Deep links

A deep link is a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) - or, more simply, a link - that takes users to a specific page in your app. Deep links are a fundamental way to improve user experience by taking users directly to the in-app content they want to see. You can use deep links throughout your marketing funnel to improve user acquisition, engagement, and retention. They can be used in: 

  • Mobile ad campaigns
  • Push campaigns
  • Social campaigns
  • Email campaigns
  • User referral and reward campaigns 

TrueLink is Adjust's deep linking solution and includes the following capabilities:

  • Cross-platform linking - Deep link and deferred deep link users to the relevant location in the app, and set up alternate redirects or fallbacks based on the device and platform the user is on.
  • Branded short links - Shorten links on the branded link domain (brandedDomain.go.link/:shortToken) and automatically create a QR code along with the short link.
  • Deep link Generator in Campaign Lab - Create individual deep links from network-level links for any platform and ad environment.
  • Deep link generator API- Create branded short deep links or long links dynamically via an API, individually or in bulk.

Deep link overview

Depending upon your mobile platform, campaign environment, and the intended link behavior, there are different types of deep links to use.

Direct deep link

A direct deep link can take a user directly to a place in your app, if they already have the app installed. This is a seamless transition directly between two interfaces with no redirection required.

Deferred deep link

A deferred deep link can send a user to a place in your app after routing them via the relevant app store to install the app first.

How does this work? First, we check to see if the app is installed. If it isn't, users are sent to the app store to download the app and are deep linked after install. All Adjust deep links defer automatically.

Deep link fallback (redirect)

A deep link fallback overrides the default behavior of redirecting users to the app store when they don't have your app installed. Instead, you can redirect users elsewhere, like to your mobile website. 

Using a redirect does not affect deferred deep link behavior. This means a user who subsequently installs the app is still linked to the designated path. 

Push notifications and smart banners

A push notification is a pop-up message app publishers can send to a user's mobile device. Importantly, users don't need to be in the app or even active on their device to receive push notifications.

Adding a deep link to your push notification lets you both alert and direct the user. For example, you can notify users about a sale and send them straight to a product page, or take them to coupon download screen.

Smart banners are used to convert mobile web users into app users. They are usually displayed on a webpage and deep link users to the product they were searching or browsing.