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5 min read

Conversion Attribution

Attribution answers the question: "Which link brought this user to my app?" Ulinkly tracks the journey from click to install, giving you visibility into which campaigns drive results.

What you'll learn

  • How Ulinkly attributes installs to link clicks
  • The role of deferred deep links in attribution
  • How to use attribution data for campaign decisions

How Ulinkly attribution works

When a user clicks a Ulinkly link and installs your app, Ulinkly connects those two events:

1. User clicks Ulinkly from email campaign
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2. Ulinkly records: click ID, timestamp, device, campaign
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3. User lands on App Store, installs app
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4. App opens, SDK retrieves original link data
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5. Attribution complete: "This install came from email campaign"
Key Concept

Ulinkly's attribution connects link clicks to app installs. This tells you which campaigns, channels, and links are driving your app growth.

Click-to-install attribution

Ulinkly automatically tracks when a click leads to an install:

What's captured:

  • Which link was clicked
  • Campaign and UTM parameters
  • Device type and OS
  • Geographic location
  • Timestamp of click and install

In your dashboard:

  • See install counts per link
  • Filter by campaign, source, or date range
  • Compare performance across links

The role of deferred deep links

For new users who don't have your app yet, deferred deep links preserve the attribution chain:

  1. User clicks link → no app installed
  2. User redirected to App Store
  3. User installs and opens app
  4. SDK retrieves original link data
  5. Attribution maintained through the install
iOS: The SDK uses multiple signals (clipboard, device fingerprinting) to match the install back to the original click.
Gotcha

Deferred attribution requires SDK integration. Without the SDK, Ulinkly can track clicks but can't confirm which clicks led to installs.

Attribution windows

The time between click and install matters. Most app installs happen quickly:

  • Immediate: User clicks and installs right away
  • Same day: User installs within hours (most common)
  • Extended: User waits days before installing (less common)

Ulinkly attributes installs that occur within a reasonable window after the click. Very old clicks (weeks/months) are less likely to represent a true conversion path.

Using attribution data

Compare campaign performance

See which campaigns drive the most installs:

CampaignClicksInstallsInstall Rate
Email launch1,20018015%
Social promo3,5002106%
Partner referral80012015%

Higher install rates suggest better-qualified traffic.

Identify top-performing channels

Group your links by source to see channel effectiveness:

  • Email: High intent, users expect the content
  • Social: High volume, lower conversion
  • Paid ads: Varies by targeting quality
  • Organic/referral: Often highest quality

Optimize link placement

Attribution shows not just which campaigns work, but which specific links within a campaign perform best:

  • Header link vs. footer link
  • Image link vs. text link
  • Different call-to-action copy

Integrating with your analytics

Ulinkly attribution data complements your existing analytics:

Ulinkly shows: Click → Install journey, campaign attribution Your analytics shows: Post-install behavior, purchases, engagement

Pass Ulinkly attribution data to your analytics platform via the SDK to connect the full picture.

Quick recap

  • Ulinkly attributes app installs back to the links that drove them
  • Deferred deep links maintain attribution through the install process
  • SDK integration is required for install attribution
  • Use attribution data to compare campaigns and optimize spend
  • Combine with your analytics for full-funnel visibility