Google Search is still the company’s primary service. That is in spite of the company branching out into many other aspects, both software and hardware related. In terms of Search, Google seems to be working hard to integrate its results even more than they already are and especially when it comes to mobile devices. It was only reported yesterday, that Google has altered Search so that users can find their mobile phone easier. The report highlighted that users who cannot find their phone can simply type ‘find my phone‘ into Google and Search will show the current location of the device. Not to mention, if you have multiple devices, users will be able to see where they all are.
Well, today Google have announced another integration of Search which will likely benefit both app developers and users. The new function looks to offer a more in-depth way to use app indexing to find relevant apps. App indexing was first introduced back in 2013 and allows users to effectively see search results for apps they have downloaded. Therefore, if a user searches for a specific content and Search identifies the content as being part of an already installed app, then the app will appear in the search results. However, this only works for those apps which are already installed by the user.
This is where today’s biggest change comes in. Google has now announced that when a user searches for specific content on a mobile device, if Search recognizes the content as most relevant to an app available on the Play Store (regardless of whether installed or not), the app will appear in the search results with a direct link offering those users the ability to download the app directly from the results. Of course, the link will still only direct you to the Play Store to validate and finish the installation, but the ‘Install’ button will appear in the search results. This will be good news for developers as their content will be able to reach many more new users than before. You can see an example of how the change will make a difference by checking out the image below.