Use this glossary to learn about terms commonly used in Branch. To submit a term to be added, submit feedback at the bottom of the article.
Terms are listed alphabetically.
#–A
3p Link: Third-party link. A Branch link formatted to meet the specific requirements of external platforms like ad networks or SMS providers.
Ad Stacking: A fraud technique where multiple ads are layered in one placement, with only the top ad visible. Advertisers are charged for all ads in the stack despite users seeing only one.
Ads: Branch's advertising product that enables deep linking in ads and provides last-touch attribution across all ad networks and platforms. Learn more: Ads Overview.
Android App Links: Android's deep linking technology that opens apps directly without showing the app selection dialog. If the app isn't installed, users are redirected to a web browser. Learn more: Android App Links.
API: Application Programming Interface. A set of protocols that allows different software systems to communicate with each other. SDKs typically include APIs but also provide additional tools and documentation to make integration easier.
App Indexing: Google's legacy system that creates a 1:1 mapping between website URLs and app content. No longer recommended by Google.
App Link: Branch's default link domain provided to all customers. App links direct users to apps or specific app content and require an active website to function properly.
App-to-App: Using Branch Links within one app to route users to content in a different app.
ARPU: Average Revenue Per User. Total revenue divided by number of users over a time period (typically monthly or annually), used to assess app profitability.
Attribution: The practice of identifying which marketing campaigns drive specific user actions, allowing marketers to measure campaign effectiveness and ROI. Attribution can track web-only, app-only, or cross-platform user behavior.
Attribution Window: The time period during which a conversion (like an app install) can be credited to a marketing touchpoint (like a link click). For example, a 7-day attribution window means installs within 7 days of a click are attributed to that click. Learn more: Attribution Windows.
B–C
Biased Attribution: Attribution data from platforms that have a financial interest in claiming credit for conversions (like ad networks reporting on their own ad performance). Third-party attribution providers offer more objective measurement.
Branch CTA View (View): Counted when a Branch banner or Deepview loads and displays in a user's browser.
Branch Dashboard: The web interface where users manage their Branch account, view analytics, create links and banners, configure integrations, manage team members, and export data.
Browser Cookie: A small data file stored by web browsers to track user identity and behavior. Cookies are isolated to each browser and cannot be accessed by other browsers or apps, limiting their use for cross-platform attribution.
Chrome Intents: A deep linking method for Android Chrome browsers that uses special HTML code embedded in web pages to open apps directly.
Click: Counted each time a user clicks a Branch link.
Click Flooding: Fraud where bots generate massive numbers of clicks across many device IDs, aiming to claim credit for organic installs by being the last recorded click before installation.
Click Hijacking: Fraud where malware embedded in legitimate apps detects real ad clicks and immediately generates fake clicks, stealing credit for the conversion.
Click Injection: Similar to click hijacking. Malicious apps detect when users download legitimate apps and report fake clicks to claim credit for those installs.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of ad impressions or views that result in clicks, calculated as clicks divided by impressions.
Click-to-Install (CTI): The percentage of link clicks that result in app installs, calculated as installs divided by clicks.
Click-to-Open (CTO): The percentage of link clicks that result in app opens, calculated as opens divided by clicks.
Conversion Rate: The percentage of users who complete a desired action, calculated as conversions divided by total users or sessions.
Cookie Stuffing: Illegal practice where third-party cookies from unrelated websites are placed in users' browsers without their knowledge to falsely claim affiliate commissions.
CPA: Cost Per Action. Total campaign cost divided by the number of user actions (like purchases or signups), measuring the cost of acquiring each conversion.
CPC: Cost Per Click. Total ad cost divided by total clicks, measuring what advertisers pay for each click on their ads.
CPI: Cost Per Install. Total ad spend divided by number of app installs, measuring how much it costs to acquire each new app user.
D–F
Data Feeds: Branch features that enable advanced data export capabilities.
Deep Linking: Links that direct users to specific content within a mobile app rather than just opening the app's home screen. When users click a deep link and have the app installed, they're taken directly to the relevant content shown in the link.
Deferred Deep Link: A deep link that works even when users don't have the app installed. After clicking the link, users are taken to download the app, then automatically directed to the intended content on first launch.
Device ID: A unique identifier provided by iOS and Android that lets app developers track individual devices. Device IDs are only accessible within apps, not from web browsers.
Device ID Reset Fraud: Fraud exploiting Apple's IDFA reset feature to repeatedly install, use, and uninstall apps, generating multiple install events from a single device.
Dormant User: Users who were previously active but haven't engaged with your app or website for an extended period.
Dynamic Long Link: A Branch link that includes multiple query parameters to pass data directly in the URL. For example, "https://espn.app.link?example=one&~campaign=test" sends key-value pairs into the app without requiring dashboard configuration.
Email: Branch's email product that tracks Branch link usage in marketing emails and sends click data back to email service providers for reporting. Learn more: Email Overview.
Emulated Devices: Mobile operating systems running on non-mobile hardware, useful for app testing but also exploitable for fraud through scripted interactions.
Event Ontology (EO): Branch's standardized event taxonomy for consistent analytics tracking across platforms.
Event Tracking: Using Branch SDKs to track custom user actions (like purchases or signups) and connect them to marketing campaigns through Branch's attribution engine.
Facebook App Links: Facebook's deep linking standard that uses special HTML meta tags on web pages to open apps through URI schemes when links are clicked within Facebook.
Fragmentation: The challenge of deep linking across platforms, where each major platform (iOS, Android, Facebook, etc.) has different standards and requirements.
G–L
Hosted Deep Links: Deep links managed through a platform that handles all the different deep linking standards and technologies across platforms.
Impression: Counted when a paid advertisement displays on a user's screen, tracked through Branch's Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) API or Branch Links.
In-App Sharing: Using Branch SDKs to let users share deep links from within your app or website to drive conversions.
Install: Measured the first time a user opens an app after downloading it to a device.
K-Factor: A measure of app virality showing how many new users each existing user brings in through sharing, calculated as: (install→activation rate) × (activation→share rate) × (share→new install rate).
KPI: Key Performance Indicator. Metrics used to measure progress toward business objectives, typically focused on cost reduction, revenue growth, customer satisfaction, or process improvement.
Last-Touch Attribution: An attribution model that gives 100% credit to the most recent marketing touchpoint before a conversion.
LTV: Lifetime Value. The total revenue a user is expected to generate over their entire relationship with your app or business.
M–Q
Matching Accuracy: The confidence level (expressed as a percentage) that an attribution provider has in correctly linking user behavior across web and mobile app platforms.
Mobile Ad Fraud: Any fraudulent activity designed to steal advertising budgets, typically by falsely claiming credit for conversions that would have happened organically.
Mobile Banners and Interstitials: Web-based call-to-action messages encouraging users to open or install an app. Banners occupy a small portion of the screen, while interstitials cover most or all of it. Smart banners automatically display "Open" or "Install" based on app installation status.
Monthly Active Users (MAU): The number of unique users who engaged with an app at least once during a calendar month, measured at the device level.
Multi-Touch Attribution: An attribution model that distributes credit across all marketing touchpoints that contributed to a conversion.
Open: Counted each time a user opens an app after the initial install.
Pageview: Measured each time a webpage loads with the Branch Web SDK initialized.
People-Based Attribution: Attribution that tracks individual users across devices and platforms, preventing the same person from being counted multiple times when they switch between mobile and web.
Phone Farm: Operations using multiple physical devices simultaneously to artificially generate app activity or engagement at scale.
Query Parameter: Data appended to the end of a URL after a question mark to pass information about the link source. For example, in "https://www.espn.com/?utm_medium=email", the query parameter "utm_medium=email" indicates the link came from an email campaign.
R–Z
Reinstall: Measured when a user downloads and opens an app they previously uninstalled.
Retargeting: Showing targeted ads to users based on their previous interactions with your app or website, enabled by people-based attribution that identifies users across sessions.
Retention Rate: The percentage of users who continue using an app after installation, calculated by dividing active users by total installs over a time period.
SDK: Software Development Kit. A package of tools and code that developers integrate into their apps to add specific functionality. Branch provides SDKs for iOS, Android, web, and other platforms to enable deep linking and attribution.
Short Link: A Branch link with a custom alias added to the end of the domain for easy sharing and recognition. For example, in "https://espn.app.link/sms", "sms" is the alias.
Unique: Events deduplicated at the user level. For example, if the same user clicks a link twice, it counts as one unique click.
Universal Links: Apple's iOS deep linking technology that opens apps seamlessly without showing a permission dialog. If the app isn't installed, users are redirected to a web browser. This technology works primarily in Apple platforms like Safari and iMessage. Learn more: Apple Universal Links.
Universal Resource Identifier (URI): A unique address that apps register with the operating system to handle specific link formats (like http:// or custom schemes). When a user clicks a link with a registered URI, the OS opens the associated app. If no app is registered for that URI, the OS displays an error message.
User Agent: Information sent by browsers identifying the device type and operating system, used by servers to optimize content delivery and by attribution systems for device matching.
View-Through Attribution: Attribution that credits conversions to ad impressions even when users didn't click the ad, measuring the impact of simply seeing an advertisement.
Web Session Start: Measured when a webpage with the Branch Web SDK opens in a new tab or when a user arrives via a Branch link.
Web-to-App: Branch products that drive traffic from websites into mobile apps. Learn more: Web to App.