Some partners do not support retargeting/re-engagement campaigns.

If a partner does support these campaigns, but the option is not available in Singular's Create Link/Edit Link page, contact Singular's support team so we can update the integration.

» Learn more about re-engagement in the Re-engagement FAQ.

Check if the link already exists. You cannot create a tracking link with the same source, tracking link name, and configured app site(s) as an already existing link.

When a user views or clicks on one of your ads, they activate a link that notifies your attribution provider of the view or click. The attribution provider uses this information to track mobile app installs and re-engagements. The link can include other information, which will eventually be displayed in your reports.

» For more context about how tracking links enable attribution, see Understanding Singular Mobile App Attribution.

Singular Links are Singular's tracking link solution, which lets you create and manage tracking links through a UI that walks you through all the available options for link behavior, attribution settings, and additional information to include in the link.

Singular Links automatically leverage iOS Universal Links and Android intent technology to create deep links whenever possible (see the Prerequisites).

Here is an example of a Singular Link. You can try it out on your iOS or Android device:

https://singularassist.sng.link/A59c0/nha7?_dl=singularassist%3A%2F%2F

When a user clicks a regular link on the web, such as www.linkedin.com, the browser asks the URL's server (in this case, LinkedIn) what it should do, and in return, the URL's server gives the browser some HTML to display to the user.

When a user clicks a tracking link, the link provider's server tells the user's browser to go to a different URL instead (the redirect URL) and to serve the content from that URL. The redirection is usually performed via HTTP 302.

In the context of deep linking, a fallback redirect is a redirect destination that you want to take the user to if the deep link fails.

Typically, if a user clicks an ad for your app, you want the deep link to send them into a specific screen inside the app. But if the user doesn't already have the app installed, you want to redirect the user to the app store instead to download your app.

Deep links are links that not only open the app on the user's device (if the user already has the app installed) but also show specific app content or a specific user experience instead of just opening the app's default screen.

Deep links drive returning users directly to the heart of your application, much like regular web links direct users to a specific page within a website. After doing a little leg work to implement deep links in your app, you can lead users straight into your app to a specific screen, or create customized experiences the moment they enter the app.

Developers have been using different methods to enable deep linking:

1. URI Schemes (e.g. "myapp://path/to/page?pageid=1"):   Also known as "app scheme" deep linking.  In this legacy deep linking method, the app developer registers a “scheme” for the app, so that the device platform knows it needs to open the app whenever a user clicks a link with that scheme - in our example, any link starting with “myapp://”.
   • If the app is installed on the device, it opens, and then parses the rest of the link and shows the user a specific page within the app or delivers a specific experience accordingly.
   • If the app is not installed on the user’s device, this results in an error. There is no fallback URL.
2. iOS Universal Links (iOS 9+): This technology was developed to improve on URI-scheme-based deep linking on iOS. When using this technology, the app developer first sets up a verified web domain (e.g. "myapp.com") to serve Universal Links for an app. When a user clicks a Universal Link (e.g. "https://www.myapp.com/path/to/page?pageid=1"), the device platform knows it needs to open a specific app.
   • If the app is installed on the device, it opens, and then parses the rest of the link and shows the user a specific page within the app or delivers a specific experience accordingly.
   • If the app is not installed, the user is taken seamlessly to the web URL, using the device’s default browser.
3. Android App Links (Android 6.0+): Android's improvement on URI-scheme-based deep linking. When using this technology, the app developer first sets up a verified web domain to serve App Links. When a user clicks an app link, the device platform knows it needs to open a specific app.
   • If the app is installed on the device, it opens, and then parses the rest of the link and shows the user a specific page within the app or delivers a specific experience accordingly.
   • If the app is not installed, the user is taken seamlessly to the web URL, using the device’s default browser.

Deferred deep linking is another improvement on deep links. With this technology, if a user clicks on a deep link and does not have the app installed on their device, not only is the user directed to an app store, but the deep link parameters (what page or customized experience to show to the user) are actually not lost. If the user later installs the app from the app store and opens it, the app accesses the deep link parameters and shows the user the intended customized experience.

Unlike deep linking, deferred deep linking is generally only possible with the help of an attribution tracker:

1. The tracker collects information about pre-install touchpoints (clicks and views) meant for the mobile app.
2. The tracker’s SDK, implemented inside the app, can access that pre-install context.
3. The app uses the SDK to find out what deep link the user originally engaged with and serve the intended page or customized experience when the app is opened for the first time.

Though deep linking is an incredibly useful way to engage with your user, to properly use it for your marketing channels, you should be familiar with its usage and limitations.

Redirect Settings

Make sure to set redirect=true.

Limitations of URI (App) Schemes

Using URI (app) schemes is generally not recommended, because if the app is not already installed on the user’s device, clicking a link will cause an error and drastically reduce user engagement.

On iOS, URI scheme deep linking may be the only way deep link the user in cases the preferred method, iOS Universal Links, may fail.  However, keep in mind that the end-user experience when using URI scheme deep linking are not ideal, and the user may see pop-ups depending on their default iOS browser:

Examples of the User Experience with URI scheme deep linking on iOS
User confirmation before deep linking	User pop-up "error" if app is not installed.  Upon clicking "OK", the user continues to the fallback destination

On Android, you can work around this by using Android intents to direct the user to the Google Play store instead of being shown an error message.

In addition, URI-scheme deep linking has security vulnerabilities: other apps can register the same URI scheme as your app and hijack your deep links.

Limitations of iOS Universal Links

• Social Media Apps: Some social media apps intentionally break or limit deep links that try to take the user out of the social media app. These are often social media apps that open links in an internal web browser view.
• Link Wrapping: Universal Links can’t work with link wrapping, where another URL redirects to the universal link. Link wrapping includes link shorteners such as bit.ly.
• Pasting in Browser URL Field: Universal Links will not deep link if you enter the link into a mobile browser's URL field.
• Triggering Links with Javascript: Scripts that trigger URL redirects will not deep link unless it is part of a user action.

Limitations of Android App Links

• Social Media Apps: Some social media apps intentionally break or limit deep links that try to take the user out of the social media app. These are often social media apps that open links in an internal web browser view.

Universal Links are Apple’s deep linking technology, designed to replace the older URI-scheme deep linking method. They are available for devices running iOS 9 and above.

While Universal Links allow for deep linking behavior similar to URI schemes, they function very differently behind the scenes. Universal Links look like normal HTTPS URLs, e.g. “https://www.linkedin.com”. When a user clicks a Universal Click, the user’s device opens the app that the link was configured for. If the app is not installed on the device, the user is taken to the actual URL in their mobile browser.

See Apple’s Developer documentation.

As an app developer, do the following to enable Universal Links in your app:

1. Enable Associated Domains in Your Apple Developer Account

   Log into your Apple developer account and go to the app's ID page. Enable the Associated Domains app service. Take note of your Prefix (bundle ID) and your ID (team ID) - you will need them later.

   

2. Add Associated Domain Capability to Your Application

   Add the "Associated Domain" capability to your app in Xcode, and add your web servers' domain as an associated domain.

   

3. Configure the Web Server

   • Create apple-app-site-association File

     Using the Prefix and ID from your app page, configure a JSON formatted file like the following and host it on an HTTPS web domain that is accessible from the root.

     For example, if you own the "https://www.mycompanywebsite.com/domain", your JSON file should be accessible at the URL "https://www.mycompanywebsite.com/apple-app-site-association". Note that the hosted file does not contain a .json file extension.

     {
       "applinks": {
         "apps": [],
         "details": [
           {
             "appID": "A4GXBZ4XU7.my.cool.app",
             "paths": [ "/page/all/", "/user/saved/*"]
           }
         ]
       }
     }

     The appID is your [teamID].[app bundle ID] and it identifies your app. The paths describe valid content pages in your app. Apple recommends keeping paths short. Use a wildcard ("*") to specify all paths and use the "NOT" keyword to exclude paths, e.g. "NOT /user/saved/*".

   • Handle Universal Links Code

     The final step is to make sure that any Universal Link that opens your app is handled correctly. To do so, implement the application:continueUserActivity:restorationHandler: method in your application delegate.

     - (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application continueUserActivity:(NSUserActivity *)userActivity restorationHandler:(void (^)(NSArray * _Nullable))restorationHandler{
     if ([userActivity.activityType isEqualToString: NSUserActivityTypeBrowsingWeb]) {
     NSURL *url = userActivity.webpageURL;
     // Put code here to take user to relevant content
     }
     return YES;
     }

Singular takes care of this automatically. After you set up Universal Links for your iOS app, when you create a Singular Link for your app and enable deep linking, that link will automatically function as an iOS Universal Link - providing both deep linking and a mobile fallback.

Link Wrapping

Link wrapping, where another link redirects to the Universal Link URL, often causes deep linking to fail (the user just gets taken to the mobile web page in their browser). This is because Apple wants “user intent” behind any rerouting, and a tracking link that redirects to another URL and results in deep linking is not considered direct user intent. Therefore, you cannot use Universal Links with partners who link-wrap an attribution tracker’s tracking link.

See Which custom sources support deep linking and other Singular Links features?

Tracking Without a “Click”

If a user clicks on a tracking-enabled Universal Link, and it deep links the user into the app (because the app is installed), some attribution trackers may not be able to track this touchpoint because the device did not perform any HTTP request and therefore no “click” is registered.

Using Singular takes care of this problem for you, as Singular Links ensures complete acquisition and re-engagement tracking of both install links and deep links.

Deep linking support varies by partner. Some partners even require deep links for re-engagement campaigns since these campaigns target known existing users who already have the app.

» Learn more in our Deep Linking FAQ.

Self-Attributing Network (SAN) Partners

Self-attributing partners such as Facebook and Google Ads do not support tracking links for mobile app campaigns. To configure deep links with these partners, you need to use the partner's dashboard, and you may have to configure your app according to the partner's instructions.

Learn more about deep linking with the following self-attributing partners:

• Facebook
• Google Ads
• Snap Ads
• Twitter (App Cards)

For more information, we recommend reaching out to your partner contact.

Non-Self-Attributing Partners

Some partners in this category do not use MMP tracking links for redirects or deep links. Instead, Singular receives the click notification asynchronously. These partners are also known as server-to-server or asynchronously integrated partners, and deep links can generally be configured in the partner campaign dashboard.

For non-self-attributing partners that support tracking link redirects for mobile app campaigns, Singular Links may be used to deliver the deep link experience when engaging users who already have your app installed.

We recommend adding deferred deep links when a campaign is using deep links.

Note that just like with deep links, deferred deep links setup differs between self-attributing and non-self-attributing partners.

Self-Attributing Partners

Self-attributing partners such as Facebook and Google Ads do not support tracking links for mobile app campaigns. Therefore, deep linking and deferred deep linking are configured in the partner's dashboard and may require partner-specific app handling requirements. Deferred deep linking with self-attributing networks is built into the MMP integration itself with partners that support deferred deep linking in the integration.

Singular supports deferred deep linking with:

• Facebook (read more). To enable deferred deep linking through Singular, contact your Singular Customer Success Manager. Make sure the equivalent functionality is not enabled in the Facebook SDK.
• Snapchat: Automatically enabled with an activated Partner Configuration.
• Google Ads: Automatically enabled with an activated Partner Configuration.

Reach out to your Singular customer success manager to inquire about deferred deep linking possibilities for more self-attributing networks in the works.

Non-Self-Attributing Partners

Deferred deep linking with any non-self-attributing partner can be enabled and used with any of these partners simply by configuring the deferred deep link value for the Singular Link. Unlike deep links, deferred deep linking is not dependent on partner redirects and is a feature enabled via your integrations with Singular's SDK (or S2S API).

Singular tracking links have the following structure, where [SUBDOMAIN] is chosen by you, and [DNS_ZONE] is "sng.link". Together, the subdomain and the DNS zone make up the domain.

You can create a single domain and use it for all your links, or you can create several to use for different purposes. You have to create at least one domain.

Example:

For a campaign that markets an app called Jewel Rush, you can create the domain "jewelrush.sng.link". Then you can use it to create tracking links with the following structure:

https://jewelrush.sng.link/[PARAMETERS]

You can star and archive your domains by hovering over them. If you archive a link domain, you'll be prompted to confirm your action.

Partners are ad networks and other services that are integrated with Singular's attribution tracker.

When you create a Partner link, Singular automates some of the process by:

• Displaying only the options that are supported by that partner. For example, some partners support only iOS or only Android.
• Generating the tracking link with partner macros that allow the partner to pass campaign information to Singular.

Custom Sources are self-owned or self-managed marketing channels such as email or SMS campaigns, social media, and cross-promotion campaigns.

Note: If you are working with an email service provider, create a Partner tracking link. If you manage your own email campaigns, create a Custom tracking link.

Self-Attributing Networks such as Facebook and Twitter do not use Singular tracking links. To configure them, see the instructions in:

• Facebook Ads Attribution Integration
• Google Ads (AdWords) Attribution Integration
• Twitter Ads Attribution Integration
• Or find the SAN's guide in the Partner Integrations in Detail section.

This is just a name you give your tracking link, and it can be whatever you want (although most users use the campaign name or a variation of the campaign name).

The Tracking Link Name will appear in your reports as "Tracker Name."

You can sometimes - depending on the partner.

• Some partners support only iOS or only Android.
• Others support both platforms but require you to create a separate link for each.
• Finally, some partners allow you to create multi-platform links, where you create one tracking link for use with both platforms.

The Create Link page displays the options that are supported by the partner you have selected.

Re-engagement is the renewed use of a product by a user who has already been converted in the past. Campaigns that aim to create re-engagement are called retargeting campaigns.

To have Singular track re-engagement, you just need to enable re-engagement tracking when you create the Singular Link(s) used in the campaign. Expand the Attribution Settings section and select Enable Re-engagement Tracking.

» Learn more in the Re-engagement FAQ.

Deterministic clicks/views are attributed to a source based on a device identifier or Google Install Referrer.

Probabilistic clicks/views are attributed based on a combination of various properties that Singular gathers about the user's device in the absence of a device ID. Probabilistic attribution methods are only available for Android devices. Apple prohibits the use of probabilistic methods on iOS devices.

» For more information, see Singular Attribution Methods.

By default, tracking links use the default lookback window configured for the partner in the Partner Configuration page. However, you can override the default lookback window and customize it for each individual link by selecting Override attribution windows under Attribution Settings.

This allows greater control for partners with different types of channels that can benefit from varying attribution windows.

» See The Attribution Lookback Window for more information.

After you click Generate and see the tracking link URL, you can select Shorten Link to create a shorter version of the same link. This is useful for custom channels where the URL is exposed to the end-user, or for channels with restrictions on the length of the URL, such as SMS.

This is an example of a Singular Link generated in the Create Link page:

https://nike.sng.link/C59c0/47bm?_dl=singular%3A%2F%2Ftestlink&idfa={idfa}&aifa={aifa}&pcn={campaign_name}&pcid={campaign_id}&pcrn={creative_name}&pcrid={creative_id}

The components of the link are:

See Tracking Link Parameters and Report Dimensions for the full list of query parameters.

Starred apps are pinned to the top of the list in the Link Management page. This setting is customizable per user and saved for your next logins.

This means that if your organization has a large number of apps, you don't have to scroll through the whole list every time you want to create or manage Singular Links - you can quickly access the specific app(s) that you are working with.

The changes take effect as soon as you click Save in the Edit Tracking Link page.

If the link is already active in campaigns, any past clicks, impressions, and attributions belonging to these campaigns are not affected.

When you archive a tracking link, that link is hidden from your tracking link dashboard. The purpose is to declutter your dashboard by hiding old links that belong to past campaigns.

Archiving does not deactivate a link. If you archive a link that is still being used in a live campaign, the link will still redirect and attribute users.

To search and filter your link list, use the search bar at the top left of the Manage Links page.

Just type in a tracking link URL (or a part of it), a link name, a source name, etc. The links that match your string will appear on the right under Available Links.

You can make the link do even more work by adding data to it dynamically as you display your ads. This data can then be read and used by your app if a user engages with one of the ads and then arrives into your app. To add dynamic data, append the _p parameter and any value to the end of your Singular Link. _p stands for "passthrough," and you can give it a URL-encoded JSON value or an unstructured string value. 

{
  “productid”:”Shoes123”,
  “qty”:1
}

https://myshoppingapp.sng.link/A59c0/nha7?_p=%7B%22productid%22%3A%22Shoes123%22%2C%22qty%22%3A1%7D

If you decide that a landing page is right for your campaign, and your campaign depends on a mobile attribution provider for tracking, first consider the following:

• Make sure there is a way for the user to convert to the app from the landing page.
• Consider the media channel you're working with. Integrated partners may support different methods to execute a landing page.

Then, decide which touchpoint you would like to attribute the install to.

1. Tracking the click that takes the user to the landing page: In this case, just use the Singular Link you generate in the Link Management page as usual and define the landing page as your Mobile Fallback URL.
2. Tracking the click that the user engages with within the landing page: If you choose this option, embed the Singular Link is in your landing page. Ensure the link from the ad to the landing page passes any necessary tracking values through to the landing page.

You can use Singular Links to track your marketing efforts in self-owned channels such as social media or SMS. However, deep linking only works in some channels with some technologies.

We've compiled a list of known and common redirect limitations:

When you use Singular Links in custom sources, you can add dimension information to get that added granularity in your reports. For example, if you pass the campaign name in your tracking link, you will get campaign-level granularity in your report.

To pass the information, add it as a parameter to the link when you serve it. See the full list of tracking link reporting parameters supported by Singular. For example, the following link records the Campaign Name dimension as "CoolShoes123":

https://singularassist.sng.link/A59c0/u53f?_dl=singularassist%3A%2F%2F&_p=%7B%22productid%22%3A%22Shoes123%22%7D&pcn=CoolShoes123

You can override link redirects dynamically by adding _dl, _ddl, or other redirecting parameters to your Singular Link (see full table below). This can be useful, for example, if you're serving a dynamic deep link based on some input from the user, or in the context of the user engagement.

The following query parameters can be appended or modified as needed. Remember to URL-encode the value when appending it to a parameter.

Singular Links will automatically forward any utm_* or referrer parameters that are included in the link. This includes the singular_click_ID that is a part of the referrer parameter value. (Additional referrer= values appended to a Singular Link will be appended to the referrer next to the singular_click_ID.)

Appending &_forward_params=1 (or &_forward_params=true) to a Singular Link will forward all appended parameters for explicit parameter forwarding.

Examples:

Apple's URLs for custom product pages (see Apple's documentation for this new feature) have an additional parameter denoting the product page ID. For example:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/testflight/id899247664?ppid=76659d7a-d146-43d3-b6b8-b7a12f74bf6b

To use custom product pages in Singular Links, when you create the link, just set the iOS redirect to the desired product page instead of the default app store page. For example:

Alternatively, use the override parameter _ios_redirect. For example:

_ios_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Ftestflight%2Fid899247664%3Fppid%3D76659d7a-d146-43d3-b6b8-b7a12f74bf6b

To customize reporting on installs conversions for a custom product page, use any of the available link campaign granularity parameters.

A QR code is generated for you automatically when you create Custom source links.

The QR code is available after you click Generate, under Link Summary.

QR is supported for both long and short links. You can download the QR code to use in various non-mobile-to-mobile campaigns, such as desktop-to-app or billboard-to-app. Singular provides the QR code in PNG and SVG formats.

Since Partner links contain macros that are populated dynamically by the partner network, they do not support QR codes. QR codes are generated automatically when you create a Custom source link.