Google Takes Search, YouTube App Promotion Tools Global

Google on Wednesday rolled out the ability for developers and advertisers to promote their apps in Google Search and YouTube globally, through deep links and sophisticated checks and balances that are built into the new tool.

There are more than 100 billion searches monthly on Google.com. Sometimes the content lives on a Web site, and other times in an app. Google developed what Jerry Dischler, VP of product management in AdWords, calls a "simplified set-up flow" that allows brands to set up a campaign that promotes apps on Google.com.

Search ads created with this new feature are only shown to searchers who do not already have the app on their phone or tablet, per Dischler. AdWords verifies prior downloads of the app. No word on why AdWords doesn't offer the same checks and balances for retail purchases like clothing or tools to eliminate consumers seeing the same ad for items they recently bought.

Selecting the best keywords so ads serve to consumers who are most likely to download the app means using the suggestion tool for app ads on search. It suggests keywords to include in the campaign based on top queries used to find the app on Google Play and Google Search. A Google post points to FarFaria, a children's e-book app, as using to tool to unlock 30% more app downloads while maintaining a click-through rate of 3% and a cost per install 50% below other mobile networks.

The tool deep-links users directly from Google Search into specific pages of apps already installed on tablets and smartphones. Dischler explains that LINE, Zoopla and Booking.com are testing deep-linking with their apps. If the smartphone owner with a Booking.com app on their phone searches on Google for "Los Angeles Hotels" they can go directly to the specific page in the Booking.com app that shows listings.

Google announced plans to offer these features in April, with the app promotion tool arriving on the Google Display Network mid-summer at the company's I/O developer conference.

Developers also can now promote an app on YouTube by linking the ID to an active TrueView campaign. It targets based on users' interests, demographics and videos they have watched. The feature sends viewers directly to the app store to download. You can choose an ad format optimized for app promotion that displays the app name, icon, price and ratings next to the video ad and in the ad preview.

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