Life After Mobilegeddon: App Deep Linking Strategies - Pubcon October 2015

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Using Apps to Drive Mobile-

First SEO Traffic

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Android&

iOS Intent

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Understanding App Packs

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New Android App Packs

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Types of App ResultsApp Pack App Single App Carousel Deep LinksIcon Deep Links

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Meta-data can provide a “preview” of the type of content in the app

You don’t know what’s IN the app until you download it

App Store search is heavy on brand and head terms vs. long tail

App Store Model

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“Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it

universally accessible and useful.”- Google’s initial mission statement -

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App Store Model vs. Search Engine Model

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Android Deep Linking User Experience

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“Google will be considering "high quality" apps to be a positive ranking factor in mobile search.”-Mariya Moeva (Google Webmaster Trends Analyst, SMX West 2015)

Website Parity = Positive Signal for Websites

WebApp

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Google App Indexing: Android

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Custom URL Scheme

HTTP URL Scheme

Android: Create Intent Filters

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Android: Create Intent Filters

Intent Filters need:<action>

<data> android:schemeandroid:path

<category>

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Deep Link to previously-viewed ‘Calafia Café’ screen in the Zagat app

Android App Indexing API

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...public class MainActivity extends Activity {

static final Uri APP_URI = Uri.parse("android-app://com.example.android.recipes/http/recipe-app.com/recipes"); static final Uri WEB_URL = Uri.parse("http://recipe-app.com/recipes/"); private GoogleApiClient mClient; ... }

@Override public void onStart() { super.onStart(); ...

@Override public void onStop() { ... // Call end() and disconnect the client String title = "App Indexing API Title"; Action viewAction = Action.newAction(Action.TYPE_VIEW, title, WEB_URL, APP_URI); AppIndex.AppIndexApi.end(mClient, viewAction); mClient.disconnect(); ...

Full code sample here: bit.ly/appindexingAPIcode


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...public class MainActivity extends Activity {

static final Uri APP_URI = Uri.parse("android-app://com.example.android.recipes/http/recipe-app.com/recipes"); static final Uri WEB_URL = Uri.parse("http://recipe-app.com/recipes/"); private GoogleApiClient mClient; ... }

@Override public void onStart() { super.onStart(); ...

@Override public void onStop() { ... // Call end() and disconnect the client String title = "App Indexing API Title"; Action viewAction = Action.newAction(Action.TYPE_VIEW, title, WEB_URL, APP_URI); AppIndex.AppIndexApi.end(mClient, viewAction); mClient.disconnect(); ...

Full code sample here: bit.ly/appindexingAPIcode


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Update App’s Robots.txt:

User-Agent: GooglebotAllow: /

Android App Robots.txt

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Android Custom Schemes

Requirement: Web Markup

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android-app://com.travel_app/travel_app/travel-app.com/hotels/curtis-hotel-denver

Protocol PackageID Scheme (custom)

Host Path

Google’s Android Deep Link Format

Deep Link URL Format:

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Rel=alternate XML Sitemaps Schema

<head> ... <link rel="alternate" href="android-app://com.travelapp.android/http/travelapp.com/examplescreen" /> ...</head>

<head> ... <link rel="alternate" href="android-app://com.travelapp.android/travelapp/examplescreen" /> <link rel="alternate" href="ios-app://123456/travelapp/examplescreen" /> ...</head>

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Rel=alternate XML Sitemaps Schema

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?><urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9" xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><url> <loc>http://travelwebsite.com/examplepage</loc> <xhtml:link rel="alternate" href="android-app://com.travelapp.android/travelapp/examplescreen" /> <xhtml:link rel="alternate" href="ios-app://123456/travelapp/examplescreen" /></url> <xhtml:link rel="alternate" href="android-app://com.travelapp.android/http/travelapp.com/examplescreen" />...</urlset>

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Rel=alternate SchemaXML Sitemaps

<script type="application/ld+json">{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "http://travelwebsite.com/examplepage", "potentialAction": { "@type": "ViewAction", "target": "android-app://com.travelapp.android/http/travelapp.com/examplescreen" }}</script>

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Verify Website in GP/ Log Into GSC with GP Account

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Google App Indexing:

iOS

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The Good News Is…

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The Bad News Is…

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iOS: Support Universal Links

https://subdomain.domain.com/path/subpath/

Scheme“http” or “https”

Domain or Host Name Path or Prefix

Anatomy of a Universal Link:

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Requirements:• A registered domain• SSL access to your domain• Ability to upload a JSON file to your domain

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1 Get Your App Ready• Modify your application

delegate• Adopt an entitlement in

Xcode that lists each domain associated with your app

READ:http://bit.ly/ios9universallinks http://bit.ly/UIApplicationDelegate-ReferenceWATCH: http://bit.ly/appleuniversallinks

http://bit.ly/ios9universallinks

http://bit.ly/ios9universallinks

http://bit.ly/UIApplicationDelegate-Reference



http://bit.ly/appleuniversallinks

http://bit.ly/appleuniversallinks

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2 Get Your Server Ready• Create an apple-app-site-

association file for each associated domain with the content your app supports and host it at the root level.

NOTE: The association file must be hosted on a domain that supports HTTPS/TLS, even if the HTTP deep links are not themselves served via HTTPS.

{ "applinks": { "apps": [], "details": { »ABC0123.com.domain.App": { "paths":[ "*" ] } } }}

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2 Get Your Server Ready• Create an apple-app-site-

association file for each associated domain with the content your app supports and host it at the root level.

NOTE: The association file must be hosted on a domain that supports HTTPS/TLS, even if the HTTP deep links are not themselves served via HTTPS.

{ "applinks": { "apps": [], "details": { »ABC0123.com.domain.App": { "paths":[

”/folder/subfolder/”,

”/folder2/subfolder2/*”, ] } } }}

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iOS: Support Cocoapods

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iOS: Support Cocoapods

1. Use most up-to-date version of CocoaPods

2. Add ‘GoogleAppIndexing’ pod to Podfile

3. Save and Install Pod

4. Import GoogleAppIndexing

5. Register app

pod 'GoogleAppIndexing'

pod install

#import <GoogleAppIndexing/GoogleAppIndexing.h>

[[GSDAppIndexing sharedInstance] registerApp:your iTunes ID];

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Web Markup

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Web Markup

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Google Search App Ranking Factors

Positive Ranking Factors:

• App Installation Status• Proper Technical

Implementation• Website Signals• APP INDEXING API

(extra boost!)

Negative Ranking Factors:

Content Mismatch/ Back Button Errors

Interstitials

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Google Search App Ranking Factors

Positive Ranking Factors:

• App Installation Status• Proper Technical

Implementation• Website Signals• APP INDEXING API

(extra boost!)• Coming soon:

Engagement?


Content Mismatch/ Back Button Errors

Interstitials

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Deep Links Without Website ParitySocial Media

Apple Search Email & Paid Ads

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Apple Search App Indexing

in iOS 9

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“Apple’s App Store commission is now at a

run-rate of $9 billion, more than its total revenue in the year the iPod launched.”

- Benedict Evans, @BenedictEvans -

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Apple Search

SPOTLIGHT SAFARISIRI

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High-EngagementApp ScreensSuggested in

‘Siri Suggest’ on iOS 9 Spotlight

Siri’s Predcitive Search Uses App Indexing

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DEVICE INDEX(PRIVATE)

CLOUD INDEX(PUBLIC)

Apple Search Sources from Two Indexes

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Apple Search App Indexing Methods

CoreSpotlight NSUserActivity Web Markup

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Option 1: NSUserActivity

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Core Spotlight NSUserActivity Web Markup

Used for… Indexing public app screens that mirror content on the webDOES require corresponding web content

Add code to WEB

Public Cloud Index

Used for… Indexing app screens that contain private/ personal dataDoes NOT require corresponding web content

Add code to APPPrivate Device Index

Used for… Indexing private and public navigation points in the appDoes NOT require corresponding web content

Add code to APPPrivate Device Index and/ or Public Cloud Index

Private Public

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Private or PublicPublic Only

Search results meta data for

display and rankings

‘Canonical’More info here: bit.ly/NSUserActivity

NSUserActivty

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CoreSpotlight NSUserActivity Web MarkupNSUserActivit

y

with var eligibleForSearch with var eligibleForPublicIndexing

Private/Device Index

Public/ Cloud Index

PRIVATE APP SCREEN PUBLIC APP SCREEN

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Option 2: Core Spotlight

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Add code to WEB

Public Cloud Index





Private Public

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Search results meta data for

display and rankings

More info here: bit.ly/corespotlight

Core Spotlight

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Option 3: Web Markup

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CoreSpotlight NSUserActivity Web MarkupNSUserActivit

y

with var eligibleForSearch with var eligibleForPublicIndexing

Private/Device Index

Public/ Cloud Index

PRIVATE APP SCREEN PUBLIC APP SCREEN

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Add code to WEB

Public Cloud Index





Private Public

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Web Markup – Provide URLs to Apple

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Twitter Cards AppLinks Smart App Banners

Web Markup

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Web Markup

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Web Markup

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Web Markup – Meta Data (Schema & Open Graph)

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bit.ly/applesearchvalidator

Test URLs for Web Markup

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Apple Search App Ranking Factors

Positive Ranking Factors:• App Installation Status• Personalized App

Engagement • App Result Click-Through

Rate • Keywords/ Title• Aggregated Engagement• Structured Data on Web • Canonical App IDs• Strength/Popularity of Web

URL


Low Engagement Over-Indexing Returns Keywords Spamming Interstitials JavaScript blocking Applebot

(web only)

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Deep Linking in Email &

Social Media

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Deep Link Redirectors in Email and Social Media

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Deep Link Redirectors in Email and Social Media

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The End

Marketing

Life After Mobilegeddon: App Deep Linking Strategies - Pubcon October 2015