Web to App Connect is a feature set that provides a central hub within Google Ads to ensure that your current web campaigns, including your Search and Performance Max campaigns, direct traffic to a user-installed app. By using Web to App Connect, you can drive on average a 2.8 times increase in conversion rates for ad clicks*landing in your app compared to your mobile website. Learn more About Web to App Connect .
Deep linking, which allows you to send users who click on your ads directly to specific, relevant pages with your mobile app, is key for enabling this seamless web-to-app journey.
On this page
- Supported deep link types for Web to App Connect
- Set up deep linking for Web to App Connect
- FAQs
- Next steps
*Source: Google Data, Global divisions, April 2025.
Supported deep link types for Web to App Connect
Ensure compatibility and security by using the correct types of deep links for your advertising needs. Web to App Connect only supports industry-standard deep links that don’t use redirects.
| Type of deep link |
Definition |
OS Compatibility |
Recommended for Web to App Connect? |
| App links |
The industry standard for Android. These links use your existing website URLs, such as https://example.com/product/123 , to take users who have your app installed directly to the corresponding in-app content. |
Android |
Yes (Required) |
| Universal links |
The industry standard for iOS. Similar to App Links, these use your standard website URLs to direct users with your app installed to the relevant in-app page. |
iOS |
Yes (Required) |
| Custom schemes |
Custom URIs you create to link to in-app content, such as example://product/123 . NOTE: These are not recommended as they can lead to an error page if a user doesn't have the app installed. They are also less secure. |
Android, iOS |
No (Not supported) |
| Third-party redirect links |
Deep linking solutions offered by some third parties that use redirects. Redirects aren’t permitted by Google Ads policy for Web to App Connect due to security and user experience concerns. |
Android, iOS |
No (Not supported) |
Set up deep linking for Web to App Connect
Google provides several tools to assist you and your developers with deep link implementation and validation.
Deep linking tools in Google Ads
To access the different deep linking tools in your Google Ads account, follow these steps:
- In your Google Ads account, click the Toolsicon
.
- Click the Planningdrop down in the section menu.
- Click App advertising hub and then select either the Deep link impact calculatortab or the Deep link validator.
Deep link impact calculator
This tool helps you identify web URLs that are good candidates for deep linking and estimates the potential conversion uplift from implementing them. Learn more About the Deep link impact calculator .
Deep link validator
This tool allows you to check if your App Links for your entire Android app or Universal Links for specific iOS URLs are configured correctly. It provides a report on any issues found and how to fix them. Learn more About the Deep link validator and How to use the Deep link validator .
Developer involvement
Your app developer will need to implement the deep link handling logic within the app. For App Links and Universal Links, web developers may also need to host an association file on your website.
Developer tools
- App Links (Android) setup basics:
- Developers must add intent filters to your app manifest declaring an android:scheme of http or https.
- Developers enable link handling verification by setting android:autoVerify="true" in the app manifest.
- Developers host a Digital Asset Links JSON file (assetlinks.json) at .well-known/assetlinks.json on your web domain over HTTPS.
- For detailed instructions, learn more about Handling Android App Links .
- Universal Links (iOS) setup basics:
- Developers must add an Associated Domains Entitlement to your app, claiming the domains for Universal Links.
- Developers must add code to your app delegate to handle incoming NSUserActivity objects.
- Developers must host an Apple App Site Association file (apple-app-site-association - without an extension) at the root of your domain or in the .well-known directory over HTTPS.
- For detailed instructions, learn more about Supporting Universal Links in Your App .
- Check robots.txt: Ensure your website’s robots.txt file does not block Google’s crawlers (AdsBot-Google and AdsBot-Google-Mobile) from accessing your App Links association file ( /.well-known/assetlinks.json ) or your Universal Links association file ( /.well-known/apple-app-site-association ).
- Android 12+ considerations: For App Links on Android 12 and newer, verification is per intent filter (effectively per host). If an App Link isn’t verified correctly, clicks will go directly to your mobile website without a disambiguation dialog (the pop-up asking users if they want to open in the app or browser). This makes correct setup and testing even more critical.
Developer platforms
- Google Play Console (Deep links page): For Android apps, developers can get an overview of their deep link setup, find guidance on fixing issues, and discover URLs that should be implemented as deep links. It also offers "deep link patching," allowing developers to make some ad-hoc fixes to Android App Links directly in the Play Console without needing a new app release for the current app version. Learn more About Google Play Console for Deep Linking.
- Android Studio (App Links Assistant): A plugin within Android Studio that helps developers create, test, and manage Android App Links. Learn more About the App Links Assistant in Android Studio .
- Flutter: For both Android and iOS Apps, Flutter is Google’s open-source UI toolkit for building beautiful, natively compiled applications for mobile (Android and iOS), web, and desktop from a single codebase. Learn more About integrating deep links with Flutter .
- Google Analytics: Linking your Google Ads account with your Google Analytics properties will allow your developers to identify broken deep links and new opportunities for deep linking from within Google Analytics. Learn more About integrating deep links with Google Analytics .
Developer resources
Share these resources with your development team for detailed implementation instructions.
- Android:
- iOS:
- Multi-Platform:
FAQs
What happens if a user clicks my ad but doesn't have my app installed?
How does implementing deep links affect my website’s search engine optimization (SEO)?
My company already uses a third-party deep linking solution, such as Branch or AppsFlyer OneLink, can I still use those for Web to App Connect?
Can I A/B test the performance of a deep-linked ad versus a standard mobile web ad?
What if my app requires a user to log in?
Next steps
Know where to begin your Web to App Connect setup in the App advertising hub.
Learn more About Web to App Connect
.
Use this guide to pitch deep linking implementation to your developer team.
Go to the Deep linking: A developer’s guide.
Follow the guided workflow to identify, fix, and launch your deep links in campaigns.
Learn how to Set up deep linking
.
Identify missed conversion opportunities by highlighting web URLs that need deep linking.
Learn more About the Deep link impact calculator
.
Generate insights from deep link impact calculator to identify conversion gaps in your App campaigns.
Learn How to use the Deep link impact calculator
.
Identify and fix configuration issues on your Android and iOS deep links.
Learn more About the Deep link validator
.
Conduct comprehensive validations of your deep links across Android and iOS platforms.
Learn How to use the Deep link validator
.
Prioritize deep linking to help drive engagements and conversions and optimize campaign performance.
Learn how to Drive better App engagement with deep links
.
Understand how deep linking performance is measured and attributed within Google Ads.Learn How deep linking performance is measured.
