VIVIAN LUM: Discovery and user retention
are two key problems developers like you have to solve,
whether you're building mobile apps or websites.
Fragmentation across platforms unfortunately
makes the situation worse because you
as a developer just don't have the time
to solve those same problems for Android, iOS, and the web.
My name is Vivian Lum.
Today, I will introduce several search features and tools
that will simplify your life and help you get more users get
more re-engagement.
First, let me refresh your memory
about what we covered in our last search DevByte video.
You learned that app indexing can drive re-engagement
because with your content indexed,
users can navigate directly from Google Search results
into your app.
It works for users who have installed your app,
but let's say I do not have your app installed on my Android
phone.
Can Google still help me as a user find apps like yours?
The answer is yes.
With app indexing, Google can tell me
about the apps that contain relevant content I'm
searching for.
And best of all, I can easily install them right away.
For a while, when I told some of my friends
I worked on app indexing at Google,
they immediately asked if it works for their iPhones.
Now, with app indexing for iOS, Google
can help iPhone users get to relevant in-app content
through the same deep linking technology.
So how do you get your app and its content found on Google?
First, you need to make your app deep linkable by setting up
deep links in your app.
What are deep links?
Deep links are like URLs for your app.
It is what makes your in-app content indexable by Google.
Next, you need to link your website to your app
so Google knows that a given web URL actually
has a corresponding app deep link,
and here's how you can annotate the link pairs.
Besides building mobile apps, many cross-platform developers
also maintain mobile websites.
Suppose you do.
How do you get your mobile website found on Google, then?
We encourage you to first start with our Mobile Friendly Test
to check out your website's mobile friendliness,
and then follow our tips on Webmaster Mobile Guide
to make your mobile website more search friendly.
Alongside app indexing, which helps Google surf the content
inside your app, you can also broadcast the types
of interactions your app supports
using a type of structure data markup called
schema.org actions.
For example, watch a TV show, stream a video,
play classical music.
What are schema.org actions, then?
Think of it as a way to declare what
your content is how and where users can interact with it.
Together with Google Voice Actions,
it doesn't matter whether a search is
done using text or voice, and Google can easily
help users looking for specific piece of content
to also discover capabilities of your app.
Let me give you an example.
As a working mom, I found myself always quite busy.
So when I get a chance to relax, my favorite thing to do
is to lounge on a couch, enjoy a great movie or a TV show.
The problem is I usually just know the name of the show
and have no time to research or whatsoever whether it's
worth my time or not.
So I need to know if a show is any good, where I can watch it.
OK, Google.
"Seinfeld."
With critic reviews and watch actions,
not only can I learn more about a show,
I can also find out where to stream it.
So if you have an app with streamable content,
how do you promote content and actions on Google?
Just add a few lines of markup to your website
and tells us exactly where it can be
watched, what can be watched.
The show is now over, and I'm ready to take a bath
and go to bed.
Hmm.
Bubble bath with some relaxing music would be nice.
OK, Google.
Play music on Tunein.
FEMALE SPEAKER: Which genre would you like to listen to?
VIVIAN LUM: Classical.
FEMALE SPEAKER: Playing classical.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
VIVIAN LUM: With voice interaction API,
your app can get selection input from users
to help them complete a task.
You can also close the feedback loop with Google
by telling us completion statuses using app indexing API
we launched a few months ago.
Finally, after completing any integration research, what's
more important to a developer than seeing the actual impact?
Whether you're a web or app developer,
you can simply log on to Search Console
to see the traffic driven to you from Google Search.
Wow.
There are indeed a lot of new ways for you to get more users
and keep them engaged.
Let me recap the steps.
One, to get found on Google you need to set up your deep links
and link your website to your app.
Two, to promote on Google, you need
to annotate your content and actions
and integrate with our APIs.
By integrating with Google Search,
your mobile app and website can have a better chance
to be discovered and used by your users.
To get started, check out our developers website
at g.co/developersearch.
Thank you for watching.
[MUSIC PLAYING]