In affiliate marketing, a deep link is a tracking link that sends the visitor to a specific page, such as a product, category, or article, instead of the program's default landing page, while still recording the click for the affiliate. In mobile marketing, the term also describes a link that opens a specific screen inside an app.
How it works
Web deep links usually add the target page to the tracking link as a URL-encoded parameter. The tracker logs the click, assigns a click ID, and redirects to that destination instead of the default URL. Programs typically restrict deep links to the brand's own domains so the parameter cannot be abused as an open redirect.
App deep links depend on the operating system. On Android, for example, verified Android App Links open the matching content directly in the app rather than in the browser. Attribution for app installs and in-app events usually runs through a mobile measurement partner rather than a plain web redirect.
Example
Illustrative URLs:
Default link: https://track.example.com/c/77?aff=210
Deep link: https://track.example.com/c/77?aff=210&url=https%3A%2F%2Fshop.example.com%2Frunning-shoes%2Fmodel-x
A review site writing about "Model X" running shoes uses the deep link, so readers land on that product page rather than the store homepage. The parameter name (url here) varies by platform.
Why it matters
Deep links remove friction: the visitor lands exactly where the content promised, with fewer steps between click and purchase. For affiliates, they make in-content links relevant and natural. For brands, allowing deep links on approved domains helps content partners send higher-intent traffic. The key technical requirement is that the click ID and cookie survive the redirect, so the sale is still attributed to the right partner.
Related: tracking link, sub-ID, cookie duration.