Deferred deep linking

What is deferred deep linking?

Deep links help deliver a seamless user journey by directing users straight to a specific in-app page. But what about the users who do not have the app installed? This is where deferred deep linking can come in handy.

Deferred deep linking is deep linking but deferred until the app is downloaded and launched. When a user clicks on a deferred deep link but does not have the app, they will be directed to the App Store to download it. Once the download is complete, and the user launches the app, they will then be sent to the final in-app destination.

Deferred deep links are important because they can cover all scenarios regardless of the user's situation and be a successful user acquisition tool. Without missing out on any user who clicked on the link, deferred deep linking can significantly decrease bounce rates and maximize the possibility of conversion by directing all users to the exact page the campaign intended.

Why is deferred deep linking important

Deferred deep linking can be a perfect mobile marketing strategy to get potential users to download and engage with the app while minimizing the bounce rate. With just a simple click, a deferred deep link will not only guide the potential users to download the app, but also bring them straight to the in-app page they found interesting. This creates a seamless user journey that starts from clicking the ad, completing the app download, and finally, landing on the in-app event or conversion. Because the in-app page that the user will be landing on right after they launch the app is related to the content they found interesting in the ad, they are more likely to be engaged, resulting in lower bounce rates. Deferred deep links can also be tracked with an MMP and deliver valuable user journey data that can bring insight into user acquisition strategy.

How does deferred deep linking work?

A Deferred deep link saves the in-app destination data in the server until the user finishes the app download. When the download is complete, and the user opens the app, the deferred deep link then matches the data with the user ID to take the user to the app page. This whole process seems complicated, but it is quite similar to the logic that is used in an MMP. With an MMP like Airbridge, marketers can set step-by-step details of deferred deep linking scenarios with ease.

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