Apple Search Ads (ASA) is a powerful tool for bringing in new users — but how well it works depends a lot on the quality of your App Store page. One way to boost your results is by using Custom Ads, which are based on Custom Product Pages (CPP). These let you target users more precisely and increase conversions with content tailored to their needs.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to create a Custom Ad, why your CPP might not be showing up in ASA, and how to test your creatives effectively to drive more installs.

Custom Ads

A Custom Ad is an Apple Search Ads placement that uses a Custom Product Page (CPP) instead of your default app page. Custom pages are a great example of how ASO can directly impact your ASA results.

How to set up a Custom Ad using a Custom Product Page

1. Go to your ad group settings and click “Create Ad.”
2. You’ll see a list of available CPPs. The number of options depends on how many custom pages you’ve already created and published. Choose the CPP you want to use for the ad

Not seeing your Custom Product Page?

If your Custom Product Page isn’t appearing in the list, there could be two explanations:

• You don’t have any published and approved CPPs in App Store Connect.
• The CPPs are tied to a different locale.

Localization affects the availability of pages:

• For example, Canada supports both the English (Canada) and French (Canada) locales.
• In France, the available locales are English (UK) and French.
• If a user’s iPhone is set to English, they’ll see the English (UK) version of your page — even if they’re physically located in France.

Approval and Launch

Custom Ads are based on CPPs created in App Store Connect, where they go through a review process. Once approved, the page will show up in your Apple Search Ads dashboard and can be used to launch a new ad.

Default Ad vs. Custom Ad

In each ad group, traffic is split between two types of ads:

• Default Ad — the standard app page.
• Custom Ad — an ad linked to a specific Custom Product Page (CPP).

Some users — like those on older devices — will only see a Default Ad because their devices don’t support CPPs. But the number of these users is shrinking, and over time, almost all traffic will go to Custom Ads.

One thing to keep in mind: you can only have one Custom Ad active per ad group. If you launch a new variation, the previous one will automatically be paused.

How Custom Ads help optimize conversion and test creatives

Custom Ads solve two key tasks:

1. Boosting conversion (TTR, CR)
   • Custom Ads help improve your Tap-Through Rate (TTR) and Conversion Rate (CR).
   • The higher your conversion, the easier it is to win Apple Search Ads auctions at a lower cost.
   • This leads to more installs — and lower costs per install.
2. A/B testing screenshots
   • You can create a Custom Product Page with a new set of screenshots, copy, and visuals.
   • Then compare its performance to your current page.
   • This kind of test won’t affect organic traffic, since changes apply only to ads.

How to accurately test screenshots with a Custom Ad

It’s important to know that just creating one Custom Product Page, launching a Custom Ad, and expecting traffic to split evenly between the custom and default pages won’t work.

As mentioned earlier, Default Ads are only shown to users with older devices that don’t support Custom Product Pages. That’s a small audience, and their behavior may differ from users on newer devices.

To run accurate creative tests, we recommend using the Benchmark CPP method.

A Benchmark CPP is a Custom Product Page that is identical to your default app page.

• It’s technically a custom page in the App Store, but in practice, it looks exactly the same as the main version.
• This makes it possible to split traffic evenly between both versions you’re testing.

Optimal structure for A/B testing:

1. Create two Ad Groups:
   • Benchmark Ad Group → uses the Benchmark CPP (identical to the default product page).
   • Custom Ad Group → uses a custom page with new screenshots.
2. Use only one keyword per group (SKAG — Single Keyword Ad Group).
   • If you add multiple keywords, you might end up in a situation where some convert better than others. For example, the Benchmark CPP might end up with the less effective keywords, while the Custom Ad gets the more high-performing ones.

Using a Benchmark CPP gives you clean data and helps you clearly see which set of screenshots performs better.

Custom Ads in Apple Search Ads open up new avenues to improve your campaigns. When set up right, CPPs can boost conversion rates and lower your cost-per-install by helping you win auctions. A/B testing with a Benchmark CPP gives objective insights into how your creatives perform — so you can double down on what works best. A thoughtful approach to Custom Ads is one of the keys to successful growth on the App Store.