Deep links are an essential part of a successful app marketing strategy. By taking users directly where they need to go within the app, deep links produce a seamless user experience that increases loyalty and conversions by an average of 66%. Deep linking limits errors to the end user’s experience by directing them to an ideal location within the app rather than relying on the user to navigate on their own.
In this blog, we break down why apps need deep linking for efficient user flow and what makes this technology a critical tool to an app marketer’s success.
What is Deep Linking?
Deep links are more than just the equivalent of what hyperlinks used to be. Hyperlinks primarily lead to web pages or websites, while deep links are used to navigate to specific content or features within a mobile app. Deep links are commonly used to provide a more personalized and streamlined user experience, while hyperlinks are fundamental for linking different web resources together.
The most important role of deep links is to help app marketers and developers understand their users better. These links provide information on where users are coming from, what stage they are at in a user journey, and how app marketers can use personalization to improve in-app experiences and conversions. In this way, deep linking can be a powerful tool that significantly contributes to the growth of mobile apps.
How Deep Linking Works
Deep links work by providing a way for users to navigate directly to specific content or features within an app, instead of just launching the app itself. They are URLs associated with specific app content or actions, allowing users to access that content directly, either from a website, another app, or even from within the same app. Deep links can take users to in-app content directly from:
- Web link to app
- Ad to app
- Push notification to app
- SMS to app
- Email to app
- Social media post to app
- App to app
- Search result listing to app (using app indexing)
Deep link analytics tools, such as YouAppi, can be used to track the usage and performance of deep links. This includes gathering data on the number of clicks, installs, and conversions attributed to specific deep links. These insights help app developers and marketers understand the effectiveness of their deep link campaigns and optimize their strategies accordingly.
Why Deep Linking is Important for Growth Mobile Apps
Seamless User Experience
First and foremost, deep linking enhances a user’s experience. Mobile users have high expectations, so creating a personalized experience for consumers is imperative to extended user loyalty. Deep linking enables users to navigate directly to specific content within an app. This bypasses the need to go through multiple screens or search for relevant information. By providing a seamless experience, deep linking enhances user satisfaction and engagement, increasing the chances of users returning to an app.
For example, when gaming apps utilize deep linking, they can take users right back to a level or challenge they may have abandoned. Rather than a user navigating through the home screen where they may get distracted, deep links create a seamless journey for the user to pick up right where they left off. Placing a user directly back into the action they were previously interested in immediately re-engages them with the app.
Increased User Retention and Re-engagement
Deep linking plays a vital role in improving user retention and re-engagement. By directing users to specific content or features that are relevant to their interests, this technology creates a personalized and impactful experience. Deep links enable marketers to reinforce user engagement by sending them from ads, emails, or other apps straight to a product page, app screen, checkout page, tutorial, or any other desired location. This instantaneously delivers high-interest content without requiring users to hunt through irrelevant pages to find their destination.
Mobile App Cross-Promotion
Deep linking facilitates cross-promotion between apps, allowing developers to collaborate and share users. By deep linking to relevant content within partner apps, developers can create a network effect, exposing their app to a wider audience and increasing user acquisition. Cross-promoting apps is proven to contribute to increased user retention rates. When users are introduced to a new app through cross-promotion, they already have a level of trust and familiarity with the brand. By leveraging deep linking technology in an app’s cross promotion campaign, there is a seamless transition between two apps.
Deep Linking Case Study: Cross Promotion of Mobile Games
To further understand the importance of deep linking within app marketing, we’ve outlined an example of a typical mobile gaming app business challenge.
In the mobile gaming space, cross promotion is an incredibly lucrative source of new users. By promoting new titles within apps that are already successful, current loyal users are more likely to engage with the newer games.
In this use case, a gaming app is promoting a new title on their most popular game. The new title is very similar to the currently popular one, meaning the same user base will find it attractive. They choose an ad that demonstrates an example of how the user will interact with the game. Because of this, the player becomes familiar with the challenges and levels.
When the gamer then clicks on the ad for the new game, they are instantly brought to the downloads page from the App Store. They then will be able to launch the app and are brought to the first level in the app. This journey is made seamless by the use of deep links!
The gaming app marketer in this scenario has used a deep linking solution to ensure that a user is brought seamlessly to the Apple App Store page, eliminating any need for searching or confusion on the player’s end.
Takeaways of Deep Linking for Mobile App User Growth
By taking users directly where they need to go within the app, deep links produce a seamless user experience that increases loyalty and conversions by an average of 66%. Deep linking eliminates any error on the user’s end and takes consumers directly into the desired part of the app.
Top 3 Reasons Deep Linking Important for Growth Mobile Apps
- Seamless User Experience: Deep linking allows users to navigate directly to specific content within an app. This bypasses the need to go through multiple screens or search for relevant information.
- Increased User Retention and Re-engagement: This technology plays a vital role in improving user retention and re-engagement. Deep links enable marketers to reinforce user engagement by sending them from ads straight to a desired location.
- Mobile App Cross-Promotion: Deep linking facilitates cross-promotion between apps, allowing developers to collaborate and share users. By sending users to relevant content within partner apps, developers can create a network effect, exposing their app to a wider audience and increasing user acquisition.
