The current buzz in the mobile sector revolves around profound connections. Yet, many unknowingly use these special hyperlinks in our daily online activities. These unique links take you to particular web pages, as opposed to the usual starting point of a website.
This method of direct linking is deeply woven into our web usage patterns. However, the nuances of deep linking on mobile applications have become considerably more complicated.
This article will explore the concept of deep linking — from the whys to the hows of mobile deep linking.
Benefits of Mobile Deep Linking and How to Apply It?
A staggering 3.8 billion people around the globe use smartphones (which amounts to 48.5% of the world’s population). On average, people spend 5 hours daily on their smartphones. This shows how important it is to give mobile users the best experience possible.
Deep linking adds a lot to the mobile user’s experience, making app navigation much easier and faster. With just one tap, you can use these specialty links to easily look at goods, take advantage of sales, and interact with different app features.
Now, let’s delve into what exactly mobile deep linking entails and explore the different types and real-life success stories so that you can integrate it into your mobile application to gain a competitive edge.
What Exactly is Mobile App Deep Linking?
Mobile deep linking functions guide users to specific sections within a website or app using a particular link.
In desktop computers, deep linking employs a special type of hyperlink that points to exact content within a website rather than its main page.
However, in the mobile realm, deep linking uses a uniform resource identifier (URI) to connect users to precise locations within a mobile application instead of just starting the app.
To simplify, mobile deep linking is a convenient shortcut. It allows users to smoothly move from a particular web browser on their tablet or smartphone, directly connecting them to a specific page within your application.
Examples of Mobile Deep Linking
Let’s explore the scenarios below to grasp the mechanics of mobile deep linking.
Imagine you’re promoting a deal, offering discounted running shoes. You post the deal on your online store or Facebook page, but instead of a conventional checkout option on the website, you prefer customers to purchase through your store’s mobile app.
In this situation, mobile deep-linking technology enters the scene to bridge the gap between apps and online stores.
Here’s how it unfolds. A user clicks on a specialized web address link within the site, instantly taking them to a page presenting the specific product and its discount, all within your app.
This smooth transition is facilitated by deep mobile linking. Your users promptly encounter the reduced price and purchase the product, skipping the need to navigate back to the homepage, hunt for the item, and input a coupon code.
Foundations of Mobile Deep Linking
Mobile deep linking comes in three distinct varieties. These include deep linkings that are:
- Standard
- Deferred
- Contextual
Now, we’ll delve into the specifics of each type.
Standard Deep Links
In contrast to websites, apps don’t follow a uniform document format. To guide a user from a click to their desired content, you must instruct the device to download the appropriate app and then display the precise app page.
This poses an issue if a user anticipates a particular content piece upon clicking a link only to find it absent within the app.
Regardless of the content’s appeal, most users won’t invest effort into finding it. This ultimately results in diminished user engagement and decreased app installation and user registration rates.
Deferred Deep Links
Unlike regular deep links, this works by guiding users (who’ve completed the app installation) from the deep link web address to a particular page within the app.
However, unlike the typical or default deep links, this variation of mobile deep linking takes a detour for users without the app setup. It directs them to the Play Store, App Store, or another download source to acquire and install the app before steering them back to the designated page.
Contextual Deep Links
Whether traditional or delayed deep links, contextual deep links serve the purpose of gathering and preserving additional user details, marketers can harness such information for in-depth examination and to enhance their precision in aiming and re-aiming tactics
These specialized links aren’t isolated entities. Instead, they capture various elements, including user characteristics and app usage patterns, offering a comprehensive perspective on user behavior within the app.
What’s really cool about contextual deep links is that they empower you to incorporate any imaginative features you can come up with.
The Effectiveness of Mobile Deep Linking
Top-performing mobile apps embrace deep linking and have solid grounds for doing so. Looking into real-world examples underscores that deep linking results in heightened app downloads, installations, registrations, and sustained user engagement.
Use Case — Gogobot
Gogobot employs deep links to warmly welcome individuals who got the app from a buddy. Upon entering the app, they’re promptly met with a snapshot of the person who introduced them and a catchy description of the content they received.
With this friendly reminder that the desired list awaits after registration, these fresh users smoothly proceed through the sign-up steps.
Consequently, Gogobot observed a 78% rise in transforming new users into sign-ups through this tailored introduction technique.
Concluding Thoughts
Mobile deep linking emerges as a revolutionary technology that’s capturing the attention of numerous marketers.
Whether you aim to enhance the mobile user experience, elevate conversions, or pinpoint specific clients in your marketing and sales initiatives, mobile deep linking offers many advantages. It can also amplify the effectiveness of your mobile marketing endeavors.
For instance, you can seamlessly integrate deep links into mobile marketing tactics such as location-based and SMS campaigns. Don’t miss our comprehensive guide on mobile marketing to delve further into these tactics and more.
When activating mobile deep linking in your apps, ensuring uniformity in your deep link format across diverse mobile platforms is crucial. This approach will make your apps more manageable over the long term.
Now, the choice is yours — which mobile deep link will you explore first? Android or iOS? Share your thoughts in the comments below.