Did you know that your app for the Google Assistant can reach users on millions of devices? Over 100 million devices (and many more in the future) already have the Google Assistant with them so when users wish to use your app, you are already there. There is no friction. In this post we will focus on the methods you can use in order to reach users.
There are 4 ways for users to get to your app for the Google Assistant through:
- Explicit triggering
- Implicit Triggering
- The Google Assistant Directory
- The Assistant Directory link
Let’s go a bit deeper into each one.
Explicit triggering
Users can invoke your app by explicitly asking for it by name.
When you submit your app, you can provide a list of trigger phrases, that when combined with your app name, will be recognize as a request to use to your app.
Such as: “OK Google, talk to bitcoin info.”
You can also talk with an app and ask for a specific action in one sentence. And yes – It supports deep links, so users can ask your app to perform something in particular.
For example: “OK Google, Ask Bitcoin Info for the current price”
Here are some good examples of explicit invocations in the console.
Remember, multiple samples help the algorithm do a better job of steering people to your app.
Implicit Triggering
Another way for users to invoke your app is by implicit triggering.
This type of invocation occurs when a user asks the Google Assistant to perform a task and the platform decides that your app has an action that can complete the user’s request.
Here’s an example using Dialogflow:
In Dialogflow, your actions and their invocation phrases are defined as User Says expressions for triggerable intents.
Here we’re providing some phrases that would trigger the Ask-Bitcoin Info app to get the bitcoin price. Make sure to keep your action invocation phrases specific to your app’s use cases and build phrases that include both a verb and an object.
If a user asks to play a game, the Assistant may offer them a few options from the apps available.
You can see some examples:
Discovery in the Google Assistant Directory
Users can discover your app for the Google Assistant through the Google Assistant Directory, a great place to explore all available apps.
Users don’t have to install anything in order to access the Google Assistant Directory.
You can reach it inside the Assistant app by clicking on the top right button. It will show you all the different apps for assistant that are available.
Or users can look and browse for all the apps.
The Assistant Directory link
Finally, driving users to your app’s directory page will give them a chance to try it out, rate it and share it. That means even more users!
You can hyperlink to your app’s Assistant Directory page and promote it from just about anywhere.
Share it in social media, blog about it, create a banner ad or offer it to users from your current services. You can see many examples for Apps and their links.
Good luck!
Ido Green 