The below document outlines our best practice principles per deep link type and operating system, which are essential for a successful deep linking process. In case of any questions, please reach out to your Remerge Account Manager.

The Tracking Link

A Tracking Link is a URL with appended tags (parameters) that carry valuable insight and analytics about a marketing campaign by indicating the time and traffic source of a (user) click. Advertisers utilize said URL to measure the efficacy of their marketing efforts. 

The Deep Link

A Deep Link (2006) is a URL that hyperlinks an app user directly to a different (yet specific) in-app location or Landing/Product Page, thus providing a superior user experience.

An in-app Landing Page is a unique area within an app. Said area can contain an action step for an app visitor to take or a particular prompt in the form of a promotional offer.

Best Practice

Provide Remerge with your Mobile Measurement Partner tracking links with Deep Linking capabilities to ensure our accomplishment of the following goals:

• Optimal standard of app user experience for an app open upon click.
• Accuracy of attribution data collected and displayed on the Mobile Measurement Partner platform.

Mobile advertising currently offers a variety of advanced deep linking technologies such as the Dynamic Deep Link, Deferred Deep Link, App Link, and the Universal Link, applicable to both operating systems: App Link (Android) and Universal Link (iOS).

Deep Linking Types

The Dynamic Deep Link

A Dynamic Deep Link is a URL with built-in advanced technology, enabling a customized/modified user hyperlinking to a particular in-app location via a variable.

Best Practice

• In case your tracking link needs to be Dynamic, ensure to provide your Remerge Account Manager with a tracking link that contains a variable (e.g.,{product_id}) that Remerge can replace with different in-app destinations. By doing so, we reroute your users to the exact Landing/Product Page within the app. Case in point:
  
  
  • A client provides us with a product feed, and we need to hyperlink each user to a different (in-app) product. In said scenario, we would employ the Remerge Dynamic Product Ads technology.
    
    

The Deferred Deep Link

A Deferred Deep Link (2014) is a URL that, upon an ad click, hyperlinks the user to a particular in-app location even if the app in question is NOT YET on their mobile device. The user is then sent to the digital store (App Store/Google Play) of said app, installs the app, and subsequently reaches the relevant in-app Landing/Product Page.)

Deferred deep linking is unlikely to play a role in a retargeting campaign (as the app is already on the user's mobile device). Nevertheless, the availability of said technology serves as an alternative linking method. Accordingly, we appreciate obtaining the Deferred Deep Links from our clients.

Deep Linking Per Operating System

Android

App Link

An App Link (Android 6.0, API level 23+) is an HTTP URL that hyperlinks users to a particular in-app location. The App Link technology succeeds the Raw Custom Scheme technology.

Raw Custom Scheme

A Raw Custom Scheme is an internal URL scheme (e.g., client://, or client://shop) that works seamlessly on ALL Android OS versions. 

Best Practices

• You may employ either the App Link technology or the Raw Custom Scheme in your retargeting campaigns with Remerge. Nonetheless, most companies still utilize the Raw Custom Scheme option due to its compatibility with all OS versions. therefore, we encourage you to follow the below steps:
  
  
  • Obtain the Raw Custom Scheme from your developer.
  • Enter the Raw Custom Scheme into the platform of your Mobile Measurement Partner of choice as part of your Android tracking link generation process.
    
    
• Please find a list of supported Mobile Measurement Partners and generate your Android tracking link by following the instructions on our Go-Live Fundamentals (step 4. Convey Tracking & Partner Information).
• Test your Android tracking link by forwarding it to your email/slack account and clicking on said link. Your ability to reach the app-open page upon clicking on said tracking link verifies the accuracy of execution.

Tracking Link Structure Example:

• https://my.mmp.com?campaign={campaign_name_raw}&publisher={publisher}&creative={ad_name}&device_id={device_id_raw}&click_id={click_id}&deeplink=client%3A%2F%2Fshop
• Your Mobile Measurement Partner will accommodate you with a prefilled click template. Otherwise, please refer to our list of available parameters.
  
  

iOS

The Universal Link

Apple's Universal Link (2015), which has become a standard for iOS 10+, is a technology especially beneficial to making the most of your marketing efforts while maintaining the app user's privacy. The Universal Link is slowly replacing the Raw Custom Scheme, which (unlike the Android option) is losing its capabilities in newer iOS versions and is thus not recommended.

The following is an example taken from an anonymized active Remerge campaign. The impact on the user's experience is very much immediate due to an instant increase in re-engagement rate (500%!) with the implementation of the Universal Link in a client's app.

Reengagement Rate:

Best Practices

• Contact your app developer for the technical implementation of the Universal Link functionality in your app by following the instructions of your Mobile Measurement Partner of choice (for further information on Universal Links, please refer to Apple's official documentation):
  
  
  • Adjust Universal Links
  • AppsFlyer Universal Links
  • Branch Universal Links
  • IGAWorks: Adbrix Original Universal Links
    
    
• Ensure your developer updates the app in question before releasing it to the public.
• Please find a list of supported Mobile Measurement Partners and generate your iOS tracking link by following the instructions on our Go-Live Fundamentals (step 4. Convey Tracking & Partner Information).
• Test your iOS tracking link by forwarding it to your email/slack account and clicking on said link. Your ability to reach the app-open page upon clicking on said tracking link verifies the accuracy of execution.

Tracking Link Structure Example:

• https://myapp.mymmp.com/12435678?campaign={campaign_name_raw}&publisher={publisher}&creative={ad_name}&device_id={device_id_raw}&click_id={click_id}
• Your Mobile Measurement Partner will accommodate you with a prefilled click template. Otherwise, please refer to our list of available parameters.