The Bridgly Blog
One link for every app store.
Route iOS, Android, and web from a single URL — with QR codes and click analytics built in.
See how smart links work
One URL that decides the destination per visitor.
Fundamentals
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Referral program vs affiliate program: what's the difference?
Referral programs reward customers for telling friends; affiliate programs pay partners such as creators and publishers to promote you. Compare rewards, who joins, tracking, tax, and which one to launch first.
Article
Bitly vs Dub vs Bridgly: picking by job
Bitly shortens. Dub pays digital partners. Bridgly routes app installs and ties physical QR scans to attributed sales and commissions.
Article
Deferred deep linking, explained without the jargon
Deferred deep linking carries a destination across an app install, so a new user lands where they were headed instead of your home screen. Here is how the matching works, why it is never perfect, and when it is worth the setup.
QR codes
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QR codes on product packaging: ideas, design tips, and tracking
How to use QR codes on product packaging to drive reorders, reviews, app downloads, and loyalty signups, with design and placement tips, what to link to, and how to track packaging scans through to repeat sales.
Article
Dynamic vs static QR codes: which one should you use?
Static QR codes are permanent and cannot be tracked; dynamic QR codes can be edited after printing and show scan analytics. Compare cost, tracking, expiry, and reliability, and learn when each type is the right choice.
Article
QR code tracking: what you can measure and what you cannot
A QR code is just an encoded URL, so tracking scans means tracking that URL. Here is what a scan can and cannot tell you, how to tell print placements apart, and why static store links waste the whole exercise.
Growth
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How to start an affiliate program in 2026: a step-by-step guide
How to start an affiliate program from zero: pick a commission model, set cookie windows and hold periods, connect sales tracking, recruit your first 10 partners, and pay them without spreadsheets. A practical checklist for SaaS, apps, and ecommerce brands.
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Affiliate commission rates by industry: what to pay partners
What is a good affiliate commission rate? How to set affiliate and referral commission for SaaS, apps, ecommerce, and services, with a margin-based formula, recurring vs one-time payouts, and when to use flat vs percentage commission.
Article
Web to app: moving mobile web visitors into your app
Most mobile visitors land on your website, not your app. The handoff between the two is where installs are won or lost. Here is what works, what annoys people, and how to measure it honestly.
Attribution
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How to track sales from ChatGPT and AI assistants
AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude now recommend products and send buyers to stores. Here is how to see that traffic, attribute AI-driven sales, pay AI agents and their operators commission, and get recommended more often.
Article
How to track affiliate sales in Stripe (without custom code)
Stripe has no built-in affiliate tracking. Here is how to attribute Stripe Checkout and subscription payments to affiliates and referral partners using webhooks, how recurring commission and refunds work, and the mistakes that cause missing commissions.
Article
How affiliate tracking works: cookies, click IDs, and server-side tracking
How affiliate tracking actually works in 2026: tracked links, first-party cookies, click IDs, server-side conversion tracking with Stripe and Shopify webhooks, attribution windows, and why browser privacy changes broke pixel-based affiliate tracking.
Troubleshooting
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Affiliate fraud: 7 common types and how to prevent them
Affiliate fraud costs programs real money through fake clicks, self-referrals, coupon poaching, cookie stuffing, and refunded orders. Learn the warning signs of each type and the settings that stop affiliate fraud before you pay commission.
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Why links break inside Instagram, TikTok and other in-app browsers
A link that works fine in Safari can fail inside a social app's built-in browser. Here is what those environments do differently, which failures you can fix, and which you have to design around.
Article
Firebase Dynamic Links is gone: what to migrate to
Firebase Dynamic Links shut down on 25 August 2025 and existing links now return 404. Here is what actually replaced it, what you lose with each option, and how to migrate without breaking links already in the wild.
