Instead of just working with the standard links that are made available to every affiliate, there are so-called deep links that can be used specifically for more affiliate income.
What is a deep link?
Every affiliate marketer works with special links, which are also known as affiliate links. Such a link is associated with a fixed web address and when someone clicks on it, he usually ends up on a landing page, which is usually an offer page.
There are also deep links, which are often easy to create and allow the affiliate to choose which landing page the prospect ends up on after clicking.
Let's say we are promoting an email marketing solution for bloggers and want to create a campaign for a specific target group, namely bloggers who want to combine email marketing and blog feed.
We take a normal affiliate link, modify it accordingly so that the destination address is a subpage of the vendor whose specific product feature we want to promote, and we make sure that the subpage contains information that is informative for our target audience.
Deep links are about defining the destination address that someone lands on after clicking on our affiliate link.
A deep link allows us to direct users not to the homepage or main sales page, but to specific information that can be used to sell the product more effectively by highlighting targeted details or resources.
How to create a deep link?
In many cases, deep links can be created directly within the affiliate account where you manage your affiliate programs. It's also common to generate them by adding the target URL as an additional parameter to your affiliate link.
https://www.example-product.com/aff=12345&deep_link=https://destination-address.comWith the AWIN partner network, for example, deep links can be created very quickly and easily using a URL parameter:
https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=16327&awinaffid=45628&ued=https://destination-address.comNote the parameter &ued=, because you can use it to define any target page that is ideally optimized for our advertising message.
There are many use cases for deep links. In all cases, they help us promote our affiliate offers more effectively and improve conversions.
For example, if you're advertising a specific feature of a product, you can use the deep link that leads directly to a page where that feature is explained in detail. This way, the user lands exactly where their interest is addressed and is encouraged to take action and try the product.
This is a perfect example of how deep links can be used effectively to drive more conversions.
Why you should use deep links
Deep links are a very useful tool for us affiliate marketers because they allow us to determine what happens after clicking on an affiliate link. With normal affiliate links, the provider who pays us a commission determines what happens after the click.
The biggest advantage is the ability to create perfectly optimized affiliate systems by directing users to the pages where we see the highest potential to improve conversion rates.
Let's look at another example, because I really want you to understand how to use deep links in your practice as effectively as possible...
Let's say we want to promote a diving watch. We create a simple landing page that features a video showcasing a high-quality watch designed specifically for divers. Below the video, we place a direct affiliate link to the product, with tracking already set up in advance.
Next, we modify our affiliate link so that anyone who clicks on it first lands on our custom page. When the click occurs, the user is tracked and redirected to our page. After consuming our custom promotional material, the user is then forwarded to the product page, where the purchase takes place.
It's a simple but highly effective promotional system — without even relying on email marketing or other advanced tools!
Affiliate marketing today is all about systems. These systems can be as sophisticated as you want and can serve a variety of objectives. Some are designed to generate immediate sales, while others focus on warming up the audience, pre-selling, or using email marketing to close the sale later.
Be creative and use deep links in ways no one else is — unlock unique opportunities and strategies to drive more targeted traffic and boost conversions.
Conclusion
Always find out whether deep links are also available for your affiliate program. You only have advantages if you use this function, because in this case you can freely choose the target page after the click.
If you're unsure, reach out to the program operator. They'll help you, if possible, with using deep links in combination with your affiliate link.
With normal links, you never know where the potential customer will end up after clicking on the ad link. With deep links, on the other hand, you can pick the best landing page for a product — the target page where you think you have the best chance of earning a commission.
Ideally, every target page can be set as a deep link, including your own landing pages.