Today, Apple has announced the rebranding of Search Ads to ‘Apple Ads’, a name that more accurately reflects the growing range of services within its advertising business.
Initially, Apple debuted ads exclusively within the App Store as promoted search results, which led to the original name ‘Search Ads’. However, with the company now providing advertising options in various locations throughout the App Store, the previous designation became outdated.
Currently, developers have the ability to promote their apps across the App Store’s Today tab, Search tab, and even at the bottom of other apps’ product pages in the ‘You Might Also Like’ section.
Thus, the rebranded name Apple Ads serves as a more fitting representation of the services offered. It might also hint at potential future developments.
Apple has long been rumored to be considering adding ads to other applications such as Apple Maps, with the goal of increasing revenue in its profitable ad services sector. The simpler Apple Ads branding would be better suited for such expansion; however, this remains speculative for now.
Here’s how Apple outlined the rationale behind the name change in a message to developers:
When Apple Search Ads launched in 2016, we offered a single ad placement at the top of search results. Today, advertisers can run ads in multiple placements across the App Store, so we’ve decided to change our name.
