Why deep linking and attribution are bought together

One link does two jobs

A link from an ad or a message carries two kinds of information. One is the source: channel, campaign, creative. The other is the destination: the product, article or offer the person tapped on. Attribution uses the first. Deep linking uses the second. Both are recorded on the same tap and read by the same SDK when the app opens, so they arrive together.

The full path from tap to matched install is laid out in how a tracking link carries a click to an install. This page covers only what that shared path means when you buy.

What is shared between them

The last row is the one that ties the two products together. A deferred deep link only works if a click can be matched to a later install. Matching a click to a later install is the problem an MMP exists to solve, so a linking vendor that offers deferral has already built most of an attribution product, and the reverse.

What goes wrong when you split them

Using a linking service from one vendor and attribution from another is possible. Three costs come with it.

1. Two SDKs. Your developer installs, updates and debugs both, and each one adds to app size and start-up work.
2. Chained links. Each ad link must pass through both services so that both see the click. A mistake in the chain breaks either the count or the destination, and it is hard to tell which.
3. Two sets of numbers. Each service counts clicks and installs by its own rules. The totals may differ, and someone has to explain the gap every month. The general problem is covered under discrepancy.

When separate tools still make sense

Keep them apart when a linking product is already deep in your app and replacing it would mean rewriting routes that work. Also keep them apart when you have no paid traffic and only need links for sharing and referrals; in that case you may not need attribution yet, as the guide on whether you need an MMP explains.

In both cases, plan for the day you merge them. Links that live in printed material or old emails will keep getting taps for a long time, so ask early how they can be redirected.

What to check on a plan page

Because the two are sold together so often, it is easy to assume linking is included. Check four things on the plan you would buy.

• Are deep links and deferred deep links both in the plan, or is one an add-on?
• Is there a limit on the number of links or link clicks?
• Can links use your own domain?
• Do links from websites into the app, known as web-to-app, count as part of the plan?

For reference, Airbridge Core lists deferred deep links, short links and QR codes, and a web-to-app banner in the plan.^[1] Add the linking questions to the ten questions for every vendor and compare answers before you pick.