For years, App Store Optimisation (ASO) and Apple Search Ads (ASA) have often been treated as separate functions, one owned by organic teams, the other by paid media. But the truth is, when managed in isolation, they risk undermining each other. Done right, though, organic and paid acquisition, underpinned by unified paid media strategies, can work in harmony to deliver sustainable, scalable app growth.
This article explores how ASO and paid strategies can complement each other when aligned properly, and what to watch out for when they’re not.
1. When paid starts to cannibalise organic
One of the clearest signs of misalignment between organic and paid acquisition is cannibalisation, when ASA campaigns drive paid installs that would otherwise have been earned organically. It’s a common pitfall, particularly for branded and high-ranking terms, and often goes unnoticed unless you’re actively monitoring both ASA and ASO performance side by side.
If your app already ranks in the top positions for a keyword, and you launch paid activity against it, you may displace your organic listing, paying for users who would have found and installed your app for free.
Here’s an example of a campaign where Apple Search Ads was heavily focused on branded keywords. When the ads were paused around August, organic installs rose to match the previous total, fully absorbing the volume previously attributed to paid. This indicates that the campaign wasn’t driving incremental growth; the app was essentially paying for users who would have found and installed it organically anyway.
2. Testing incrementality: Is ASA driving true growth?
To understand whether your ASA spend is incremental, you need to measure the combined uplift of both paid and organic channels. The goal is to determine whether your ASA activity is contributing additional value, rather than simply shifting traffic from organic to paid channels. In other words, is your investment resulting in net new growth? Look for:
- A net increase in total installs, not just paid – Track total app installs when running your ASA. If paid installs increase but total installs stay flat, that’s a red flag that ASA may be cannibalising organic downloads.
- Improved keyword visibility or new reach – Effective ASA can help you gain exposure on terms where your organic ranking is low or non-existent. Check whether paid campaigns are surfacing your app for new keywords and how that visibility evolves.
- Consistent CVR across both paid and organic – Compare conversion rates from paid and organic listings. If ASA is driving users who are of similar quality (or better!), that’s a strong sign of value. Big gaps could indicate poor targeting or misaligned messaging.
In some cases, it may be worth temporarily pausing spend on a top-performing keyword and observing changes in organic traffic; this can help you model true impact and optimise budget accordingly.
3. Building defence: When to bid on your own name
Bidding on your brand name may seem unnecessary, especially if you hold the top organic spot, but it can be essential for protecting discoverability.
Competitors actively target branded terms, and ASA placements often sit above organic listings. If you’re not defending your brand, you’re leaving space for others to intercept users with similar offers.
That said, brand bidding isn’t always essential. If competitors aren’t encroaching on your terms, and your organic listing is strong, your budget may be better spent elsewhere. The key is understanding the landscape and making an intentional call, rather than defaulting to one approach or the other.
4. Creative consistency: Speaking with one voice
When users arrive at your app store page from a paid ad, they expect continuity. If your ASA creative promises one thing, but your store listing delivers another, you risk drop-off. That’s why aligning creative execution across ASO and ASA isn’t just good design, it’s a performance driver.
Ensure that the messaging, tone, and visuals used in your paid campaigns are reflected in your product page, particularly your screenshots and description. This reinforces trust, sharpens your value proposition, and removes friction in the decision-making journey.
Consistency doesn’t mean duplication. It means strategic alignment, showing the user that they’re in the right place and that your app delivers what they’re looking for.
5. Strategic alignment: Operating ASA and ASO as a unified system
The most effective teams treat ASA and ASO not as separate disciplines, but as two sides of the same growth engine. That means:
- Shared ownership of key metrics like install volume, CVR, and retention
- Regular cross-channel performance reviews
- A common framework for creative testing and messaging
Here are a few examples of how you can combine ASA and ASO to unlock synergy and drive installs.
Using Apple Search Ads to boost ASO
ASA can play a powerful role in accelerating organic performance, especially for low-ranking or newly targeted keywords.
- Test keyword relevance through ASA
If a keyword ranks low organically, start by bidding on it via ASA and monitoring the Tap-Through Rate (TTR) – a high TTR indicates that users find the term relevant to your app, which can help you inform your keyword targeting and content strategy within the App Store.
- Leverage competitor terms
Bidding on competitor brand names not only helps capture high-intent traffic but also signals to the algorithm that your app is relevant in that competitive space, which may support longer-term organic visibility.
Using ASO to boost Apple Search Ads
Strong organic foundations can improve ASA efficiency, especially for high-cost or competitive keywords.
- Reduce CPI for high-cost keywords
If a keyword drives a high Cost Per Install (CPI) through ASA, consider optimising for it organically. Strengthening its presence in your metadata, visuals, and user reviews can increase your app’s expected relevance, potentially lowering Cost Per Tap (CPT) and improving your ad efficiency.
- Double down on high-performing ASA keywords
If a keyword performs well in ASA with a high TTR, target it more aggressively in your ASO strategy to climb organic rankings. As organic visibility improves, you may be able to lower your biddingand maintain overall performance at a lower cost.
When paid and organic efforts inform each other, using ASA to test messaging that can inform ASO, or ASO insights to refine paid targeting, you create a feedback loop that drives performance across the funnel.
Final thoughts
In a landscape where user acquisition costs are rising and organic discoverability is getting tougher, the relationship between ASO and paid media can no longer be an afterthought. It’s a strategic growth lever.
By taking a unified approach, looking at creative, keyword strategy, and performance metrics holistically, brands can avoid internal competition, reduce waste, and drive smarter, more scalable app growth.
Whether you’re running ASA for a mature app or building your organic footprint from scratch, aligning your paid and organic strategies isn’t just a best practice, it’s a necessity. To discuss any themes from this article with our team, get in touch.
