App Content Search Matching With Install Deep Links
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Solution Overview
Problem
Search engines are unable to index content available via applications, leading to irrelevant search results and inefficient user experience when users install apps, as they often navigate through generic starting screens to find specific content.
Innovation Solution
Index web resources accessible by applications, provide customized search results with deep links to app installation locations, and direct users directly to the relevant content within the app after installation, bypassing generic starting screens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If search engines index only traditional web content, then search engine simplicity is maintained, but search relevance for app-specific content is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the indexing system into two distinct components: a traditional web index for general web content and an app-specific index for application content. This segmentation allows the search engine to maintain simplicity for traditional web searching while adding specialized indexing capabilities for app-specific content without compromising the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary component that bridges traditional web search and app-specific search. This intermediary handles the translation and mapping between web URLs and app-specific content identifiers, enabling unified search results that include both web and app content without requiring complete system redesign.
2Ease of operation
If users navigate through generic starting screens to find content, then app installation is simple, but user time and operational efficiency are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-processing and indexing app content metadata before users actually search for it. This includes extracting content identifiers, URLs, and contextual information from apps in advance, so that when users search, the system can immediately provide direct links to specific content without requiring users to manually navigate through starting screens.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a visual indication system that highlights or distinguishes app-specific search results from traditional web results through visual cues such as color coding, icons, or formatting differences. This helps users quickly identify and differentiate between web content and app content in search results, improving content access efficiency.
3Productivity
If search engines provide generic web results, then broad content coverage is achieved, but targeted app installation promotion is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different types of search results based on the specific query and context. For queries that match app-specific content, the system prioritizes and highlights app installation links with enhanced visibility. For general queries, traditional web results are provided. This localized optimization ensures high app installation rates for relevant queries while maintaining overall search result diversity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by selectively enhancing certain search results with app installation promotions rather than applying uniform treatment to all results. The system identifies specific queries that would benefit from app promotion and applies enhanced visibility only to those cases, maintaining a balanced approach that preserves overall search result diversity while boosting productivity for targeted scenarios.
Data Source
AI summary
The technology generally relates to providing search results that include a recommendation to install an application that can provide content relevant to the search query. A search query for content submitted by a user device may be received by a search server. The search server may identify an indexed web resource that satisfies the search query. The identified indexed web resource may be identified as being accessible by an application. The search server may determine the application is not installed on the user device. Based on determining the application is not installed on the user device, provide a link to an installation location for the application to the user device in response to the search query.