Blurring boundaries

The days of using one medium are over. We move from laptop to smartphone, from website to app. And all those platforms are increasingly connecting with each other. That's a good thing, because it makes our user experience a lot better. Deep linking helps reduce the boundary between your devices and applications even further. From a website, forwarded link or WhatsApp invitation, you land on the right app page at once.

Mobile app deep links (often just called "deep links") open an app in a specific content page. Say you've seen a beautiful TV in the Coolblue app and you want to share it with a friend: you just need to send your friend the deep link and his Coolblue app opens directly into that specific page. Handy (and commercially super interesting)!

Higher conversion

Market research shows that the conversion rate among app users is three times higher than among website users. So it makes sense to offer existing customers an app as well. By applying deep linking in your entire marketing mix, you make using your app even easier and more attractive. By doing so, you increase the chance that interest will actually lead to action.

Think, for example, of a car dealer who links a potential customer directly to the right car in an app. Or a news app that opens directly into the news item you find interesting. Or a fashion retailer, which takes you directly to that exclusive pair of jeans. And you can even have a deep link activate certain functionalities or have the deep link open a special "hidden" action page in an app.

Experiment

Curious as we are, we have already experimented extensively with deep linking. Just in our own TimeSquare app. An app in which festivals can create their own section with their timetable, artists and all kinds of festival information. Deep linking allows festivals to send their visitors directly to their own section in the TimeSquare app. For example, via a Facebook link. More than 100 festivals now use the deep linking functionality in TimeSquare!

Need to install the app? No problem!

The deep linking technique is especially interesting because even after the first installation of a new app, the deep link still opens the correct page in the app. Magic! :-) We can explain, but especially check out the TimeSquare example below.

As you can see, the deep link takes you straight to the right page. Even if you hadn't installed the app on your phone before. Without any hassle. Also try it yourself with this deep link to the Motel Mozaique festival app in TimeSquare.

Insight in statistics

Deep linking also provides additional insight into how your app is being used. Deep link statistics show which pages your users visit and how they use them. Ideal to map out your customer journey and refine it further. Moreover, it gives insight into your marketing campaigns. Are a lot of users coming in on a particular page? Apparently you're doing something right!

Zooma helps you on your way

After our extensive experiments, we are very excited about the possibilities of deep linking! Wondering what deep linking can do for your organization or apps? We would love to help you get started!