Study: Brands should allow app content in search results

When it comes to branded content in apps, brands are missing out. That's the takeaway from new Searchmetrics data which indicates fewer than half of apps have Google app indexing support.

by Kristina Knight

What is Google app indexing? Basically, an app owner enables Google's spiders to crawl the app content; when a user who has downloaded that app, Google will return relevant search results/pages from that app to the consumer. Those search results could also be returned through deep linking within the app. For example, if the app owner has enabled deep linking within the app, search results could be returned to a consumer who hasn't downloaded the app if those links and content are relevant to their search.

"Many companies have invested heavily in apps, yet on average 20% of the apps a person installs on their device are only ever opened once," said Marcus Tober, CTO and founder of Searchmetrics. "App indexing is a fantastic opportunity to maximize the investment in your app - by helping to drive more traffic and interaction and potentially even conversions. On top of this, if your app supports app indexing, Google has indicated that it could potentially appear more prominently in searches. Despite all these benefits, our data indicates that probably fewer than a third of app owners are making use of app indexing - even though Google has provided full instructions on how to get your app to enable it. Anyone that offers an app, should get on to this quickly while there is still a competitive advantage."

Searchmetrics found that only about 20% of iOS app owners and 30% of Android app owners have enabled the functionality.

Image via Shutterstock

Tags: app trends, mobile apps, mobile marketing, mobile trends, search marketing, Searchmetrics