Another update to the data anomalies page this morning was for the Search Analytics report section which says that App Indexing users may see a drop in the impressions and clicks because AMP now will be listed before App URLs.
Here is the changelog there:
Search results on mobile devices have begun to direct users to the equivalent AMP page, in preference to the equivalent app or web page. This might result in a decrease of traffic to your app pages when an equivalent AMP page exists.
This update is time stamped as September 21st, so the reports in Google Search Console won't reflect them until they catch up to that date, which may be as early as Friday or Saturday.
Honestly, I am a bit disappointed that Google will prioritize AMP pages over my mobile app. I love my mobile app, if you didn't download the Search Engine Roundtable mobile app please do for free on iOS or Android.
But again, this message implied that Google won't be showing my App URLs to anyone, since this site is also AMPlifed. So those who downloaded my app, if they click on a result from Google mobile search to my site, will be taken to the AMP page over the page in my app. That is a huge change.
I asked John Mueller about this on Twitter but no reply yet:
Also @JohnMu this means AMP pages show up before the app URL even with App indexing deployed? pic.twitter.com/d31jUFcybc
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) September 21, 2016
Glenn Gabe confirmed my suspicions:
@rustybrick Sounds like AMP trumps Apps (at least from how it's worded). @JohnMu
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) September 21, 2016
Update: John Mueller from Google confirmed that App deep links will be swapped out for AMP URLs when both exist:
@glenngabe @rustybrick Yes, at the moment if an AMP exists for a given URL then we will send the user to that AMP not the deep link.
— John Mueller (@JohnMu) September 21, 2016
This is a bigger deal now that Google is now showing AMP results in the main core mobile search results.
Forum discussion at Twitter.
