Deep Linking Strategy: Drive Users to the Right Place

How smart deep linking improves conversion, retention, and user experience.

By Tom Anderson December 2024 14 min read

A user sees your ad for a specific product. They click. They land on... your app's home screen. Where's the product? They have to search for it. Most don't bother. You just paid for a click that went nowhere.

This happens millions of times daily because deep linking is often an afterthought. Done right, deep links can increase conversion rates by 2-3x by taking users exactly where they want to go. Done wrong—or not at all—you're leaving money on the table.

2-3x
Conversion Lift
66%
Users Expect Deep Links
+40%
Retention Improvement

Deep Linking Fundamentals

A deep link is a URL that opens a specific location within an app, rather than just launching the app's home screen. Think of it like a web URL—you can link to a specific page, not just the homepage.

Types of Deep Links

Deep Link Formats

// URI Scheme (legacy)
myapp://product/12345

// Universal Link (iOS)
https://myapp.com/product/12345

// App Link (Android)
https://myapp.com/product/12345

Deferred Deep Links: The Game Changer

The real magic happens with deferred deep links. Here's the scenario:

  1. User clicks ad for a specific product
  2. App isn't installed
  3. User goes to app store, installs app
  4. On first launch, app opens directly to that product

Without deferred deep linking, step 4 doesn't happen—users land on the home screen and have to find the product themselves. With deferred deep linking, the experience is seamless.

How Deferred Deep Links Work

The deep link data is stored server-side when the user clicks. After install, the app retrieves this data on first launch and routes accordingly. This requires:

The Attribution Connection

Most MMPs (AppsFlyer, Adjust, etc.) provide deep linking alongside attribution. Using your MMP's deep linking ensures seamless integration with attribution data—you know not just that a user came from an ad, but which specific product they clicked on.

Universal Links (iOS) and App Links (Android)

Modern deep linking uses standard HTTPS URLs rather than custom URI schemes:

Why Standard URLs Are Better

Implementation Requirements

For iOS Universal Links:

For Android App Links:

Deep Linking Use Cases

Where deep links make the biggest impact:

Paid Advertising

Email and Push

Social and Referral

Web-to-App

Technical Implementation

Building robust deep linking requires handling many edge cases:

Routing Logic

Your app needs to parse deep link URLs and route to the appropriate screen:

// Example URL: https://myapp.com/product/12345?promo=SUMMER20

// Parse components:
// - Path: /product/12345
// - Product ID: 12345
// - Promo code: SUMMER20

// Route to ProductScreen with ID=12345, apply promo

Edge Cases to Handle

Testing Deep Links

Thorough testing is crucial:

The QR Code Revival

QR codes are deep links in visual form. Post-pandemic, they're everywhere. Make sure your QR codes use deferred deep linking—many users will scan a code on a billboard and not have your app installed. The experience should still be seamless.

Attribution and Deep Linking

Deep linking and attribution work together:

Campaign Parameters

Include attribution data in your deep links:

https://myapp.link/product/12345
  ?campaign=summer_sale
  ?source=facebook
  ?ad_group=retargeting
  ?creative=video_15s

Deferred Attribution

Deferred deep links enable deferred attribution—knowing which ad a user clicked even though they installed from the store, not directly from the ad.

Measuring Deep Link Performance

Track these metrics to optimize your deep linking:

Common Deep Linking Mistakes

That scenario I started with—the user who clicked a product ad and landed nowhere? With proper deep linking, they'd land on the exact product page, maybe with a promo code pre-applied, ready to buy. That's the difference between a wasted click and a conversion.

Connect Every Click

ClicksFlyer integrates with major deep linking platforms to give you visibility into how deep links impact your funnel. See which campaigns drive the best deep-linked sessions and optimize for conversion.