Link checklist before launch

Ordered so the checks that cost money if skipped come first.

6 August 2026 by PAD team

Store links

• The store URL works when tapped from inside Instagram on a real iPhone
• The same from inside Facebook, which fails more often
• Android visitors reach Play, not a page they cannot install from
• Desktop visitors reach your website, not a store page

Attribution

• ct and pt present on the final App Store URL, not an earlier hop
• referrer correctly encoded on the Play URL
• Campaign names consistent between platforms and your web analytics
• Confirmed in App Store Connect a day after the first real traffic

Deep links

• apple-app-site-association served with no redirect and no extension
• assetlinks.json listing the fingerprint Play actually signs with
• Cold start handled, not just warm start
• A fallback for every deep link, since the app may be missing

Presence

• One link in the bio rather than two store buttons
• The same link in stories, DMs and the newsletter
• A QR code for anything printed, pointing at the same address

The one people skip

Measuring whether taps arrive. Every platform reports clicks; none reports whether the store opened. Until you have that number, a launch that underperforms is indistinguishable from a launch losing a fifth of its traffic to a blank page.