A type of destination URL in an ad that takes people to a specific page in an app.
- For ads on the web, you can use a simple Destination URL, such as
example.com, to send people to your website landing page. To send people straight to a product page on that website, you could use a different URL, with a little more information:example.com/product_1234. For mobile apps, these URLs are called deep links. - For your Destination URL in app engagement ads, you can use a link that just opens your app, or a deep link that will send people directly to a specific screen in your app. Tracking parameters are allowed for these links.
- Deep links aren't automatically set up when you create your app, and they work differently on iOS and Android. For app engagement campaigns on the Search Network, we generate an app URI using your deep link so that your ads are compatible with Google Search.
How deep links appear
Deep links are usually made up of two parts: a scheme and a host and path. App URIs, which are reformatted deep links, include a 3rd part: the app package ID. Your URL may also include a tracking parameter.
- The app package ID is the unique identifier for your app. Many developers create a package ID using the app’s internet domain in reverse. For example, apps published by Google start with "com.google".
- The scheme is a part of the link that identifies which app to open. For your app, you can use “http” or a custom scheme that can start with the app or website name.
- Host and path specify the unique location in the app where your content exists. For your app, you’ll designate the place where people will go when they click your ad, or what should happen when your app opens.
| Deep link | App URI | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deep links specify a location in an app that corresponds to the content that you’d like to show. | App URI is a format of the deep link that helps integrate your app with Google Search. You'll see this format when you edit your ads. |
| Format | {scheme}://{host_path} |
android-app://{package_id}/{scheme}/{host_path} |
| Example | exampleapp://productid_1234 |
android-app://com.example.android/exampleapp/productid_1234 |
More about how app engagement ads work
More about setting up deep links on our developer website.
