Wondering what is deep linking? How to deep link? Why is deep linking important?
I only recently learned about deep linking, and let me tell you, I wish I would have knew about this sooner! I was getting tons of clicks on my Amazon Associates, Mavely, and other affiliate links, but I was barely getting any sales. It didn’t make sense. Clearly, people were interested enough to click on the link, but why no sales… I had a conversion rate of 0.4%. OUCH!
I posted in one of my blogging groups about getting a ton of clicks but no sales on my affiliate links, and someone asked if I was deep linking. I had seen several posts about deep linking, but I had never really thought anything about it until the overwhelming response to my question about getting clicks but no sales. That’s when the lightbulb came on, and I realized, I better dive into it, figure it out, and implement it. So, I did. And, it worked!
We all put so much into our blogs, social media, and other platforms that we utilize for affiliate links, so it seems like a wasted effort when we see lots of clicks but no sales. It is very discouraging, to say the least, but yet it’s very fixable! I don’t want anyone else left out in the rain and their efforts not be rewarded, so I wanted to go over what is deep linking, how to deep link, and what to use for deep linking!
We will also go over my two favorite deep linking tools: Linktw.in and Genius Link . Hopefully, the info below will help you turn a lot of those clicks into a large amount of sales like it did for me. I literally went from 0.4% conversion to 16% conversion the first week with my Amazon links! The only thing I have done differently was use deep linking, which opened the app for the reader, so I didn’t lose the sales from their clicks. I also went back to my previous blog posts and updated the links using deep links. (Don’t worry, you don’t have to go back through the affiliate platforms, just pull up the blog post, copy the link you currently have listed, turn it into a deep link, and update it. It took less than a minute per blog post.
So, let’s get started with what is deep linking and how to deep link… (and how easy it is!)
What is Deep Linking?
In a nutshell, deep linking is creating a link that will automatically open the link you are posting to in the site app IF the viewer has the app installed. For instance, if you post an affiliate link for Amazon on your blog, and the reader/clicker is on their phone and they have the Amazon app, it will open the app up instead of the site. If they don’t have the app, then no worries – it will open the site in their browser.
Why is Deep Linking Important?
As with the example above, if your reader clicks on an affiliate link and it opens just the site and they add the item to their cart, or they leave and go open the app, you do NOT get credit for it. The affiliate cookie does not cross over from the site to the app. So you drove the reader to the site and made the sale, but because they opened the app, you lost the cookie, which means you lost the sale. By deep linking, the link will automatically open the app on their device rather than the browser and apply the affiliate cookie in the app. If they don’t have the app, it opens the browser. Either way, you capture the sale if they make a purchase (within the required timeframe, of course).
How Do You Create a Deep Link?
The most common question I see, now that I understand it, is “how do I create deep links”. Well, it’s really simple, actually. It does take an extra step, but it is well worth it. You will grab your affiliate link from Amazon, Mavely, or whatever affiliate site you are using, and then you will post it into the deep linker, it will generate the new deep link, and then you paste that anywhere you want to add your affiliate link. I use deep linking on ALL affiliate links now if the brand/site has an app. This includes social media posts, blog posts, and anywhere else.
The Best Way to Create Deep Links
The best way to create deep links is with a deep linking tool. I use two deep linking tools: Genius Link and Linktw.in (not a typo).
I use two different deep linking tools because I prefer Genius Link, but they are not approved for Mavely, so I use Linktw.in for Mavely and Genius Link for Amazon and all other affiliate platforms. I could use Linktw.in for them both, but I prefer Genius Link because I started with them first and really like their dashboard
*** It’s important to note that Genius Link, is not the same thing as URLGenius.
URLGenius is great, but it’s EXPENSIVE! To the tune of $0.02 per click up to 15K clicks, or $199 per month with an annual subscription. Don’t confuse the two! You want to stick with Genius Link unless you want to pay a few hundred dollars a month.
How Much Does Deep Linking Tools Cost?
Some deep linking tools are free for a certain amount of clicks per month, and some can be upwards of a few hundred dollars as mentioned above.
Genius Link is very affordable! First of all, it comes with a free 14-day trial so you can try it out and see if you like it. Then, it’s only $6 a month for 2,000 clicks, and then anything over 2,000 clicks is $2.50 per 1,000 clicks. That comes out to $0.0025 per click. WAY BETTER than $0.02 per click. It’s totally worth it!
Linktw.in is free for up to 1,000 clicks each month. After that, it is unlimited links for $19 a month. The dashboard clearly shows you what your click count is at, so if you were to hit 900, then it would be smart to go ahead and upgrade to the paid plan. If you know you are doing well over a 1,000 each month, then go ahead and subscribe. Again, I use Genius Link for my Amazon, and Linktw.in for my Mavely links, so I haven’t hit the 1,000 mark on Linktw.in yet to need to subscribe since I have it spread across two platforms and just started!
What I Use Deep Linking For
- Amazon Associates – Deep linking can be used for associates or influencers. With most people using the app, it’s important to have this! I use Genius Links for Amazon because it creates one link that is compatible for all countries.
- Mavely – I do a lot of sales on Mavely, and prefer them because they are easy, accept new bloggers and influencers, grabbing links are SUPER EASY with their app and browser extension, and they have have ton of major brands and department stores like Walmart, Target, Kohls, Walgreens, Sams Club, Wayfair, Urban Outfitters, Michael Kors, and the list goes on and on and on! Rather than apply to all of these sites individually (some of which won’t approve the little guys), I use Mavely and still get to be an affiliate, and have them all in one simple place. There are hundreds and hundreds of major brands and stores on Mavely. I STRONLY recommend checking them out, no matter what your niche is because they have something for everyone!
- BrandCycle – Much like Mavely, BrandCycle also has tons of well-known stores and brands including Walmart and other big box stores. I deep link their affiliate links as well to avoid losing sales when people save to their cart on the site, and then use the app, or when they choose to open the app immediately upon clicking on the link. The good news is, BrandCycle has their own deep linking tool built right in, so you don’t necessarily have to use your own.
- Impact – I use deep links on Impact because so many of those retailers have apps. Although, honestly, I don’t use Impact much. It’s mainly Mavely, followed by BrandCycle. Since they all have the same big brands and stores, I rarely use Impact except for certain brands that are only on their platform.
Overall, I pretty much use it with other affiliate programs as well, but these are the main ones that I have found are the most important it because these four offer affiliate commissions on major stores/brands that have apps. That’s where it all comes into play. If the brand has an app and you are only doing a simple link to the site, then when they open the app, you typically lose out on the sale. Since most ShareASale brands don’t have apps, I don’t use deep links there. (If you aren’t familiar with ShareASale you learn more about their affiliate program here.)
If you want to increase your conversion rates for your affiliate links and start making more money with your affiliate programs, start deep linking ASAP! Linktw.in and Genius Link are the perfect, low-cost deep linking tools.
If you know of another deep linking tool, be sure to leave me a comment below and let me know. I’m happy to add to the list. Same with any deep linking tips – add them below so that others can find them and learn from them.
Let me know if you have any questions! If this post stemmed question for you about deep linking, there’s a chance someone else is wondering the same thing, so be sure to post your questions so that I can help and make this post even more helpful.
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