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Google Mobile Search On Android Will Now Recommend Apps To Install

Even Android apps that are not installed on your device can now benefit from the mobile algorithm if you use App Indexing. Google will encourage the mobile searcher to install those apps.

Barry Schwartz on April 16, 2015 at 1:21 pm

Google announced that now when you search Google on Android devices that they may display relevant Android apps that you can install based on your search query.

Previously, apps would only be displayed on your mobile search results if you had the app already installed. But now, through App Indexing, if your Android app has content relevant to the search query, Google may decide to display the app as a recommendation for the user to download in order to see the relevant content within the app.

Google said:

If you’ve implemented App Indexing, when indexed content from your app is relevant to a search done on Google on Android devices, people may start to see app install buttons for your app in search results. Tapping these buttons will take them to the Google Play store where they can install your app, then continue straight on to the right content within it.

Content within Android apps will currently receive a bit of a ranking promotion for searches done on Android devices as part of the new mobile search algorithm Google announced back in February. Part two of that algorithmic update is coming on April 21st, which will impact not just Android apps for Android searchers but also any mobile-friendly web site.

Google said, “with the addition of these install links, we are starting to use App Indexing as a ranking signal for all users on Android, regardless of whether they have your app installed or not.”

The install links are now part of this algorithm, so now even if you do not have the Android app installed, Android apps that use App Indexing can potentially benefit from this mobile algorithm.

About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics.