If you have a mobile app, using deeplinks is an easy way to bypass the possible issues when you need your users to reach a specific content or screen within your app. This way, users are being redirected to a certain screen, so that they won’t need to find the specific content starting from the home screen. You can also use deeplinks for marketing purposes. Users who start the process by clicking a deeplink will be redirected to a certain screen after they download the app for the first time.
Deeplinks can also be tracked. Data fragmented to each deeplink can be used to make further decisions. Basically they act as hyperlinks to a specific screen on your mobile app, almost the same as having different URLs for each webpage.
Additionally, in the following sections, we will delve into deeplinks in a comprehensive manner, discussing their functionalities, benefits, and how they can be effectively implemented within your mobile app.
Types of Deeplinks:
- Basic Deeplinks: Basic deeplinks land the users directly to a specific section or page within an app, bypassing the need for manual navigation.
- Deferred Deeplinks: Deferred deeplinks land users to a desired content even if your app is not installed on their devices. Once the app is installed, users will land to the specific content instead of Home Screen.
- Contextual Deeplinks: With contextual deeplinks you can provide a personalized experience by landing users based on certain attributes, like user preferences, geographic location, or past interactions.
Usage Areas for Deeplinks:
A. Mobile App Marketing:
- Retention and Engagement: By implementing deeplinks, app developers can re-engage users by redirecting them to personalized content or redirect them to exclusive offers and promotions.
- User Acquisition: One of the most popular usage of the deeplinks is acquiring new users.
- Onboarding Personalization: Deeplinks can provide an easy onboarding experience, guide users to specific app screens and features.
B. Content Sharing and Social Media:
- Specific Content or Articles: Deeplinks can let you share specific articles or content, directing users to the exact screen within the app and improve engagement and content discovery.
- App-Specific Content on Social Media: By using deeplinks into social media posts, you can guide users to relevant in-app content.
C. User-to-User Interactions:
- Inviting friends: With deeplinks you can easily create user acquisition campaigns with referral systems by allowing users to invite their friends to download apps directly.
- Within messaging apps: Using deeplinks within messaging apps let users easily navigate from chat conversations to specific sections within your app.
Best Practices for Deeplink Implementation
A. Designing Effective Deeplinks:
- Clear URL structure: Using relevant deeplink naming will prevent the confusion and make navigation easy.
- Customizable parameters: Using customizable parameters in deeplinks will help you personalize the user experience.
- Fallback options: To maintain a smooth experience for users who don’t have the app installed, implementing fallback options (like a web page or an alternative content inside the app) can improve user experience and engagement.
B. Handling Deeplinks:
- Frameworks and Libraries: Using deeplinking frameworks and libraries simplifies the implementation process.
- Link Routing: You need to understand the differences of using deeplinks on different platforms (like iOS and Android).
C. Analytics and Tracking:
- User Interactions: Using an analytics tool will allow you to track user interactions with deeplinks, provide insights about your users’ behavior.
- Conversion Tracking: Conversions generated with deeplinks can be tracked. You can gain valuable data about the effectiveness of your campaigns, and make further decisions.
- A/B Testing: Making A/B tests with different deeplink variations let you understand the correct strategies.
Deeplinking is a great way to improve user experience, promote your content and get insights. You can land users in specific parts of your app, and users can also share any content easily. Deeplinks can be used in all types of businesses. You can use deeplinks in subscription apps, e-commerce apps, or games. By exploring the capabilities of deeplinks, you can build the optimum structure and get a lot of benefit. Even if the app technologies will continue to evolve, using deeplinks will remain as a key aspect.
