Firebase App Indexing
Firebase App Indexing gets your app into Google Search. If your Android app is already installed when users search for related content, they will launch your app directly from Search results. If users don’t have your app yet, an install card shows up in Search results for Android. Adding App Indexing promotes both types of app results within Google Search and also provides query autocompletions.
Key capabilities
| Search Results | App Indexing displays and promotes app results on Google Search, including showing your app icon when it’s installed on Android. |
| Installs | App Indexing associates your app and website, so your app install card displays next to your website card. |
| Autocompletions | The Android App Indexing API lets your users see app pages they have visited as suggested results on the Google app. |
| Now on Tap | App Indexing powers Now on Tap’s app results and shows your Android app for its users. |
How does it work?
iOS and Android apps support HTTP URLs and use site association to verify the relationship between an app and its website. Once you associate your app with your website, Google Search can index URLs that work for both your site and your app, and serve them in Search results.
Google Search begins indexing your website and app content within a time frame of 24 hours to a number of days. Google Search scheduling depends on a number of factors. Read about Google's regular crawling of the web in Search Console Help for details. After indexing completes, you'll see a message in Google Search Console when content from your app shows up in search ("first impression"). If you don’t see any app links in search after a couple of weeks, check Search Console for crawl errors.
Using the App Indexing API for Android enhances ranking performance for your URLs and provides the basis for link titles and content snippets associated with your content. It also logs the history of actions in your app for users who opt in. Users who opt in to share their action history can view or delete their app activity history at https://history.google.com/.
Test your app's HTTP URLs in your development environment and in the Search Preview Tool for iOS and Android to make sure they lead to the correct content.
If you would like to learn more about how App Indexing works, check out the case studies and featured apps that highlight App Indexing implementations.
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App Indexing One-Pager AliExpress Cookpad Daily Mail / MailOnline |
Etsy Tabelog The Guardian Featured iOS apps and Android apps |
Implementation path
| Support HTTP URLs in your app | Getting started with App Indexing is easy. Associate your app with your website by updating your app to parse and handle HTTP URLs that match links to your website. | |
| Add the App Indexing API for Android | On Android, the API lets your users see app pages they have visited as suggested results in the Google app. | |
| Test your implementation | Use a number of tools including the new Search Preview Tool to verify that your App Indexing implemenation is operating as expected. | |
| Measure impact | Analyze the impact and quality of your content using Search Console, search referrals, and Firebase Analytics. |
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