# Ad Groups Create and manage ad groups. ## Discussion An ad group is a collection of criteria that defines who sees your ad in App Store search results. A basic ad group includes a `startTime`, `endTime`, and `dailyBudgetAmount`. You can add bid amounts, [`TargetingDimensions`](/documentation/apple_ads/TargetingDimensions), and [Targeting Keywords and Negative Keywords](/documentation/Apple_Ads/targeting-keywords-and-negative-keywords). Use the [`Search for Geolocations`](/documentation/apple_ads/Search-for-Geolocations) endpoint to find localities to use for targeting dimensions within ad groups. ### Build a Campaign Keywords Strategy When building a campaign promotion strategy, you define keywords relevant to your app and bid on them. Relevant keywords increase the viability of your app to rank high in user searches. You can either automate your keyword and bid strategy by using the Search Match feature, or use your own keywords and bid strategy. The Search Match feature is an algorithm that uses multiple resources to match your ad to relevant searches in the App Store. The resources include metadata from your App Store product page, information about similar apps in the same genre, and other available search data. Search Match is a good option if you don’t want to figure out all keyword possibilities and actively bid on them.  ### Enable and Disable Search Match To enable Search Match, use [`Create an Ad Group`](/documentation/apple_ads/Create-an-Ad-Group) or [`Update an Ad Group`](/documentation/apple_ads/Update-an-Ad-Group) endpoints to perform the following steps: 1. Set `automatedKeywordsOptIn: true`. 2. Set the required field `defaultBidAmount`. If you’re using your own keywords and bid strategy, disable Search Match using [`Create an Ad Group`](/documentation/apple_ads/Create-an-Ad-Group) or [`Update an Ad Group`](/documentation/apple_ads/Update-an-Ad-Group) endpoints using the following steps: 1. Set `automatedKeywordsOptIn: false`. 2. Set the required field `defaultBidAmount`. 3. Use the `bidAmount` field in `Create Targeting Keywords` and `Update Targeting Keywords` endpoints to set a threshold price for a keyword in a bidding auction. > Important: > If you don’t provide a `bidAmount`, the `bidAmount` uses the `defaultBidamount` of the corresponding ad group. ### Automated Ad Groups The Maximize Conversions bid strategy uses an automated ad group with Search Match to automatically optimize bids for each search query. This eliminates the need to manually set and monitor individual keyword bids, while prioritizing keywords most likely to drive conversions. To create a campaign with a Maximize Conversions bid strategy, see the payload example in [`Create a Campaign`](/documentation/apple_ads/Create-a-Campaign). To create an automated ad group, see the automated ad group payload example in [`Create an Ad Group`](/documentation/apple_ads/Create-an-Ad-Group). For details switching between Max Conversions and manual campaigns, see the payload examples in [`Update a Campaign`](/documentation/apple_ads/Update-a-Campaign). For reports with a Maximize Conversions bidding strategy, see campaign and ad group [`Get Campaign-Level Reports`](/documentation/apple_ads/Get-Campaign-Level-Reports) and [`Get Ad Group-Level Reports`](/documentation/apple_ads/Get-Ad-Group-Level-Reports). ## Topics ### Ad Group Endpoints [`Create an Ad Group`](/documentation/apple_ads/Create-an-Ad-Group) Creates an ad group as part of a campaign. [`Find Ad Groups`](/documentation/apple_ads/Find-Ad-Groups) Fetches ad groups within a campaign. [`Find Ad Groups (org-level)`](/documentation/apple_ads/Find-Ad-Groups-(org-level)) Fetches ad groups within an organization. [`Get an Ad Group`](/documentation/apple_ads/Get-an-Ad-Group) Fetches a specific ad group with a campaign and ad group identifier. [`Get all Ad Groups`](/documentation/apple_ads/Get-all-Ad-Groups) Fetches all ad groups with a campaign identifier. [`Update an Ad Group`](/documentation/apple_ads/Update-an-Ad-Group) Updates an ad group with an ad group identifier. [`Delete an Ad Group`](/documentation/apple_ads/Delete-an-Ad-Group) Deletes an ad group with a campaign and ad group identifier. ### Ad Group Request and Response Objects [`AdGroup`](/documentation/apple_ads/AdGroup) The response to ad group requests. [`AdGroupUpdate`](/documentation/apple_ads/AdGroupUpdate) The list of ad group fields that are updatable. [`AdGroupResponse`](/documentation/apple_ads/AdGroupResponse) A container for the ad group response body. [`AdGroupListResponse`](/documentation/apple_ads/AdGroupListResponse) The response details of ad group requests. ### Audience Refinement [`TargetingDimensions`](/documentation/apple_ads/TargetingDimensions) The optional criteria to use with ad groups to narrow the audience that views your ads. [`AppCategoryCriteria`](/documentation/apple_ads/AppCategoryCriteria) The defined target audience by app category. [`AppDownloaderCriteria`](/documentation/apple_ads/AppDownloaderCriteria) The defined targeted audience according to app downloads. [`AdminAreaCriteria`](/documentation/apple_ads/AdminAreaCriteria) The defined targeted audience by administrative area. [`CountryCriteria`](/documentation/apple_ads/CountryCriteria) The defined targeted audience by country or region. [`LocalityCriteria`](/documentation/apple_ads/LocalityCriteria) The defined targeted audience by locality. [`AgeCriteria`](/documentation/apple_ads/AgeCriteria) The defined targeted audience to include using the age demographic. [`AgeRange`](/documentation/apple_ads/AgeRange) The defined target audience to include using the age-range demographic. [`DaypartCriteria`](/documentation/apple_ads/DaypartCriteria) The defined targeted audience to include for a specific time of day. [`DaypartDetail`](/documentation/apple_ads/DaypartDetail) The defined targeted audience to include by a specific time of day. [`DeviceClassCriteria`](/documentation/apple_ads/DeviceClassCriteria) The defined targeted audience to include by device type. [`GenderCriteria`](/documentation/apple_ads/GenderCriteria) The defined targeted audience to include using the gender demographic. ### Data Types [`AdGroupDisplayStatus`](/documentation/apple_ads/AdGroupDisplayStatus) The status of the ad group. [`AdGroupServingStateReasons`](/documentation/apple_ads/AdGroupServingStateReasons) A list of reasons that displays when an ad group isn’t running. [`AdGroupServingStatus`](/documentation/apple_ads/AdGroupServingStatus) The status of whether the ad group is serving. [`AdGroupStatus`](/documentation/apple_ads/AdGroupStatus) The status of whether the ad group is enabled or not. [`DeviceClass`](/documentation/apple_ads/DeviceClass) The defined targeted audience to include by device type. [`Gender`](/documentation/apple_ads/Gender) The defined targeted audience in a campaign. [`PricingModel`](/documentation/apple_ads/PricingModel) The type of pricing model for a bid. --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)