Organic search attribution

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At a glance: Get detailed organic search attribution data about re-engagements (users who already have your app installed) so you can optimize organic search conversions.

Overview

Organic search attribution is an innovative attribution solution that allows AppsFlyer customers to attribute re-engagements (meaning mobile app opens of users who already have your app installed) to various organic search engines.

Having access to this unique data is very useful to SEO (search engine optimization) teams and provides invaluable feedback on their SEO efforts. 

Flow

Organic

  1. A user searches for a term on their mobile browser search engine (Google, Bing, etc.). The search engine displays several clickable results.
  2. Some of these search results are mapped by your web developer to open your mobile app using Android App Links and iOS Universal Links. If a user has the app installed, when they click the search result, the app opens (without redirecting to an app store first).
  3. Upon app launch, AppsFlyer collects the required information and is able to attribute the app open to the user's search engine.
  4. If the user doesn’t have the app installed, they are sent to a web landing page, where you can use any of several AppsFlyer web-to-app solutions (like Smart Banners, Smart Script, or QR codes) to redirect and attribute them.

Setup

Prerequisites:

  • AppsFlyer Android SDK V6.12.1
  • AppsFlyer iOS SDK V6.12.1

To set up organic search attribution:

  1. Tell your developers to enable app opening by following their Android App Links and iOS Universal Links instructions (using the app's top-level domain).
  2. In AppsFlyer, from the side menu, select Settings > App Settings, and turn on:
    • Organic search (SEO) mobile app attribution.
    • Re-engagement attribution.

A note for your developer

performOnDeepLinking forcefully consumes and resolves the deep linking URL when invoked. This will prevent the SEO Attribution feature from functioning properly and will result in not reporting the attribution to the correct SEO media source.

Data availability

Data is available as follows:

  • In aggregate data in dashboards and reports, the media source field indicates which search engine the user arrived from. Example: google_organic_seo.
  • In raw data reports: 
    • media source field indicates which search engine the user arrived from. Example: google_organic_seo.
    • http_referrer field includes the base URL of the search results page, from which the user was sent to the app or mobile landing page.
    • channel field has value seo.

Additional information

List of supported search engines

Organic search attribution supports the following search engines:

  • Google
  • Bing
  • Yahoo
  • Ask
  • DuckDuckGo
  • Yandex
  • Naver
  • Daum
  • Baidu
  • Ecosia
  • Coccoc
  • Sogou
  • Yahoo Japan

Note:

  • For other search engines, use the legacy organic search attribution solution (requires developer input).
  • In dashboards and data reports, search engines display as <search engine>_organic_seo. For example: google_organic_seo.

FAQ

Q: Does organic SEO attribution incur an additional fee?

A: No, this feature is included in your subscription.

Q: Do organic SEO conversions count as part of my package?

A: Yes, same as non-organic conversions.

Q: Can I customize the name of the SEO media source?

A: No. The name of the organic SEO media source is determined by AppsFlyer and can't be customized at this point.

Q: If the search engine displays an install button next to the organic search results and the user clicks it and navigates to the app store, does AppsFlyer attribute the install to the search engine?

A: No. In this case, AppsFlyer can't collect the required information for attribution. Organic search attribution requires the app to already be installed.

Q: Is keyword data available?

A: Keyword data isn't available via this organic search attribution solution. However, there are rare instances where keyword data is available for Android. Learn more

Q: Is organic search attribution supported in an install flow?

A: Yes, you can learn from what page users who installed your app arrived at your website. Smart Script can collect this page URL domain, referred to as the Web Referrer, and map it as a value to a parameter key of your choosing in the outgoing URL.

Web referrer is especially useful for identifying the search engine that guided users to your website. This information can be displayed in the dashboard and raw data reports under the AppsFlyer parameter key you selected.

To learn how to set the smart script to collect the Web referrer, see here.

Specifications and limitations

Spec Description
Browsers

Organic search attribution isn't supported by:

  • FireFox on Android
  • Any browser except for Safari on iOS.