Although Google is influential to many industries worldwide, the company continually shakes things up in the digital marketing sphere. With Google’s 2016 I/O conference coming to a close, everyone from developers and marketers to consumers and futurists have something to talk about.
Expanding on its current platforms and introducing new ones, this year’s I/O conference has set an interesting precedent for AI, VR, and other integrative, potentially disruptive technologies.
As the first keynote was given by Google’s latest CEO, Sundar Pichai, there are more than enough takeaway points to start shaping the world of digital marketing for the coming year.
Perhaps the most significant announcement is the revelation of Google’s response to Siri, Alexa, and Cortana, known for now as their “assistant.”
In a recent post, we discussed the rise of voice searches and the shift of traffic as a result. Now, it’s obvious that Google is poised to integrate this interactive technology with everything from messaging apps to its newest device called Google Home.
The device will take full advantage of Google’s assistant to enter the same market of Amazon’s Echo, a voice-activated home device capable of placing orders for pizza, an Uber, or providing quick searches via WiFi. What differentiates Google Home is its search prowess, aimed at providing deeper, more contextual answers than its competitors.
So far it seems like a reasonable selling point considering the company’s advances in machine learning, artificial neural networks, and an ongoing enhancement of their analytics.
Deep Linking and Instant Applications
One of the more surprising features of this I/O 2016 is the introduction of Android Instant Apps. Now instead of requiring users to download mobile apps to their phones, Google has found a way to access certain features within applications on the fly.
Using deep-linking technology, the company says developers won’t have to build new apps in order to reach customers who may not otherwise download them. Using source code from Google, specific content will be accessible via clickable URLs.
This move will help marketers who haven’t achieved wide downloads, but whose products and services are desirable and are found mostly through the mobile web instead of apps.
Essentially, if marketers gain significant engagement as a result of these instant apps, they will be more inclined to focus on mobile web searches – a place where Google prevails.
So far, this new format for mobile applications has been tested with a few partners, including Buzzfeed, Hotel Tonight, and B&H.
In addition to unveiling Google Home and its assistant technology, two apps, Allo and Duo promised to make use of this AI software to expand and enhance consumer messaging and video chats.
What does this mean for digital marketing?
As we continually try to evolve our content to reach our targeted audience, the prospects of artificially intelligent search engines and voice assistants only magnify the complexity of the task. Where keywords and phrases had prevailed, now natural language processing is beginning to take over.
It’s clear that Google continues to write its mobile playbook to improve and increase the use of the mobile web. This is bound to create an interesting dynamic between app developers and marketing campaigns as the two shifts and share Google’s Android Instant Apps for a shot at higher engagement.
To catch up on the highlights from the conference, check out this video from The Verge.
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