How to Set Up a Branded Download Page for Your App

What is a branded download page?

A branded download page is a web page dedicated to your app, with download buttons for both the App Store and Google Play. It lives at a clean URL like instally.io/workout-timer or instally.io/dungeon-dash.

When someone visits the page, they see your app icon, your app name, a short description, and prominent download buttons. The page detects their device and highlights the right button — iOS users see the App Store button first, Android users see the Google Play button first.

Every visit to this page is tracked. You know how many people visited, which links drove them there, and how many actually tapped a download button.

This is different from your App Store or Google Play listing. Those pages are controlled by Apple and Google — you can't customize the design, you can't track visitors reliably, and you can't control the URL. A branded download page gives you full control over the experience and full visibility into the data.

A branded download page is typically the endpoint for several traffic sources at once — bios, QR codes, press mentions. For the full picture of how per-link install tracking works across those sources, see the guide on tracking app installs with links.

Why not just link to the App Store directly?

Linking directly to a store URL works, but it has real problems.

Problem	Details
Two different URLs	Your App Store URL and Google Play URL are different. You need to choose one or share both
No device detection	An iOS user clicking a Google Play link hits a dead end. Vice versa
Desktop is broken	Desktop users clicking an App Store link get a web preview with no easy path to install. Google Play links show a web listing but no way to install on desktop
No visit tracking	You don't know how many people visited the store page from your link. App Store Connect shows impressions, but not from which external source
Ugly URLs	https://apps.apple.com/us/app/workout-timer-pro/id123456789 is not a URL you want in your Twitter bio
No branding	The store page looks like every other store page. You can't control the design or messaging

A branded download page solves all of these.

Feature	Direct store link	Branded download page
Works on iOS	Yes (App Store only)	Yes — detects device, shows right button
Works on Android	Yes (Google Play only)	Yes — detects device, shows right button
Works on desktop	Poorly	Yes — shows both buttons + QR code
Clean URL	No	Yes (instally.io/yourapp)
Visit tracking	No	Yes — every visit logged
Your branding	No — Apple/Google design	Yes — your icon, name, description
One URL for everything	No — need two	Yes

What the page looks like

The branded download page is minimal and focused. No distractions. Here's the layout:

• App icon — Your app icon, displayed prominently at the top
• App name — The name of your app in large text
• Short description — One or two sentences about what the app does
• Download buttons — App Store and Google Play buttons. The button for the visitor's detected platform is shown first and styled as the primary action
• QR code — Automatically generated. Desktop visitors can scan it with their phone to go directly to the tracking link
• Platform badge — Shows which platforms the app is available on

The page is fast, mobile-optimized, and works in every browser. There's no JavaScript required for the core functionality — the device detection happens server-side. See how device detection works for the technical details.

The link-in-bio use case

This is the most common use case for a branded download page.

Every social media platform gives you one link in your bio. If you're an app developer, that link should drive installs. But which URL do you use? Your App Store link? Your Google Play link? A Linktree page with both?

A branded download page is the answer. One URL that works for everyone:

• iOS users see the App Store button highlighted
• Android users see the Google Play button highlighted
• Desktop users see both buttons and a QR code

And every visit is tracked. You know exactly how many people visit your bio link, and how many of those visits turn into installs.

This works for every platform:

Platform	Where the link goes	What users see
Twitter/X	Bio link field	instally.io/yourapp
Instagram	Bio link field	instally.io/yourapp
TikTok	Bio link field	instally.io/yourapp
YouTube	Channel "Links" section	instally.io/yourapp
GitHub	Profile or README	instally.io/yourapp
Personal website	Download button	instally.io/yourapp
Email signature	"Download my app" link	instally.io/yourapp

One link. Every platform. Every device. Every visit tracked.

Tracking bio link performance

With a branded download page as your bio link, you see this data in your dashboard:

• Total page visits — how many people clicked your bio link
• Download button taps — how many visitors tapped a store button (broken down by iOS and Android)
• Install rate — percentage of visitors who actually installed
• Revenue — if you have revenue tracking connected, how much revenue your bio link visitors generate

This turns your bio link from a black box into a measured channel. If you change your bio text and page visits double, you'll see it. If you switch from TikTok to Instagram and installs drop, you'll see that too.

Setting up a branded download page in Instally

The setup takes about 5 minutes.

Step 1: Create your app in Instally

Log in to app.instally.io and add your app. You'll need:

Field	Example	Notes
App name	Workout Timer Pro	Displayed on the download page
App icon	Upload or auto-fetch	Pulled from the App Store / Google Play if available
App Store URL	https://apps.apple.com/app/id123456789	Optional if iOS-only or Android-only
Google Play URL	https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.example.timer	Optional if iOS-only or Android-only
Short description	"Customizable interval timers for any workout."	1-2 sentences, shown on the download page

Step 2: Choose your URL

Your branded download page URL is based on your app's subdomain:

instally.io/workout-timer

Choose something short, memorable, and related to your app name. This is the URL you'll share everywhere, so keep it clean.

Step 3: Preview and publish

Instally generates the page automatically from the information you provided. Preview it to make sure the icon, name, description, and buttons look right. The page is live as soon as you save.

Step 4: Share it

Put the URL in your social media bios, email signatures, website, and anywhere else you promote your app. Every visit is tracked from the moment the page goes live.

Creating campaign-specific tracking links

The branded download page is your permanent, always-on URL. But you'll also want campaign-specific tracking links for individual promotions.

The difference:

Type	URL example	Purpose	Lifespan
Branded download page	instally.io/workout-timer	Permanent link for bio, website, etc.	Forever
Tracking link	instally.io/l/yt-april	Campaign-specific link	Until campaign ends

Both types detect the user's device and redirect to the correct store. Both track clicks and installs. The difference is organizational: the branded page is your app's home, and tracking links are for individual campaigns.

When you create a tracking link, you can choose whether it redirects directly to the store or goes through your branded download page first. Direct redirect is faster (one fewer step). Going through the download page is better for desktop visitors and gives the user a preview of your app before they hit the store.

For more on how tracking links work, see how one-link detection works.

Branded download page vs Linktree

Some developers use Linktree or similar tools as their bio link. These are general-purpose link-in-bio tools that show a list of links — your app download, your website, your other social accounts, etc.

For app developers, a branded download page is better.

Feature	Branded download page	Linktree
Device detection	Yes — shows right store button	No — user chooses manually
Install tracking	Yes — tracks visits, installs, revenue	No — tracks clicks only
App-focused design	Yes — built for app downloads	No — generic link list
Branding	Your app icon, name, description	Generic list layout
QR code	Built-in	Not included (premium feature on some)
Revenue tracking	Yes — see revenue from bio link visitors	No
Price	Included with Instally (free tier available)	Free tier, paid for customization

If your primary goal is driving app installs — and as an app developer, it should be — a purpose-built download page outperforms a generic link list. Visitors see your app front and center, with one clear action: download.

If you need to share multiple links (app + blog + newsletter + etc.), you can still use Linktree for those, and make one of the links your branded download page. Or make the branded download page your primary bio link and link to your other pages from your website.

Optimizing your download page

The page is generated automatically, but the inputs you provide affect conversion.

App icon. Make sure your icon is high-resolution and recognizable. This is the first thing visitors see. Short description. One to two sentences that clearly explain what your app does. Focus on what the user gets, not features. "Track your workouts and hit your goals" is better than "Customizable interval timer with HIIT, Tabata, and circuit modes." App name. Use the same name as your store listing. Consistency builds trust. Subdomain. Keep it short and related to your app name. instally.io/workout-timer is better than instally.io/workout-timer-pro-fitness-app-2026.

Tracking visits from specific sources

You can append query parameters to your branded download page URL to track visits from specific sources without creating separate tracking links:

instally.io/workout-timer?ref=twitter
instally.io/workout-timer?ref=instagram
instally.io/workout-timer?ref=email-march

This gives you source-level data for your branded page visits. You'll see how many visits came from each ref value in your dashboard.

For higher-fidelity tracking — especially when you want to track installs and revenue per source, not just page visits — use dedicated tracking links instead. Tracking links match installs back to the specific link, while ref parameters only track page visits.

Method	Tracks page visits	Tracks installs	Tracks revenue
Branded page with ?ref=	Yes	No (aggregate only)	No (aggregate only)
Dedicated tracking link	Yes	Yes, per link	Yes, per link

For most bio-link use cases, the branded download page is sufficient. For campaigns, creator partnerships, and anything where you need per-link install and revenue data, use dedicated tracking links.

FAQ

Can I use a custom domain for my download page?

Custom domains are on the roadmap. For now, branded download pages use the instally.io domain. The URL is clean and professional either way.

Can I have multiple branded download pages for different apps?

Yes. Each app you register in Instally gets its own branded download page with its own subdomain. If you have three apps, you get three pages.

Does the download page work if my app is only on one platform?

Yes. If your app is iOS-only, the page shows only the App Store button. If it's Android-only, only the Google Play button appears. Desktop visitors see the available option plus a note about platform availability.

How fast does the download page load?

Fast. The page is server-rendered, lightweight, and doesn't rely on client-side JavaScript for core functionality. Typical load times are under 500ms. There are no third-party scripts, no analytics frameworks, and no cookie banners slowing things down.

Can I customize the design of the download page?

The current design is standardized — your app icon, name, description, and store buttons on a clean, minimal page. Custom styling (colors, layout, additional sections) is planned for a future update.

Is the download page SEO-indexed?

Yes. Branded download pages are indexable by search engines. If someone searches for your app name, your branded download page can appear in results. This is an additional discovery channel — your app has a web presence beyond the store listings.

Can I add screenshots or a video to the download page?

Not yet. The current version focuses on simplicity: icon, name, description, and download buttons. Media support (screenshots, preview video, feature list) is planned.