Why Deep Linking is the Next Big Thing: App Indexing - SMX East 2015

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Emily Grossman, MobileMoxie

Beyond The Web: Why App Deep Linking Is The Next Big Thing

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Meta-data can provide a “preview” of the type of content in the app

You don’t know what’s IN the app until you download it

App Store search is heavy on brand and head terms vs. long tail

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“Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible

and useful.”- Google’s initial mission statement -

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http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g33388-d83020-Reviews-The_Curtis_Denver_a_DoubleTree_by_Hilton_Hotel-Denver_Colorado.html

tripadvisor://Hotel_Review-g33388-d83020-Reviews-The_Curtis_Denver_a_DoubleTree_by_Hilton_Hotel-Denver_Colorado.html

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Google App Indexing

bit.ly/appindexinggoogle

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AUG

11

AUG

125

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AUG

11

AUG

129

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Google App Indexing: ANDROID

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Android – Intent Filters

Custom URL Scheme

HTTP URL Scheme

Create Intent Filters:

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Android – Intent filters

Intent Filters need:

<action>

<data> android:schemeandroid:path

<category>

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Android App Indexing API

Deep Link to previously-viewed ‘Calafia Café’ screen in the Zagat app

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Android App Indexing API

...public class MainActivity extends Activity {

static final Uri APP_URI = Uri.parse("android-app://com.example.android.recipes/http/recipe-app.com/recipes"); static final Uri WEB_URL = Uri.parse("http://recipe-app.com/recipes/"); private GoogleApiClient mClient; ... }

@Override public void onStop() { ... // Call end() and disconnect the client String title = "App Indexing API Title"; Action viewAction = Action.newAction(Action.TYPE_VIEW, title, WEB_URL, APP_URI); AppIndex.AppIndexApi.end(mClient, viewAction); mClient.disconnect(); ... Full code sample here: bit.ly/appindexingAPIcode

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Android – Robots.txt (Required if you don’t use the API)

Update App’s Robots.txt:

User-Agent: GooglebotAllow: /

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Custom URL Schemes: Web Markup

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Android

Deep Link URL Format:

android-app://com.travel_app/travel_app/travel-app.com/hotels/curtis-hotel-denver

Protocol PackageID Scheme(custom)

Host Path

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Rel=alternate XML Sitemaps Schema

<head> ... <link rel="alternate" href="android-app://com.travelapp.android/http/travelapp.com/examplescreen" /> ...</head>

<head> ... <link rel="alternate" href="android-app://com.travelapp.android/travelapp/examplescreen" /> <link rel="alternate" href="ios-app://123456/travelapp/examplescreen" /> ...</head>

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Rel=alternate XML Sitemaps Schema

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?><urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9" xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><url> <loc>http://travelwebsite.com/examplepage</loc> <xhtml:link rel="alternate" href="android-app://com.travelapp.android/travelapp/examplescreen" /> <xhtml:link rel="alternate" href="ios-app://123456/travelapp/examplescreen" /></url> <xhtml:link rel="alternate" href="android-app://com.travelapp.android/http/travelapp.com/examplescreen" />...</urlset>

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Rel=alternate SchemaXML Sitemaps

<script type="application/ld+json">{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "http://travelwebsite.com/examplepage", "potentialAction": { "@type": "ViewAction", "target": "android-app://com.travelapp.android/http/travelapp.com/examplescreen" }}</script>

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Android – Google Play Developer Console/ Google Search Console Sync

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Google App Indexing: iOS

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The Good News Is…

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The Bad News Is…

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iOS – Support Universal Links

https://subdomain.domain.com/path/subpath/

Scheme“http” or “https”

Domain or Host Name Path or Prefix

Anatomy of a Universal Link:

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Requirements:• A registered domain• SSL access to your domain• Ability to upload a JSON file to your domain

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1 Get Your App Ready

• Modify your application delegate

• Adopt an entitlement in Xcode that lists each domain associated with your app

READ:http://bit.ly/ios9universallinks http://bit.ly/UIApplicationDelegate-ReferenceWATCH: http://bit.ly/appleuniversallinks

http://bit.ly/ios9universallinks

http://bit.ly/ios9universallinks

http://bit.ly/UIApplicationDelegate-Reference

http://bit.ly/UIApplicationDelegate-Reference

http://bit.ly/appleuniversallinks

http://bit.ly/appleuniversallinks

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2 Get Your Server Ready

• Create an apple-app-site-association file for each associated domain with the content your app supports and host it at the root level.

NOTE: The association file must be hosted on a domain that supports HTTPS/TLS, even if the HTTP deep links are not themselves served via HTTPS.

{ "applinks": { "apps": [], "details": { »ABC0123.com.domain.App": { "paths":[ "*" ] } } }}

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2

{ "applinks": { "apps": [], "details": { »ABC0123.com.domain.App": { "paths":[

”/folder/subfolder/”,”/folder2/subfolder2/*”,

] } } }}

Get Your Server Ready

• Create an apple-app-site-association file for each associated domain with the content your app supports and host it at the root level.

NOTE: The association file must be hosted on a domain that supports HTTPS/TLS, even if the HTTP deep links are not themselves served via HTTPS.

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iOS – Cocoapods Support

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iOS – Cocoapods Support

1. Use most up-to-date version of CocoaPods

2. Add ‘GoogleAppIndexing’ pod to Podfile

3. Save and Install Pod

4. Import GoogleAppIndexing

5. Register app

pod 'GoogleAppIndexing'

pod install

#import <GoogleAppIndexing/GoogleAppIndexing.h>

[[GSDAppIndexing sharedInstance] registerApp:your iTunes ID];

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Custom URL Schemes: Web Markup

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iOS – Testing

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Apple Search App Indexing

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“Apple’s App Store commission is now at a run-rate of $9 billion, more than its total revenue

in the year the iPod launched.”- Benedict Evans, @BenedictEvans -

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Apple Search SPOTLIGHT SAFARISIRI

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High-EngagementApp ScreensSuggested in

‘Siri Suggestions’ on iOS 9 Spotlight

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DEVICE INDEX(PRIVATE)

CLOUD INDEX(PUBLIC)

Apple Search Sources from Two Indexes

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APPLE SEARCH APP INDEXING

CoreSpotlight NSUserActivity Web Markup

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Apple Search App Indexing Option 1:

NSUserActivity

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Core Spotlight NSUserActivity Web Markup

Used for… Indexing public app screens that mirror content on the web

DOES require corresponding web content

Add code to WEB

Public Cloud Index

Used for… Indexing app screens that contain private/ personal data

Does NOT require corresponding web content

Add code to APP

Private Device Index

Used for… Indexing private and public navigation points in the app


Add code to APP

Private Device Index and/ or Public Cloud Index

Private Public

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NSUserActivity

Private or PublicPublic Only

Search results meta data for

display and rankings

‘Canonical’More info here: bit.ly/NSUserActivity

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CoreSpotlight NSUserActivity Web MarkupNSUserActivity

with var eligibleForSearch with var eligibleForPublicIndexing

Private/Device Index Public/ Cloud Index

PRIVATE APP SCREEN PUBLIC APP SCREEN

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Core Spotlight

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Add code to WEB

Public Cloud Index



Add code to APP




Add code to APP


Private Public

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CoreSpotlight

Search results meta data for

display and rankings

More info here: bit.ly/corespotlight

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Web Markup

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CoreSpotlight NSUserActivity Web MarkupNSUserActivity

with var eligibleForSearch with var eligibleForPublicIndexing

Private/Device Index Public/ Cloud Index

PRIVATE APP SCREEN PUBLIC APP SCREEN

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Add code to WEB

Public Cloud Index



Add code to APP




Add code to APP


Private Public

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Web Markup

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Web Markup

Twitter Cards AppLinks Smart App Banners

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Web Markup – Meta Data (Schema & Open Graph)

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http://bit.ly/applesearchvalidator

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THANK YOU!

SEE YOU @SMX WEST

SAN JOSE, CAMARCH 1-3, 2016

Why Deep Linking is the Next Big Thing: App Indexing - SMX East 2015

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