Understand Mobile Deep Linking

deeplink.png

Deep linking has become one of the hottest topics in mobile over the past year as dozens of startups have launched around using, improving and discovering deep links. All of the big platform companies also have projects to own “the deep linking standard” or the search index for mobile. So, what are deep links and where did they come from?
In the most simple interpretation, a deep link is any link that directs a user past the home page of a website or app to content inside of it. e.g. linking directly to a product instead of the home page. In the context of 2015, we’re particularly interested in mobile deep links; links that can be used to open an app to a specific piece of content or action. 

Deep linking has grown up with the Internet

The concept of deep linking has been around for a long time; first appearing commonly in media around 2006 to describe the growing practice of providing Google (and other search engines) with visibility into pages beyond the home page.
At the time, the term was also commonly misused to refer to hot linking, the practice of linking directly to files for download that were hosted by a third, non-participating party. That earned deep linking a public association with the exploding controversy around the online consumption of copyrighted material.

A number of courts in the US issued judgements (and injunctions) on the idea that linking directly to content within a website could be a breach of that party’s copyright, especially when such a deep-linking party was monetizing the content with ads served alongside the content (such as a search listing preview). In 2006, threats against deep linking posed as real a threat to the open and functional Internet as those of net neutrality have in 2014. And just as the web settled, along came mobile apps.

In 2008, Apple released iPhone OS 2 (now iOS) and brought with it the iOS SDK. For the first time, developers could build applications for the iPhone and submit them to the new App Store. Apps, unlike web pages, were not based on the same “document structure” of the web. While, technically, even iOS 2 could handle deep linking, mapping to content and actions inside of the average app was incredibly hard.

App structures, and hooks to key actions or features, were opaque. It also wasn’t an acknowledged problem for developers; the ecosystem was nascent, apps were basic (at best), mobile commerce was non-existent and the perceived usefulness of deep linking was minimal.

The problem that deep linking solved in the early years of iOS was mostly mapping web page items to the same item in an app: If I’m reading an article in Pulse/NYT on the web, how do I open that same article in the app? This meant that the first apps for which deep linking was truly useful were companies with large amounts of content. If an app has three items available, the burden for a user to choose between them is low, but if there are 20,000 options, the efficiency and UX benefit of deep linking a user directly is huge.

By 2013-2014, mobile commerce had begun to explode; people were buying real things on their mobile devices to the tune of billions and with it came a need for better tools to drive users through the conversion funnel. The millions that brands had invested in developing mobile apps were finally paying off. 

Services started popping up to take users from marketing emails and redirect them into apps using deep links. In some cases, they would also prompt users who didn’t have the app to download it from the App Store or Play Store. It also brought to light a serious problem: how to address a specific item, piece of content or action, when there is no standard for how deep links are structured or discovered.

Deep links are simply a way to identify, address and transport users to specific content in apps. While convenient (and necessary), they’re not that revolutionary or exciting. The future value of deep links lies in how we use them, what’s built on top of them, and the new consumer experiences they offer.

This will include novel ways to discover deep links for apps that you have, discovering new apps through deep-linkable relevant content and services, and the transfer of more intelligence across the links themselves. Much like a hyperlink, it’s not the mechanism that will change the world, but the way we use them to connect the web together.
Techcrunch: http://tcrn.ch/1eqTz52

 

« What’s in the New UK Surveillance Bill?
New Snowden Documents Reveal US Spying Has Actually Expanded »

ManageEngine
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Check Point

Directory of Suppliers

Authentic8

Authentic8

Authentic8 transforms how organizations secure and control the use of the web with Silo, its patented cloud browser.

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC (formerly Reciprocity) is a leader in the GRC SaaS landscape, offering robust and intuitive products designed to make compliance straightforward and efficient.

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North IT (North Infosec Testing) are an award-winning provider of web, software, and application penetration testing.

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

Assure Technical

Assure Technical

Assure Technical offers a holistic approach to Technical Security. Our expertise and services span across the Physical, Cyber and Counter Surveillance domains.

Lacuna Talent

Lacuna Talent

Lacuna Talent delivers the combined power of Via Resource, the international Cyber Security recruiter, and Lacuna Talent, the Specialist AI/Data recruiter.

Nmap Project

Nmap Project

Nmap Project is a Free and open source tool for network discovery, administration, and security auditing.

Leibniz-Rechenzentrum (LRZ)

Leibniz-Rechenzentrum (LRZ)

The LRZ supports ground-breaking research and teaching in a wide range of scientific disciplines including information security and data protection.

CyberSec.sk (CSSk)

CyberSec.sk (CSSk)

CyberSec.sk is the Slovak portal bringing the latest cyber security news, politics, tips and instructions on how to protect the internet.

Wotan Monitoring

Wotan Monitoring

Wotan Monitoring is the software solution for fully automatic process monitoring, infrastructure monitoring and end-to-end monitoring.

Cyber Army Indonesia (CyberArmyID)

Cyber Army Indonesia (CyberArmyID)

Cyber Army Indonesia (CyberArmyID) is the first platform in Indonesia to collect and validate reports from hackers (referred to as Bug Hunter) regarding vulnerabilities that exist in an organization.

Axence

Axence

Axence provides professional solutions for the comprehensive management of IT infrastructure for companies and institutions all over the world.

YouWipe

YouWipe

Scandinavian Data Erasure Leader YouWipe is the number one choice of European Ministries, European Central Banks, Swiss Pharmaceuticals and Major Electronics Retail Chains.

Trilateral Research

Trilateral Research

Trilateral Research provide regulatory and policy advice; develop new data-driven technologies and contribute to the latest standards in safeguarding privacy, ethics and human rights.

AVEVA

AVEVA

AVEVA has a long history in providing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition software for meeting complex and evolving automation requirements.

CCX Technologies

CCX Technologies

CCX Technologies design and develop a wide range of cybersecurity and testing solutions for the aviation, and military and government markets.

DataStealth

DataStealth

DataStealth is a data protection platform that allows organizations to discover, classify, and protect their most sensitive data and documents.

Exodata

Exodata

Exodata is a French digital services company specializing in the outsourcing of IT Systems and solutions.

EyBrids

EyBrids

As a forward-thinking cybersecurity consulting firm, we believe that robust security is the foundation for innovation and growth in today’s digital landscape.

SignPath

SignPath

SignPath provides leading-edge software and SaaS services that ensure code integrity from development to distribution.