Search Match
Search Match is an Apple Search Ads feature that automatically matches your ad to relevant user searches based on your app's existing metadata, without you entering any keywords.
Instead of building a keyword list yourself, Search Match reads your app's name, subtitle, description, and category, then matches your ad to searches Apple judges relevant. It removes the keyword-selection step entirely for the campaign it's running in.
For keyword research rather than advertising, Search Match is useful in reverse: turn it on in a Discovery campaign, let it run for a week or two, then read the search terms report. Apple hands you a list of real queries it decided were relevant to your app, many of which you would not have thought to add manually.
The tradeoff is control. Search Match can surface irrelevant terms alongside good ones, especially for apps with broad or ambiguous metadata. Treat its output as a source of raw candidates to score, not a finished keyword list.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Search Match cost more than manual keyword bidding?
- Not inherently. You still set the bid and budget; Search Match only changes which searches your ad is eligible to appear in. Cost depends on competition for the terms it matches, the same as manual keywords.
- Can I use Search Match just to find keywords, without spending much?
- Yes. Run it in a Discovery campaign with a modest daily budget, then pull the search terms report after a week or two. The goal is the list of real queries, not the installs themselves.
Related terms
- Discovery CampaignA Discovery campaign is an Apple Search Ads campaign type built to surface new, unknown keywords by running Broad Match and Search Match against a wide audience rather than a fixed keyword list.
- Keyword Match Types (Exact vs. Broad)Exact Match and Broad Match are the two ways Apple Search Ads ties a keyword you enter to the searches your ad actually appears for — Exact targets close variations of the term, Broad expands to related phrases and synonyms.
- Apple Search AdsApple Search Ads is Apple's paid advertising platform for the App Store, allowing developers to bid on keywords to display their app at the top of search results.
Browse the glossary
Put this into practice
Score App Store keywords by popularity and difficulty across 109 storefronts — the numbers behind search match.
Start keyword research