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Deep links

What is a deep link?

Deep links are links that, when you click on them, take you directly to a specific topic or page, without the need to go to the main page of the website first.

In other words, they take you directly to specific content on a website or application.

1. Types of deep links

When opened on a conventional computer, deep links generally open in the system’s default browser, but when they are accessed from a mobile device we find different types of links. Some specific ones are:

Basic deep links

These are the most common ones; when clicked, they take you to the destination and, if they need the recipient to have an app installed, a message is displayed to allow the link to be opened in the corresponding app.

Deferred deep links

This type of link will take you to the content in any situation. If the user already has the application, it will be opened in the native application and, if it is not installed, the link will lead to the application download page.

Contextual deep links

These behave in a similar way to deferred deep links, but store information about the user (where they want to go, where they clicked, what they shared, what they were shown, etc.), which favours personalization and a better user experience.

2. Advantages of deep links

Because deep links lead to a specific destination of interest to the user, they offer a number of advantages to everyone who uses them properly:

– Increase visit time and improve the bounce rate. By taking visitors to a controlled page that is valuable to them, users stay longer on your site and, at the same time, you can direct them to other pages within your website that offer them value and lower your [bounce rate]().

– Actively promote applications. A deep link created to be opened in a mobile app increases downloads and installs of the app, as well as making it more relevant in the app stores where it is present.

– They help index content. Search engines will be able to index content better, which improves SEO rankings.

– They help users. The user experience will be better, since users save time locating the content they want with a single click, avoiding intermediate steps.

– Personalization. By using Contextual deep links, individualized content is served to the user.

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