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Shopify ads installs from suggested keywords: nearly doubled in one account. In another, installs cost $3.58 each vs $9.98.
Shopify app store ads (Shopify search ads) put you at the top of the results merchants are already typing. Done well, they're the fastest paid channel for installs; done naively, they burn budget on keywords that install but never pay. We manage Shopify ads with keyword-level revenue attribution: we bid on what makes money, not what gets clicks.
For most Shopify apps, Shopify search is the #1 source of revenue, and app store ads put you at the top of it. This service fits when:
Before spending a dollar, we mine what your data already knows: which keywords have driven installs, subscribers and revenue, organically and paid, via Shopify app keyword performance in Prys, what CPCs your space commands, and where your competitors bid.
Proven terms from your history, suggested keywords, competitor names, common typos and your own brand. Volumes come from exact-match keywords: searches equal impressions divided by visibility. Often your #1 keyword carries as much search as the rest of your top ten combined.
Exact and broad match together, with campaigns split by geos, devices, Shopify plans (for Built for Shopify targeting), competitors, typos and brand. Structure is what makes optimization possible: separate campaigns mean separate budgets, bids and answers. Most accounts we take over don't have it.
Every week we review the search terms report, promote winners from broad to exact, and add irrelevant terms as negatives. Bids follow visitor value by keyword: we double down on high-value keywords and lower bids on weak ones.
New suggested search terms, including valuable misspellings and variations, go into a separate campaign that we optimize on its own. The long tail is cheap because nobody structures for it.
Installs, subscribers and revenue by keyword, not just clicks.
A visitor's value is the break-even cost per click. The 2026 benchmarks, drawn from 400+ active Shopify apps, show where the line sits for an average app and a top-quartile one:
| Metric | Average app | Top quartile |
|---|---|---|
| App store page visitor value (break-even CPC) | $9.43 | $13.58 |
| Install value | $43.25 | $71.26 |
Your own numbers matter more than the averages, which is why we bid by value per keyword, not one number for the whole account.
The keyword-expansion step is where the extra installs come from. In one account, the suggested-keywords campaign delivered almost as many installs as the main campaign, effectively doubling installs. In another, suggested keywords brought installs at $3.58 each vs $9.98.
See the Shopify apps we've worked with, by category.
| Prys, self-serve | Convert2x, managed | |
|---|---|---|
| Full funnel by keyword and geo | Yes | Yes, read for you |
| Bid suggestions and new keywords from your data | Yes | Applied for you |
| Research, account build and structure | You | Us |
| Weekly optimization, keyword expansion, reporting | You | Us |
Most merchant searches take place in the app store. Best to cover that before moving on to Google Ads. Most clients end up running both.
Beyond the $1K/mo management fee, media depends on your keywords and category. Media budgets are sized together on the first call; about $2K/mo is a typical start.
The ones whose installs turn into subscriptions and revenue. Keyword-level attribution ties installs, subscriptions and revenue to the exact search term, and the bidding runs on that.
From exact-match keywords only: divide impressions by visibility. Your #1 keyword often has as many searches as the rest of your top ten combined.
Up to what a visitor from that keyword is worth. Visitor value is the break-even cost per click: double down on high-value keywords and lower bids on weak ones.
Both, together. Exact match gives precision and control on known, high-value terms; broad match discovers new search terms. Winners get promoted from broad to exact.
Every app bids on the same short-tail keywords, and peak season makes it worse. Weekly negatives, value-based bids and new long-tail keywords keep the account profitable.
Own the organic results for the same keywords with Shopify app store SEO and AEO. Structure details: Shopify Ads campaign structure. Peak-season moves: BFCM for Shopify apps.
Free growth assessment: we'll show you exactly where the upside is, and quote on the call.
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