How custom product pages work
Every app has one default App Store product page. Custom product pages are additional versions of it, each with its own URL. On each one you can change:
- the screenshots,
- the app preview videos,
- the promotional text.
The app name, icon, description and price stay the same. People who open a custom page's URL see that version; everyone else keeps seeing the default page. You create the pages in App Store Connect, and each one needs Apple's approval before it goes live.
App Store Connect reports impressions, downloads and conversion rate for each custom page separately, so you can compare them with the default page.
How to send traffic to a custom product page
- Paid ads: link each campaign or ad set to the page that matches its message. Apple Search Ads lets you choose a custom product page per ad.
- Email, social and influencer campaigns: use the page's URL in the link.
- Your website: different landing pages can link to different store pages.
Apple has also been extending custom product pages to organic App Store search, by letting developers associate keywords with a page. Check App Store Connect for what is available for your app.
When to use them
- Match an ad's message. An ad about recipes should land on a page full of recipe screenshots, not your generic feature tour.
- Different audiences: students vs. teams, beginners vs. pros, gamers who like strategy vs. puzzles.
- Features you promote separately: a new feature, a partnership, a seasonal use case.
- Seasonal or event campaigns without touching the default page that everyone else sees.
How to set one up
- Pick the audience or campaign and the one message that matters to it.
- Design the first two or three screenshots around that message. They decide most of the conversion.
- Write promotional text that repeats the ad's promise.
- Create the page in App Store Connect, add the assets per localization and submit it for review.
- Use the page's URL in the campaign and compare its conversion rate with the default page after enough traffic.
Custom product pages vs. Product Page Optimization
| Custom product pages | Product Page Optimization | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Separate pages for specific traffic | A/B test of the default page |
| Who sees it | People with the page's link | A random share of all visitors |
| What changes | Screenshots, previews, promotional text | Icon, screenshots, previews |
| Result | Better match between ad and page | A better default page for everyone |
A good workflow: find what converts for one audience on a custom page, then test whether it also beats the default page with Product Page Optimization.
Google Play equivalent
Google Play offers custom store listings. They can target users in specific countries, users who arrive through a particular link, or users who pre-registered, each with its own graphics and text.
Example
A language-learning app runs one campaign aimed at travelers and one aimed at students. Each ad links to its own custom product page. Conversion on the travel page beats the default page by a wide margin because the first screenshot says "Order food in Italian in 2 weeks". See also user acquisition.