Why is deep linking crucial in your mobile app?

Why is deep linking crucial in your mobile app?

Gone are the days when mobile marketing was all about banner ads. Study shows that 41% of the millennials use Adblockers and only 52% of users allow Push Notifications. Clearly, people nowadays resist conventional ads that were formerly the major reason behind conversions.

Deep Linking allows marketers to be creative in the way their products reach their customers. Young customers are tired of irrelevant pop-ups interrupting them every now and then and want some personal touch. With deep linking, marketers are capable of creating campaigns that can help customers.

What is Deep Linking?

 Mobile deep linking is the method of using a uniform resource identifier (URI) to link to specific locations or pages within a mobile app. There are several ways to use deep linking and direct users to relevant content. It eliminates unnecessary clicks and makes content more visible to your users.

How deep linking works?

Mobile deep linking enables customers to click on links to view specific content within the mobile app. If a user who doesn’t have your mobile app installed already clicks on a deep link, they will be automatically redirected to your app’s page, so that they can install your app in order to view that deep link content.

Deep links have become an essential component of online marketing campaign. To enhance the user experience and increase conversion rates, it is a great idea to link to the most relevant content in your website. Same concept applies to mobile apps as well.

Deep links can be used in the following ways to direct the user to app content:

·             Website to App

·             Social Media to App

·             App to App

·             Ad to App

·             Web Search Result to App

·             Mobile Phone Search Result to App

·             Email to App

·             SMS to App

Types of deep linking:

There are 3 ways of mobile app deep linking:

1)          Standard deep linking

 It takes the users to a specific page of your app using URI. The downside of standard deep linking is that they work only when the user has that app installed on their gadget. Else, it will show an error page to the user.

2)          Deferred deep linking

These links funnel users to the specific content if the app is already installed on the device and if the app is not installed, they direct users to the app store download page.

3)          Contextual deep linking

Contextual deep linking offers best of both worlds and also offers better relevancy to users. It is useful for both app developers and users.

Benefits of deep linking:

Here are 8 reasons why mobile app marketers should use mobile app deep linking.

1.           Optimizes the user experience

 Users can easily access relevant content through deep links with no navigation whatsoever. Deep linking also helps in directing users to particular pages in your app instead of the app home page. So, when you link content in your app from social media, users can effortlessly navigate to that specific content.

2.           High Advertising Revenue

Deep linking directs customers towards a specific page or content that you intend them to view. Channeling users to your desired contents is a great way to immensely boost advertising performance and company revenue. For an instance, in blogging world, deep linking is used often to increase page views. Similarly, mobile marketers can encourage users to view different pages or content of their app via deep linking.

3.           Better user retention and engagement

 Deep linking drastically improves usage and user retentions. It also boosts user engagement. Users who are deep linked are twice as likely to visit your app as compared to the users who aren’t deep linked.

4.           Improves re-engagement

To encourage the users to buy more, app developers can add deep links evenly throughout the content. It’s safe to assume that if user has already installed your app, then they are more open to such purchases. It’s the best practice to re-engage an existing user.

5.           Strengthen your marketing campaigns

Deep linking has the capability to increase revenue and sales. For an instance, if a retailer offers a 25% off deal to entice users with a deep link directing them to the “buy now” page immediately, it can immensely boost sales.

6.           Forgotten content

Contents are often lost in transition after initial views by your exiting user base. Deep linking offers you the best opportunity to resurface your best contents. It will encourage your users to visit old contents that they might have missed, especially your new users.

7.           Makes you App more discoverable

Google deep link indexing allows the app to show up in search engine results pages, increasing the probability of a new user to discover your app through search.

8.           Insights

You can use in-app analytics to find out which of the links are being clicked the most and also by whom. In that way, you will get a much clear idea about which links are contributing the most in increasing your conversion rate. Also, you can work to improve on contents that are relatively less viewed.

Conclusion

So, these were the reasons why you must consider using deep links. It ensures that more users are taking action and that too– just the way you intend them to. With some dedication and persistence, smart deep linking can radically enhance the user experience and increase profitability.

Shortly, deep linking won’t merely be a choice for brands; it will be a must for them to stay ahead of the curve in this ever more competitive mobile apps market.