Apple Search Ads

Setting Up Apple Search Ads API

Connect AppShots to the Apple Search Ads Campaign Management API to unlock keyword popularity scores (5–100) for your ASO research.

Advanced account required

The Campaign Management API is not available on Basic accounts. If you don't see a "Create API Key" button in the API tab, your account is on the Basic plan. You must upgrade to Advanced first — see Step 1a below. The upgrade is free and one-way.

Requirements before you start

• An Advanced Apple Search Ads account (free to create or upgrade)
• Account Admin role on that account
• Two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled on your Apple ID

Sign in to Apple Search Ads

→ Go to searchads.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID
→ If you don't have an account, create one — it's free and does not require an active campaign

Upgrade to Advanced (if on Basic)

Required for API access

Skip this step if you already have an Advanced account. If you see the API tab but no "Create API Key" button, you are on Basic.

→ Click your account name in the top-right corner
→ Select Switch to Advanced or Upgrade Account
→ Confirm the upgrade — it is free
⚠ This switch is permanent — you cannot go back to Basic. Advanced still lets you run simple automatic campaigns on top of the full feature set.

Open API Settings

→ Click your account name in the top-right corner
→ Select Settings from the dropdown
→ Navigate to the API tab

Create an API Key

→ Click Create API Key
→ Enter a name like AppShots Keyword Analytics
→ Set the role to Account Admin — this is required for keyword popularity access
→ Click Create

Copy Your Credentials

Critical Step

The private key is shown only once. Download it before closing this screen.

→ Copy the Client ID — it starts with SEARCHADS. followed by a UUID
→ Copy the Team ID — your Apple Developer team identifier (10 characters)
→ Copy the Key ID — shown in the key list
→ Click Download Private Key to save the .p8 file — it cannot be re-downloaded

Enter Credentials in AppShots

→ Open AppShots → Settings → Keyword Analytics
→ Paste your Client ID, Team ID, and Key ID
→ Click Select .p8 File… and choose your downloaded key
→ Go to the Metadata section, switch to iOS, and open Keyword Analytics at the bottom

How keyword scores work

• Popularity (5–100) — raw integer score from Apple Search Ads. Higher = more people are searching for this keyword.
• Difficulty (0–100) — computed from how established the top-ranking apps are (based on rating counts). Higher = harder to rank.
• Rank — your app's position in the App Store search results for that keyword. Uses the public iTunes Search API.

You're all set!

Popularity scores will now appear when you click "Analyze All" in the Keyword Analytics section. Rank and difficulty work without credentials using the public iTunes API.