Branch offers first deep-linking from ads on AMP pages to app content

Google’s AMP pages are known for their speed in loading from mobile search results. But, using a stripped-down version of HTML, AMP pages still lack much of the functionality that helps publishers make money.

To help fill that gap, deep-linking provider Branch.io has released a version of its Journeys, called AMP Journeys. The Palo Alto, California-based company said this is the first time deep-linking has been offered from ads on AMP pages to apps.

The original Journeys provided deep links from mobile web content directly into specific content inside an installed app. AMP Journeys delivers banner ads (which sit at the bottom of an AMP page) or interstitial ads (which reside between AMP pages), and then deep-links inside those ads directly to specific content inside an installed app.

The ads are not for outside products, but for the publisher of the AMP page. An AMP Journeys ad on a New York Times AMP page, for instance, would lead to the New York Times app.

Here’s the user flow if the app is already installed. The AMP ad is the Leaflet banner and “Open” button at the bottom of the middle screen:

If the app isn’t installed, the deep link takes the user to Apple’s App Store or Google Play to download the app. Once the app is installed, it then opens to exactly that specific content. Here’s that flow:

In the app, users can employ additional functionality, such as filling out forms to subscribe or making a product purchase. Ads are set up by the publisher via a Branch dashboard, which offers a few targeting options, including location or whether that user has already installed the app.