Targeted app install ads coming soon to Google Search and YouTube applications
Some new changes are headed to both Google Search and YouTube, specifically, the type of ads we’ll start seeing those apps. Announced during Google’s livestreamed AdWords Performance Forum event, Google talked about better ways they can connect businesses to customers through finely tuned ads that target the specific user viewing them. How does Google do this? Well, needless to say, Google knows a lot about you. They take into account purchases you’ve made, Google searches, or even the apps you currently have installed on your device.
Because Google says only about 20% of smartphone users ever reopen an installed application more than once, they’ll now show ads for applications already installed on a user’s device when it applies to a search query. This is different from Google’s “deep linking” initiative we saw introduced last year, in that now it will be integrated with AdWords and doesn’t require developers to add deep linking into their apps.
Deep linking knows not only which apps are installed on your device, but can open a search query inside that application. For instance, if you’re searching for the new X-Men movie, an ad in Google Search might show you the Fandango app already installed on your phone. Clicking open will take you to a pre-order page in that app, where you can buy tickets. Pretty darn convenient and everyone wins when you think about it.
In addition to Google Search, the YouTube application will also see “install ads” for application arriving on the platform via TrueView. Before a YouTube video starts, you’ll now have to option to skip or install an application from the advertiser, directly from the Google Play Store.
With Google hitting 100 billion searches monthly, it’s clear there’s still a lot money to be made and bringing customers to businesses is what Google does best. Google says these new features will be rolling out over the course of the next few weeks, so be on the look out.
[Inside AdWords | Image credit: TNW]