If you have apps installed on your mobile devices (and who doesn’t) then you already know that when you search for something online you’ll get relevant content based on that search.
Google, for their part, wants you to get more.
They’ve recently started indexing much more mobile app content and, in a nod to app creators and developers, announced that indexing is now available to all of them. This isn’t exactly “new” news as in both April and May Google revealed that they were expanding their feature, which was rolled out back in December of 2013.
Their latest announcement also referred to the fact that results would soon be displayed differently. Google wants to make it as easy as possible to access apps and now simply clicking on a title link will take you directly to its content. By using specifically colored text and icons, users know if they will be directly linked to an app or, if the text is a URL, a webpage.
As previously mentioned, Google is also allowing app developers to index their content using something they call “app deep links”. These will help users to find searched content more easily and also re-engage with an app once they’re done. A simple two-step process was outlined recently by Google showing developers how to use their new deep links feature (You can see more of this new feature, and some related graphics, here.)
Since app indexing could cause a number of bugs, Google also announced their new Google Webmaster Tools feature to help developers debug their apps as well as keep the tech giant updated.
For those users looking for the best relevant content when they’re using their mobile devices for searching, Google’s plan to give it to them is certainly ambitious.
