Contextual deep linking

What is contextual deep linking?

Contextual deep linking is a deep link that carries metadata about the user’s context – where they came from, what they were doing, and what they should see next – and uses it to shape the destination experience.

Contextual deep linking streamlines the customer journey, optimizing user satisfaction and engagement. Users arrive in-app, attributed, and 4x more likely to convert.

How is contextual deep linking different to other deep links?

There are three types of deep links:

Basic deep links

Basic deep links send users to a specific location within an app. Basic deep links can only work if the app is already installed on the user’s device.

Deferred deep links

Deferred deep links also send the user to a specific screen post-install, but do not require users to have the app already installed. Instead, deferred deep links preserve the destination and other data through the app store install process.

Contextual deep links

Contextual deep linking functions similarly to basic deep links and deferred deep links, but also measures data and insights such as the install source or any promo codes relevant to the user. Contextual deep linking carries context and richer user data, allowing mobile apps and marketers to personalize the user experience post-install.

What problem does contextual deep linking solve for mobile apps?

Most app install flows lose the context that drove the install. A user sees a campaign for a product, taps it, installs the app – and lands on a generic home screen with no direct relevance to what they came for. The user then has to hunt for the content they were looking for – or they leave.

Contextual deep linking, on the other hand, brings users directly to relevant content or onboarding screens. They use deep links to reduce manual navigation and improve the overall customer journey. Contextual deep linking improves user satisfaction, and allows marketers to measure and optimize campaign performance and customer experience using the data gathered.

Contextual deep linking examples

Contextual deep linking can be used to improve user flows in a variety of ways, for example:

• Referral: A user shares an invite link from your app. The contextual deep link carries their referral ID, and a bonus offer. When their friend installs and opens the app, the bonus is already applied and the referrer is credited automatically – all as a result of the contextual deep link.
• Paid user acquisition: A user clicks an ad for your app that promotes a specific product within the app. The user downloads and opens the app, and the contextual deep link ensures they land directly on the product from the ad that they saw, ready to purchase.
• Re-engagement: A user gets a push notification about an abandoned cart. The contextual deep link opens the cart directly, boosting the likelihood of the user completing a previously-abandoned purchase.

What are the benefits of contextual deep linking?

The benefits of contextual deep linking include:

• Better post-install conversion. Contextual deep linking ensures users land in the right place after install, making them more likely to complete the intended action – be it registration, deposit, first purchase. You get more value from every install you paid for.
• Lower customer acquisition cost (CAC). Fewer drop-offs means more users who actually activate. Contextual deep linking improves the efficiency of your UA spend.
• Higher retention. A user who has a favorable, relevant first experience with an app is more likely to keep coming back. First impressions are everything, and contextual deep linking ensures a positive one.
• Deeper measurement. Context travels with the link, meaning marketers can see which campaigns are driving users who convert. Contextual deep links enable marketers to optimize campaigns and deliver targeted app experiences.

How AppsFlyer powers contextual deep linking

AppsFlyer’s Deep Linking Suite handles contextual deep linking, ensuring users land in the right place in the app. This is powered by OneLink, a single universal link that works across all platforms.

When a user clicks a OneLink, the AppsFlyer SDK reads the embedded parameters on first open and passes them to the app. Developers can use the information in this contextual deep link to build personalized onboarding flows, upload promo codes, and direct users to specific content or screens within an app.

AppsFlyer’s Suite also pulls every link into one Link Management Hub that allows marketing, CRM and product teams to see, edit and organize – without depending on development. It provides greater control and a single source of truth that makes link governance scalable across teams.Need a contextual deep linking solution? AppsFlyer’s Deep Linking Suite gives you contextual deep linking, deferred deep linking, and full attribution in a single integration. Explore the Deep Linking Suite →