Google Mobile Algo, Is This An Android Play?

[Brett_Tabke]

There was a great deal of talk yesterday at Pubcon Austion about Googles new Mobile search factors. Some very interesting comments came up:

1- Some webmasters believe this is about Google promoting Android flavored web design over ios/safari design.
2- Googles mobile factors favor Chrome Browser over Safari.
3- More factors will come that favor "web over apps" and/or "apps over web". (The question is which would be more beneficial to Google because everyone can see it both ways)
4- This is just support for Google's "mobile future" theme and the mobile narrative they have been spinning about the web for a few years. (The web in Googles image)
5- This is the opening salvo of the Apple vs Google war-in-the-SERPs.

[guggi2000]

Very interesting post. Sorry to have missed Pubcon yesterday, it's a long way from home.

Could you elaborate on point 3? In your opinion, in which circumstances would Google prefer promoting a website over a native Android app?

[Brett_Tabke]

So many services have apps and websites that behave very similarly. (eg: ebay web vs ebay app). To promote the app via android favoritism, or favor the website via serp favoritism? Which is more beneficial to Google long term?

[engine]

The web in Google's image is an interesting take, and one that i've felt for some time.

Interesting that Google is favouring apps in search from the Play store, as reported earlier. Google App Indexing On Mobile SERPs Now Shows Apps To Install [webmasterworld.com] This is a good thing for developers that could earn more. Obviously, Google detects it is an Android system, otherwise, if it's a search by an iOS, i'd like to think Google will show something for Apple Store. Not sure that would work, of course, because Google would have to spider Apple's apps store. It should be possible to show developers alternatives, assuming they have them.

[adamxcl]

I lean towards apps not being as good for Google. Apps may or may not have ads, could be free or paid. If someone uses a app, they tend to just assume it is available on the other platform. This is based on my years of app development and sales. I see an amazing number of customers on a daily basis who believe Apple and Google are the same company and everything should go seamlessly between them. People will think if they buy a app on platform, they should be getting it on the other as well.

So promoting one app also promotes the other platform app in the long term. If someone keeps using a website, then Google may have ads in play and more data collection than a app may allow. Or they need to get a popular way that people can run (well) native Android apps in a browser and place ads next to that in a sidebar.

[randle]

Around here we got to calling April, 21st, "Google Mobile Doomsday", but a more accurate name would be "Google Responsive Doomsday".

Start thinking about a world that isn't defined by screen size, one in which you can make your device of choice any screen size you want, at any time you want and its what you use no matter where you are or what you need it for.

There is a disconnect now between all the different devices we all use - your machine at work, the tablet used on the train, your phone thats never out of reach.

How much revenue is lost from what divides the use of these things? The Googlers have probably calculated it out down to the number of clicks, plus or minus 2%.

Bottom line; no matter what your pet theory is - even if you get minimal traffic from "mobile" devices, and think this doesn't pertain to you - make your site responsive.

Google is starting the erosion process of whatever "divides" mobile from non-mobile to create a more seamless platform for the advertising products that drive their revenue.

[Edge]

Some very interesting comments came up:

Pure conjecture at this moment, should we not wait and see what happens in the mobile serps before stirring the pot?

Seriously, I doubt Google is that foolish.

Sheesh..

[Brett_Tabke]

> Seriously, I doubt Google is that foolish.

Then why put out a "test" that your engineers wrote and tends to favor Android based Chrome?

[guggi2000]

Better position of Android Apps in mobile search
1. will lead to: industry focusing more on Android apps because they are easily found and have great download numbers
2. which will lead to: larger "App store" (Google Play) on Android
3. which will lead to: more popularity of the Android system because it is has many more Apps and because the industry is focusing on them

Google wins.

But what are the arguments for Google preferring to "promote" a website over an Android app? Anyone?

[netmeg]

I might believe it if Google wasn't spinning its wheels trying to figure out how to adequately monetize the mobile web. But they are because so far they can't.

Edit - well Jen asked them directly. Believe them or not, as is your wont.

[thesempost.com...]

[guggi2000]

@netmeg they are trying to monetize mobile web as well as mobile apps and it will come one day. Today, it is still about market share and growth...

[netmeg]

Maybe. Maybe not. They have to convince mobile users to convert for advertisers, and they have to convince the advertisers too.

[engine]

@netmeg, yes they have to convince, but, mobile ads are really tough to view and monetize, compared to desktop. I'm convinced people use their mobiles for different things from desktop. Tablets are going to be easier, imho.

[Brett_Tabke]

> Google wasn't spinning its wheels
> trying to figure out how to adequately monetize the mobile web.

q: Who says that?
A: only google is saying that.

The entire mobile discussion is their narrative. This is their agenda.

[mrengine]

For now I see the mobile update as a way to improve the user experience while also reducing accidental adsense clicks. Sure, there could be something far more sinister at hand but that will take some time to play out.

[netmeg]

only google is saying that.

No, I'm saying that. I'm pretty involved on both the advertiser and the publisher side. Wheels are spinning.

[guggi2000]

far more sinister

I don't think anything is sinister, it is business.

And we, as online marketers, have to anticipate Google's next move by thinking what would be best for their business. Because bottom line, they ARE going to do only what is best for their business.

I haven't seen any argument in favor of mobile web over mobile apps. Anyone has an idea?

[Nutterum]

And you won't see one for some time...so long the ads run in-apps that is. Of course you can pay the premium price for ads free app. Either way Google wins. Display advertising and even adwords are (in my perspective) obsolete on mobile in my personal view, hence why there is little reason for Google to invest deeper into promoting mobile web over mobile apps.

[Brett_Tabke]

Well, you don't know what is really going on Netmeg. At best, there are a couple of indications that mobile is different in quarterly reports - that's it. No grand "the sky is falling and we are spinning our wheels" proclamations form Google. This is all Google saying that. A parrot on monday through sunday, is still a parrot.

As far as we can tell from results from Android, to Google docs, Googles wheels are getting very firm traction and they are clearly in the drivers seat.

[adder]

Us Blackberry users actually have been laughing about this for the last couple of days. Our browser can open any website regardless of whether it's responsive or not. As far as Android favouritism goes, most non-responsive websites look as rubbish on iOS Safari as they do on Android so I think it's just another conspiracy theory :)
At the end of the day it's the visitors who will benefit from this update - no more annoying divs floating in front of the text.

[netmeg]

Well, you don't know what is really going on Netmeg

Nope, and neither do you. All any of us can do is extrapolate from what we see in the sites we manage. And I don't see them doing a very good job with mobile advertising.

Our browser can open any website regardless of whether it's responsive or not.

I have an iOS phone and several Android tablets, and I've never yet encountered a site that would open in one platform and not the other. Either it works in both or it works in neither.

[guggi2000]

10 years ago people used apps on Desktop (mostly "software programs" for Windows). Then the platform independency won and people started to connect to software through their browser: Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, this forum, etc are all web-platforms (Software as a Service).

Google with Android is at the point where Microsoft was 10 years ago with Windows.

IMO, the web-based platform independent software will win over operating system software (apps) on mobile as well.

The question is whether Google will try to strengthen its position in the mobile market by pushing Android apps instead of the mobile web?

[incrediBILL]

1- Some webmasters believe this is about Google promoting Android flavored web design over ios/safari design.

I'm not sure how the majority of the world using Twitter Bootstrap or Wordpress w/Bootstap or some other RWD is Android specific as it works just fine in both platforms. The crawler has no clue what browser is accessing that site, only that the site is mobile ready. Even if the site had lot's of Safari specifics in it, the traffic to that site could be 90% Android, there's no way a crawler alone can tell the difference. Mix it with Google Analytics, or AdSense stats, or even downloads of jQuery from Google's CDN and then you've got actionable intelligence that could be used to rank Android sites higher.

I'm betting these same people also speculate Google got this technology from Aliens, and it was handed down after being stored for millennium in a newly discovered pyramid, inside the arc of the covenant, and has been protected all these years by the Knights Templar who used this technology to originally start Motorola which is why Google bought it's mobile arm to gain access to this ancient alien technology. Am I right, getting close?

They're also probably promoting all stories about Elvis to the top of the index as he's supposed to return next summer on the mothership, so they have to get the SERPs ready in advance.

The reality is the mobile world is split into basically 4 parts, Android, iOS, Windows, and what's left of Crackberry.

Therefore, to say Google's push to go mobile has Android overtones is obvious because it's the dominant mobile OS last I checked so whether it was Android or iOS that was dominant, it would be suicidal not to pay special attention to the leading mobile OS and give Bing an edge. Not that they can really pick Andoid oriented sites, other than sites with the word ANDROID in them, as that's the only real clue IMO.

I think the word we're looking for here is "DUH".

However, there's nothing special about RWD sites that run on iOS either, so how can such ridiculous claims be made?

[guggi2000]

Has anyone noticed that Android is pushing towards more Web Apps?
(Basically turning websites into Web Apps)