clearer understanding of its value, making them more likely to install or re-engage with the app.

We discuss this more in our article Best practices to structure your Apple Search Ads campaigns.

Case study: How SoundCloud reduced CPI by 39% with custom product pages

SoundCloud collaborated with AppTweak to optimize its Apple Search Ads campaigns and test the impact of ad variations based on custom product pages.

Our team recommended to start testing ad variations in search result campaigns targeting competitor keywords. Using ad variations in competitor campaigns would allow SoundCloud to target high-intent users while emphasizing their app’s differentiators exactly when they’re considering their options.

We analyzed SoundCloud’s user reviews and found out that customers particularly valued SoundCloud’s unlimited skips and fewer ads features. The team leveraged this information when creating custom product pages, which served as ad variations in the competitor search results campaigns.

The custom product pages lead to a 58% increase in conversion rate, reducing cost-per-install by 39%.

Best practices when using custom product pages with Apple Search Ads

Create separate ad groups

When leveraging ad variations based on a custom product page in search results campaigns, they must be added at the ad group level. For optimal results, structure your ad groups around specific objectives or certain keyword clusters and connect each ad group with the most relevant custom product page.

Focus on conversion optimization

A well-optimized custom product page should make it as easy as possible for users to decide to download your app. This means presenting clear, compelling information that highlights your app’s value while reducing any friction that might cause hesitation.

Leveraging social proof—like high ratings, positive reviews, and recognizable endorsements—can help build trust and make users feel more confident about hitting that download button. The more relevant, clear and convincing your custom product page is, the better your chances of turning visitors into installs.

Perform A/B tests on your custom product pages

Continuous experimentation is key to optimizing campaign performance. By testing different creatives, messaging, and promotional elements, advertisers can determine which variations resonate best with their target audience. This means developers should be ready to treat their custom product pages just like their default product and test different screenshot variations.

Running A/B tests on your custom product pages is technically possible. In Apple Search Ads, you would need to modify your campaign to include two ad groups targeting the same audience and/or keyword, each featuring a custom product page. However, doing so is not recommended as it’s challenging to evenly distribute the audience, budget, and impression share between the two variants.

A more effective strategy is to run sequential tests in which two custom product pages prepared for the same audience segments are tested one after the other. If you choose this method, edit your ad variation and change the custom product page once the traffic and volume have stabilized. Additionally, remember to allow enough time for each ad variation to collect sufficient data for your observed conversion rate to be stable and to minimize external factors that could influence the results.

Add deep links to your custom product pages

Deep linking improves the user experience by directing users to the most relevant in-app content rather than just the app’s home screen. This reduces friction, helping users quickly find what they were initially interested in, which can increase engagement and retention rates. For an introduction to deep linking, check out Master deep linking.

For example, imagine you’re promoting a limited-edition collection in a clothing app through a custom product page. Once they have downloaded the app, instead of sending users to the app’s main screen and making them search for the collection, a deep link takes them directly to the section where they can shop the new items. It’s a faster, easier experience that makes a purchase much more likely.

Gain inspiration from analyzing competitors’ custom product pages

Studying competitors’ custom product pages can provide valuable insights you can leverage to refine your own strategy. A deep-dive into competitor’s custom product pages can reveal how they position themselves for specific audience segments or keywords, the messaging and design trends they prioritize, and which seasonal events they capitalize on. If a competitor frequently updates its custom product pages, it may signal a strong testing strategy that you can learn from.

You can leverage AppTweak’s CPP Explorer feature to analyze competitor’s (or any app within your category) custom product pages. You can see all the keywords for which this custom product page is applied, helping you understand how competitors tailor their messaging for different search queries.

Monitor and analyze performance

Tracking the performance of your custom product pages is crucial for optimizing your campaigns and getting the best results. By keeping an eye on conversion rates, installs and retention, you can see which custom product pages are more effective and make adjustments based on what’s working. Regularly analyzing this data helps you fine-tune your approach, ensuring your campaigns stay effective over time. It also helps you spot high-performing custom product pages that might be worth scaling up to reach a wider audience.

Keep in mind that the performance of a custom product page should not necessarily be measured comparatively to the performance of your default page as such a comparison would actually reflect how conversion varies between different keyword segments.

Conclusion

Ad variations based on custom product pages offer a powerful way to enhance the effectiveness of your Apple Search Ads campaigns. By tailoring messaging, optimizing visuals, and testing variations, app marketers can significantly improve relevancy, increase conversion rates and lower acquisition costs.

FAQs

What are the main differences between a default product page and a custom product page?

A default product page is the standard App Store page that appears to all users searching for an app on the App Store. It includes generic branding, descriptions, and media that apply to all users.

A custom product page, on the other hand, is a tailored version of the product page designed for specific audiences, campaigns, or marketing channels. It allows you to customize the app preview videos, screenshots, and promotional text to better align with a user’s intent or interests.

Do I need to create a separate campaign for each custom product page?

No, you don’t need to create a separate campaign for each custom product page. Instead, you can manage multiple custom product pages within a single campaign by setting up different ad groups.

While ad groups are generally the better option, there are a few cases where separate campaigns might make sense:

• Different budget strategies: If you want to allocate entirely separate budgets to different custom product pages (e.g., one for brand awareness and another for high-intent conversions), separate campaigns can give you more control.

• Testing across different campaign types: If you’re running custom product pages in both search results and Today tab campaigns, you’ll need to set up different campaigns since each type has unique settings and placements.

How can I measure the effectiveness of my custom product pages in Apple Search Ads?

The simplest way to track the effectiveness of your custom product pages is through App Analytics in App Store Connect. In the Acquisition tab, you can monitor key metrics like page impressions, installs, reinstalls, and conversion rates, along with retention data and average revenue per paying user. If users acquired through a custom product page show higher retention and spend more compared to those from your default product page, it indicates that your custom product page is successfully attracting high-value users.