Understanding Mobile Deep Linking
Mobile deep linking refers to using a URI for linking to specified locations or pages within mobile applications. There are various ways to use it such as SMS, email, notifications, social media, and so on. This directs users to relevant content not the apps home screen.
Types of Mobile Linking
• Standard Deep Linking – This directs your users to specified part of the app with the app URI. This will only work if the user has the app actually installed don their device or an error page will be displayed.
• Deferred deep linking – This type of linking directs users to specified content in your app if installed. If the app isn’t installed the user is directed to the app store listing of your app.
• Contextual deep linking – This serves the functions of both types of linking with the addition of being able to allow for better relevancy and precise tracking. Users and developers will find more use for this type of linking.
Mobile Deep Linking Matters
In the past, the adoption of deep linking was slow because of unclear benefits. You only benefited from standard deep lining if a user had the app installed on their device. Since we no have contextual and deferred linking, attitudes have changed towards deep linking. Companies now understand that deep linking has a lot of value for them as well as the end user.
User Experience is Enhanced by Mobile App Deep Linking
When users use deep links they have better access to content. You can direct the user to a specific screen and not your home page. If your linking to something in the app from some other page such as a social media account, the end user can be taken directly to that content.
Better Eengagement, Retention and Usage
With deep linking valuable usage metrics are improved. When a user is deep linked, there’s double the retention rate, double the activation rate, and the app is visited twice as frequently when compared to those that are not deep linked.
User Onboarding in Improved
The onboarding experience is improved with deep linking. When you use contextual deep linking for example, personalised app invites, offers or other incentives can be used.
Users are Re-engaged with Deep Linking
When you have an app that’s been inactive for some time, deep linking can be used to direct the end user to content which encourages then to use the app. A push notification for example, can be used to offer the user a new feature, exclusive deal or some other offer to get them back to your app.
Marketing Can Be Strengthened with Deep Linking
You can increase sales with deep linking depending upon your monetization strategies. You might offer a push campaign for example, with a percentage off to target your users so they can buy immediately from your app screen.
App Discoverability Can Be Improved
Mobile app deep links are indexed by Google. The content in the app can show up in the Google search results just like a webpage. You may get more users to the app through Google searches.
You Get More Insight into Campaign Effectiveness with Deep Linking
You can pass data with deep linking so you get more accuracy when examining the success of your campaigns. You can see if it’s SMS, email or deep linked ads, referrals, or social media which are driving downloads or users to your app.
Best Practices for Deep Linking
You need to present information in the best way with deep linking because it puts users on a different page than what they may expect.
You have to look at the architecture, information hierarchy, and app logic when deep linking. There may be other steps required for functionalities or features to work properly. If these aren’t corrected, the user would be sent to a page which doesn’t work the way it should. For seamless integration you have to avoid login pages and take the user directly to the content. If you don’t think about how the links should work, then the end user may have a poor experience.
Quality products are now using deep linking as an essential component for their mobile apps. App discoverability, enhanced user experience, more downloads, increased sales, and retention of users are the main reasons mobile deep linking is being used more often. Deep linking is valuable for both the user and a developer.
