For the past several weeks, much of the SEO world has been scrambling after Google’s announcement of its mobile-friendly algorithm update. Most web designers have a few options at hand for making their website mobile-friendly. Web designers may implement a totally new responsive design for their website, or create a dedicated mobile site for visitors. For businesses and other organizations with smartphone apps, the mobile-friendly situation got a little more interesting.
Google has announced a new feature for webmasters who take advantage of App Indexing — which essentially offers searchers the option to view the website’s app if it is downloaded on their device. With the latest update to App Indexing, searchers will now be offered the option to download the website’s app, even if it is not installed on their phone or tablet. Searchers will now see a button next to app-friendly websites that, upon tapping, will direct users to the Google Play store for download.
One caveat of App Indexing worth mentioning is that, somewhat unsurprisingly, Google currently only supports the feature for Android Apps. Google has not yet announced a similar feature for iOS apps, and given Apple and Google’s rocky relationship, it would not be surprising if such an update took a while to roll out.
Additionally, Google has announced that websites that have an Android app available will also enjoy a slight rankings boost in mobile searches. Quite clearly, this update is crucial for businesses and organizations who rely on their mobile apps for a large percentage of their digital leads.