![\"Tolinku](\"https:\/\/tolinku.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/screenshot-analytics-1772819420927.png\")
\nThe analytics dashboard with date range selector, filters, charts, and breakdowns.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Custom Events Matter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Default deep link analytics give you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Click count<\/li>\n
- Platform breakdown (iOS, Android, web)<\/li>\n
- Geographic distribution<\/li>\n
- Device type<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
These are useful but insufficient. They don't tell you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Did the user sign up after clicking?<\/li>\n
- Did they make a purchase?<\/li>\n
- What was the purchase value?<\/li>\n
- Did they complete the onboarding flow?<\/li>\n
- Did they return the next day?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Custom events bridge this gap by tracking specific actions that happen after the click, all attributed back to the original link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Event Taxonomy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before writing any tracking code, define your event taxonomy: the list of events you'll track, their names, and their properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Standard Event Categories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Acquisition events<\/strong> (user enters your product):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
registration_complete<\/code>: User created an account<\/li>\napp_install<\/code>: First app open after install<\/li>\nonboarding_complete<\/code>: User finished the onboarding flow<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nActivation events<\/strong> (user finds value):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
first_purchase<\/code>: User made their first purchase<\/li>\nfirst_content_created<\/code>: User created their first piece of content<\/li>\nfeature_activated<\/code>: User tried a specific feature for the first time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nEngagement events<\/strong> (user uses the product):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
content_viewed<\/code>: User viewed a specific piece of content<\/li>\nsearch_performed<\/code>: User searched for something<\/li>\nitem_added_to_cart<\/code>: User added an item to their cart<\/li>\nshare_initiated<\/code>: User shared content from the app<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nRevenue events<\/strong> (user generates revenue):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
purchase_complete<\/code>: Transaction completed<\/li>\nsubscription_started<\/code>: User began a subscription<\/li>\nin_app_purchase<\/code>: User bought a virtual good or upgrade<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nRetention events<\/strong> (user returns):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
session_start<\/code>: User opened the app (with session number)<\/li>\nstreak_continued<\/code>: User maintained a daily\/weekly streak<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nEvent Properties<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Every event should include properties that provide context:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
{\n "event": "purchase_complete",\n "properties": {\n "value": 29.99,\n "currency": "USD",\n "product_id": "premium_annual",\n "product_name": "Premium Annual Plan",\n "source_link_id": "summer-sale-2026",\n "campaign": "summer_promo",\n "channel": "email",\n "is_first_purchase": true\n }\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe
source_link_id<\/code> andcampaign<\/code> properties tie the event back to the deep link that brought the user in. This is how you attribute revenue to specific links and campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\nConnecting Events to Deep Links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Preserving Link Context<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When a user clicks a deep link and arrives in your app, the link's metadata (route ID, campaign parameters, UTM tags) needs to persist so that subsequent events can be attributed to that link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For existing users<\/strong> (app already installed):\nThe deep link handler receives the full URL with all parameters. Store the link context in the user's session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For new users<\/strong> (deferred deep linking):\nThe link context is preserved through the install process by your deep linking platform. On first app open, retrieve the deferred link data and store it in the user's session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attribution Window<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Decide how long after a click you'll attribute events to that link:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Session attribution<\/strong>: Only events within the same session as the click<\/li>\n
- 7-day window<\/strong>: Events within 7 days of the click<\/li>\n
- 30-day window<\/strong>: Events within 30 days of the click (common for purchases)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The right window depends on your product's typical conversion timeline. If users usually purchase within 2 days of clicking, a 7-day window captures most conversions without over-attributing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multi-Touch Attribution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Users often interact with multiple links before converting. A user might click a social media link, then an email link, then finally purchase. Which link gets credit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Common models:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Last-click<\/strong>: The last link clicked before conversion gets full credit (simplest, most common)<\/li>\n
- First-click<\/strong>: The first link gets full credit (values discovery)<\/li>\n
- Linear<\/strong>: Each link gets equal credit<\/li>\n
- Time-decay<\/strong>: More recent links get more credit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
For most apps, last-click attribution is a reasonable starting point. It's simple to implement and aligns with the most immediate driver of conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Implementation Approaches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
SDK-Based Tracking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If you use Tolinku's SDKs, the deep link context is automatically available when the app opens. You can pass this context along with custom events to your analytics<\/a> backend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
iOS (Swift)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\/\/ When handling a deep link\nfunc handleDeepLink(url: URL, parameters: [String: String]) {\n \/\/ Store link context for attribution\n AnalyticsManager.setAttributionSource(\n linkId: parameters["link_id"],\n campaign: parameters["campaign"],\n channel: parameters["channel"]\n )\n}\n\n\/\/ When tracking a custom event\nAnalyticsManager.track("purchase_complete", properties: [\n "value": 29.99,\n "product_id": "premium_annual",\n \/\/ Attribution context is automatically attached\n])\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAndroid (Kotlin)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\/\/ When handling a deep link\nfun handleDeepLink(uri: Uri, parameters: Map<String, String>) {\n AnalyticsManager.setAttributionSource(\n linkId = parameters["link_id"],\n campaign = parameters["campaign"],\n channel = parameters["channel"]\n )\n}\n\n\/\/ When tracking a custom event\nAnalyticsManager.track("purchase_complete", mapOf(\n "value" to 29.99,\n "product_id" to "premium_annual"\n))\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nServer-Side Tracking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
For events that happen on your server (subscription renewals, backend-triggered actions), send events via your analytics API:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
POST \/v1\/analytics\/events\n{\n "user_id": "user_123",\n "event": "subscription_renewed",\n "properties": {\n "plan": "premium",\n "value": 9.99,\n "period": "monthly"\n },\n "attribution": {\n "link_id": "onboarding-promo",\n "campaign": "new_user_trial",\n "original_click_at": "2026-04-10T14:30:00Z"\n }\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nServer-side tracking is more reliable than client-side because it's not affected by app crashes, SDK initialization timing, or network issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hybrid Approach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Most apps use both:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Client-side<\/strong> for user interaction events (screen views, button taps, content engagement)<\/li>\n
- Server-side<\/strong> for business-critical events (purchases, subscription changes, account actions)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The server-side events serve as the source of truth for revenue attribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UTM Parameters and Campaign Tracking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
- Server-side<\/strong> for business-critical events (purchases, subscription changes, account actions)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- First-click<\/strong>: The first link gets full credit (values discovery)<\/li>\n
- 7-day window<\/strong>: Events within 7 days of the click<\/li>\n