As an app developer, sitting firmly atop the rankings on the first page of Google may be enough to secure a sizable amount of page views. Be it so, it’s no longer the crowning achievement in determining the number of downloads or installs your app has. There’s a more effective method for that now, and that’s where deep links come in.
By Li Huang
There was a time when using a search engine to find an app brought you to its homepage, whereby you would download, install, and begin using it. But deep links have changed this game all together. Instead of spending time roaming the app to find and access what it was you were looking to to begin with, deep links bring you to that desired location right away. Basically, deep links narrow your priorities while broadening efficiency.
To you help you better imagine the situation before deep links, it’s best to understand the circumstances first.
On the user’s end, they’re trying to use an app for a specific reason. They search the web, find the app they want, and then download it. However, when the app is finally installed, there is still the hassle of spending time narrowing down what they actually want out of it. This can prove to be inconvenient, and with this in mind, potential customers could be deterred from using the app all together.
On the developer’s end, this is seen as success: your customers are downloading and installing your product, and your goal of getting the app to reach as many people as possible is met.
Deep linking and SEO
But. There lies a great problem here. There is a rift of miscommunication and inconvenience that separate the customer and the developer. Deep links then play the role of savior in order to bridge this gap.
Mobile design is clearly not finished renovating the tech scene, and it is using deep links to plaster the walls and patch up the holes. The deep link tool extends beyond your typical Android and iOS app indexation in search engines. Its potential is being utilized in SEO, SEM, email, display, social, radio, and TV: “As much as 86% of mobile time is spent in apps. New studies show mobile consumers install on average eight new apps per month, making app re-engagement more and more challenging.”
Before deep links were widely recognized as a sacred tool in app marketing, one of the top priorities of app developers was to shoot for high rankings on the first page of Google. The introduction of deep links added an extra dimension to app marketing. Now, instead of solely trying to top Google charts, developers divert some of their efforts to allow potential users to access its fruition – without all the nonsense. This raises the ceiling of interaction and satisfaction, thereby heightening app popularity.
So how exactly do deep links propel SEO? Well, whether you rank on the top of the first page or on the bottom of the fifth page, deep links will take the user directly to the context that they’re searching for in the featured app. Apps can be very broad and steep, and deep links drill to the source of interest without cutting. So, by using deep links, it helps your SEO by making life easier for your users.
