Presented during SMX Advanced 2016 the presentation covered what you need to know about Firebase App Indexing implementation, impacts and insights learnt.

1. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Firebase App Indexing
What you need to
know about
Firebase App-
Indexing

2. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Involved in search since 2007
• Focused on
• App-Indexing
• App-Store Optimisation
• App Download Campaigns
• Responsive Design
• Technical SEO
• SEO Product Manager since July 2013
Who is this guy?

3. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Joining BlueGlass London as
Director of Strategy
Who is this guy?

4. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
What’s New in App-Indexing?
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5. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Google App-Indexing becomes Firebase App-Indexing

6. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Introduction
• Technical implementation
• Meta tags/API/XML Sitemap
• Common Pitfalls
• Errors to expect
• Results achieved with App-Indexing
• Increased app activity
• App-installs
• Increased visibility
• Mini Case Study
• What’s next?
App-Indexing topics covered in my session

7. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Introduction to why App-Indexing
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8. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Often you can easily be confused
when looking for the official app.
It is not a bad thing to have multiple
apps but often the distinction isn’t
clear.
Current Play Store search experience could be better

9. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Sometimes it’s just too much effort
to work out which app you would
need to do something simple.
Current Play Store search experience could be better

10. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
But which is the best app for your
task you would usually do on the
website?
Sometimes you want something specific

11. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Google state that most users don’t
use all the 36 apps that they have
installed 75% of the time and 1/3 only
gets used once.
Part of the issues is that apps get forgotten about

12. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
What is the process?
1. Start on home screen
2. Check alternative screens
3. View all apps
You then have to search for that app

13. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
So now you go to the app store and
search for the app.
Ok great we already have it installed
so we click the result.
You still can’t find that app?

14. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Now you are able to open that app
you were looking for and you can get
started doing what you wanted to do
originally.
Great work you finally found the app

15. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
You can now search via Google to
see if you already have the app
installed and open from the SERPs.
App Indexing cuts out several steps in the process

16. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Why I think it’s important
Photo Credit: Katie Sayer

17. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
App-Indexing has deep integration with Google SERPs

18. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• About 48 hours for App-Indexing
results to show for users after
downloading your app
• Users that re-engage with your
app they are less likely to uninstall
• Users that re-engage are less likely
to use a competitor.
Process for users is fairly simple…
Do you have
the app?
Yes
Open in App
No
Install App
Open
Website

19. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• For branded traffic then App-
Indexing can be a lifeline
• Users don’t see aggregators or
affiliates now
• CTR is not as high as I would hope
depending on the query but it’s
great for branding
You can get these types of branded results

20. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
There are three main benefits to App-
Indexing
• Branding
• Personalisation
• Ranking Improvement
Which result would capture your attention?

21. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
You can think of App-Indexing as
personalised results on steroids!
Remember that App-Indexing can influence ranking
#13 #10

22. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
App Indexing Technical Implementation Guide
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23. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Pros:
• Check pages trying to index
• Done easily without app updates
Cons:
• 2 week delay in crawling and showing in
SERPs
• Competitors can see what pages you
are trying to index
• Custom scheme URLs are supported
but are discouraged
Meta Tags
<link rel="alternate" href="android-
app://com.smx.london/day/2/?country=uk&am
p;language=en" />

24. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Pros:
• Linked to user actions within your
app (engagement)
• Competitors can’t see what pages
you are App indexing at scale
• App shows in auto suggest
• Ready to use Now on Tap
Cons:
• Support from your mobile
developers to update your app
App-Indexing API

25. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Pros:
• All your URLs are in one place you
want Google to crawl
Cons:
• You might have to rebuild your
websites XML Sitemap logic
• Sitemaps are prone to breaking
• Your sitemaps just grew bigger
Add Deep Links to your XML Sitemap

26. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Google Suggests you want to do at
least 2 out of 3 to get the most
impact from App-Indexing.
• My personal preference is using
Meta Tags and supported by App-
Indexing API
• Diagnosing errors with API is
tougher and if you screw up
something you need to release an
app update.
Which option should you do?
My perception on impact
Meta Tags XML Sitemap API

27. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Common Pitfalls of App-Indexing
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28. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Not all apps were built to support
Deep Linking but that will change
over time
• App may not have previously
needed 404 error pages
• It may surface a lot more edge
cases previously ignored by devs
App Indexing will create 404 pages in your app

29. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Your app probably doesn’t have a lot of
pages your desktop site has
• App load time is now much more of an
issue as load time wasn’t measured
• How would you deal with universal
links?
Consider what is the user experience?
Photo Credit: Catherine

30. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
What crawl tools or crawl errors you can expect?
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31. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Custom search console for App
Indexing that allows you to fetch deep
links.
Two options for testing the links:
1) Google Play APK
2) Upload your APK
Fetch as Google to Test your App Indexing

32. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• As per desktop fetch as Google you
can drill into your URL to see a
more detailed report.
• You can see here is a successful
crawl resulted in the page
rendering correctly.
Fetch as Google to Test your App Indexing

33. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Please make sure you actually
check how Google views your app
page.
• Items such as popups for
Googlebot creates crawling issues.
• Googlebot is getting smarter but
don’t make it too hard for them!
Fetch as Google to Test your App Indexing

34. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• You can exclude specific pages
from the App-Indexing or app
notifications from showing in App
search results
• Create a noindex.xml file and
reference the noindex.xml in your
app’s AndroidManifest.xml file
Control Indexing (advanced Android only option)

35. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Number of App-Indexing pages
indexed is continuing to grow.
• Pages with errors as that will hold
your App-Indexing performance
back.
• Be aware the error reporting in the
crawl dashboard is not the most
accurate or current.
Crawl Status Reports can help you understand traction

36. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Number of App Indexed Pages
does have an impact on your App-
Indexing performance
• The number of pages with errors
has a negative impact on your
App-Indexing performance
Crawl Status Reports can help you understand failures

37. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Search Analytics can help you understand impact
Source: Google Search Console (excludingTablets)

38. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Package not found – Google couldn’t find your APK in Google Play Store
• Url unsupported – failed to launch the application
• Content mismatch – text doesn’t have to be identical but topic should be
the same and user should be able to accomplish same task as on web
• Overused URLs – You screwed up and mapped all the URLs to one page
• Back button violation – requires that a user be able to click back to SERPs
• Removed from index – pages in your app that don’t meet standards
Major App Crawl Errors

39. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Results achieved with App-Indexing
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40. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
App-Indexing via API has some benefits

41. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Remind users they have your app installed

42. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
App-Indexing helps with branding a bit

43. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Having trouble ranking for locations?

44. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Having trouble ranking for head terms?

45. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Prompt users to open your app to answer their query

46. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
If users already have your app they
have a seamless experience into your
app.
This can be important if you haven’t
yet built a responsive website or your
responsive website experience is
lacking features your app already has.
Process when they have your app installed
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47. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Shown if you are doing app
indexing but the user doesn’t yet
have the app installed
• You can only track clicks on button
and not installs
• Clicking currently shifts you away
to the Play store but it seems
Google is testing keeping them in
the SERPs
Bonus feature App-Indexing Install Widget
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48. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Results observed with App-Indexing
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49. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Not as many searches end with a click on install button
Source: Google Search Console (excludingTablets)

50. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• A larger app install base means
potentially more people may see
App-Indexing results
• Can be supported by
• App download campaigns
• ASO campaigns
• App-Indexing traffic can also be
influenced by
• Competitors
• AdWords
Remember App-Indexing doesn’t live in a silo
Source: Google Search Console (excludingTablets)

51. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Typically the Install Button link has
the highest visibility
• App-Indexing results don’t always
show higher than other organic
results
• App-Indexing results don’t always
show to all users
App-Indexing organic visibility can be volatile
Source: Google Search Console (excludingTablets)

52. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Case Study
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53. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Good App-Indexing results can
show an average +1.01 to +1.52
higher position in SERPs
• Great App-Indexing results can
show an average +2.51 to +3.88
higher position in SERPs
What does App-Indexing results look like?
Source: Google Search Console (excludingTablets)

54. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Comparing individual keywords results not as significant
Average Position forTop 15 AppTerms
Source: Google Search Console

55. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
It was something of a myth floating
around that iOS users don’t know
what App-Indexing is and would never
click the app result.
The number is lower but the average
position it’s shown is also slightly
lower.
Do iOS users even know what to do with App-Indexing?
Source: Google Search Console

56. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Almost all the times your app install
button will be showing will be on
brand terms.
Low amount of impressions but it’s
interesting just how many
competitors you show with and what
competitors and what CTR you can
get on install button.
When does install app button appear?
App Install Button Clicks
Source: Google Search Console

57. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
The first four app phrases perform
fairly closely.
The strength of your brand impact
both the search volume but also the
CTR of the following terms
• Brand download
• Brand install
How does CTR change on brand terms for install button?
Brand Brand App Brand App
Download
App Brand Brand
Download
Brand Install
Brand 1 Brand 2
Source: Google Search Console

58. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
I found that your data quality is
heavily affected if you don’t use the
country filter.
This makes analysis for global apps
more time consuming but the output
is far more accurate.
When doing analysis make sure you use the country filter

59. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
A Global View on App-Indexing Visibility
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60. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
You have to setup mobile
search engines for each OS and
tablet & mobile.
You can then define your app
and the benchmark apps
(competitors) that you want to
monitor.
SearchMetrics has an App visibility report you can setup

61. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
It’s now possible to gain a bit more
insight on how your app is performing
compared to your competitors.
The setup of what keywords and
competitors to track is still a bit clunky
but with more data I’m sure this will
improve with the addition of
suggested keywords/competitors to
include.
SearchMetrics are surfacing some insights at scale

62. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
What’s next?
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63. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Google App-Indexing for iOS9+
requires implementation of
Universal Links
• Previously it only showed for
logged-in Chrome users now it will
show for logged-in Safari users
• Going forward iOS App-Indexing
doesn’t require meta tagging just
requires app-to-site association
• Google App-Indexing will drop
support for older iOS7-8
Google App-Indexing for iOS supports iOS9+

64. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
App Only SERPs are coming to a device near you

65. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Search results could be influenced
by other users with similar apps.
• Search results could be influenced
by users with similar devices
• Competitors might be shown less if
users more engaged within your
app
• Desktop experience could be
influenced by your mobile app
usage
App-Indexing will expand as adoption increases

66. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Around mid-June 2016 Google Play
will start rolling out across
• Acer Chromebook R11 / C738T
• Asus Chromebook Flip
• Google Chromebook Pixel (2015)
With more Chromebooks supported
later in 2016
Play Store & Android Apps coming to Chromebooks

67. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
Google is making it possible for you to
soon enjoy App-Indexing benefits
without actually downloading the
whole application.
Instant Apps will benefit App-Indexing

68. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
• Progressive Web Apps
• Offline features
• Offline storage
• Add web app to home screen
• Access your phone’s camera
• Push notifications
• Supported by Chrome & Firefox
• Requires HTTPs
• Google could show them in Play App store
Progressive Web Apps blur line between Native & Apps

69. #SMX #22A @Davidiwanow
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