App deep linking is a relatively new concept in the world of search engine optimization. Google introduced deep linking back in June, and app developers have been using that to their advantage ever since. They're a way to increase user engagement by making the app content searchable and accessible through search engines. Today, we'll talk about SEO for your Android apps.
According to Google, the last quarter has seen a 10x rise in the number of clicks on app deep links. And for signed-in users, 15% of Google searches on Android now return deep links to apps through App Indexing. This goes on to show that deep linking is the next big thing for developers to focus on.
Here are some ways to monitor app performance and drive more user engagement.
App indexing and search performance
The first step is to obviously enable deep linking support. But after that, it is important to monitor your app's performance. Google Webmaster Tools lets you look at some basic information that you need. Here's what's available right now.
- Errors in indexed pages within apps
- Weekly clicks and impressions from app deep link via Google search
- Stats on your sitemap
Ensure crawlability
Blocked resources are one of the top reasons for the “content mismatch” errors you see in Webmaster Tools’ Crawl Errors report. Google bots need access to all the resources necessary to render your app page. This allows them to assess whether your associated web page has the same content as your app page.
Google now also shows you the specific resources it can't access. This can help you watch out for errors.
You can see app error messages in your Webmaster Tools console. They will be under the Android Apps tab in the Crawl errors report. There are five main types of errors.
- Content mismatch
- Intent URI not supported
- APK not found
- No first-click free - This occurs when the link to your app does not lead directly to the content
- Back button violation - Back button did not return to search results
Usually, the majority of errors are usually caused by a blocked resource, or a region picker that pops up when the user tries to open the app from search. Taking care of that generally resolves it for all involved URIs.
