Smart Links overview

A smart link is one web address that does the right thing for whoever taps it. If they have your app, it opens on the right screen. If they do not, it sends them to the App Store or Google Play, and the app still opens on that screen after they install it. On a computer it goes to your website.

You use smart links in places where you cannot know the person's device in advance: push and email campaigns, SMS, QR codes on posters, social posts and shared invites. Every click, install and open is counted, per link, in the console.

Open Smart Links in the sidebar to see everything described here.

Concepts

Concept	What it is
Link	The address you share, such as https://go.acmeshop.example/autumn24. The last part is the short id. A link has a deep link value, attribution fields (media source, campaign, UTM) and optional rules.
Domain	The host name the link lives on. It is either a free shared name or a subdomain of your own. TrueEngage serves your links from it and hosts the files that let iOS and Android open your app. See Link domains.
Template	The routing recipe a link starts from: which iOS and Android app to open, where to send people without the app, what to show on a computer, and how the link looks when shared. Many links share one template. See Templates and bulk creation.
Rules	Optional country, region and platform rules that send some clicks somewhere else. See Routing and rules.
Deferred deep link	The screen a person lands on after installing the app from a link. TrueEngage matches the first launch to the click that led to it. See Deep links and deferred deep links.
Attribution	The credit for an install or open: which link, media source and campaign brought the person. It is stored with the person's profile. See Link analytics.

How a click works

1. Someone taps the link. The request goes to your domain.
2. TrueEngage checks the link: is it active, has it expired, which template does it use, does a rule apply.
3. It looks at the device. On a phone with the app installed, the operating system opens the app directly. Otherwise the person is sent to the store, to a web address, or to a landing page you designed.
4. The click is recorded. Link previews and known bots are not counted.
5. If the person installs and opens the app, the SDK asks TrueEngage which click it came from. A match is recorded as an install and its deep link value is handed to your app.

What you need before the first link

• An iOS or Android app registered in Connect > Apps. See Register your apps. For links to open the app directly, add the Apple Team ID (iOS) and the SHA-256 fingerprint of your signing key (Android) to the app.
• The TrueEngage SDK 0.4.0 or later in the app, with a small amount of setup code. See Deep links and deferred deep links.
• A link domain. See Link domains.
• A template. The console offers to create a default one from your registered apps.

The Links page shows a three-step setup card (Domain, Template, App setup) until all three are done.

Permissions

Members need View on Smart Links to see links, templates, domains and analytics. Creating or editing needs Create and manage, which also opens Settings. The Analytics item needs access to Analytics.

What smart links do not do

• They do not export people. Link analytics and the links CSV hold counts and link details only.
• They do not send 301 or 307 redirects. Every redirect is a 302 so you can change a link later. See Routing and rules.
• They are not an A/B test of destinations and have no password protection.

Where to go next

Goal	Page
Make a link	Create your first link
Make the app open on the right screen	Deep links and deferred deep links
Use your own domain	Link domains
Send some visitors elsewhere	Routing and rules
Print a QR code	QR codes
Reuse routing, import links in bulk	Templates and bulk creation
See results	Link analytics
Workspace defaults	Link settings
Create links from your app, receive events	Links API and webhooks
Credit installs to ad clicks	Smart Links and ad conversions
Fix a problem	Troubleshooting and limits