Optimizing Link conversion

This guide contains tips for optimizing your existing Link implementation to help increase conversion and improve your users’ experiences with Link. If you are new to Link or don’t yet have a working Link integration, see Link overview for instructions on getting started with Link.

To evaluate the impact of changes to your integration, it's a good idea to implement conversion tracking before attempting to optimize conversion. You can see or download your conversion metrics from the Plaid Dashboard by navigating to Link > Analytics. If you'd like to track your own conversion analytics for API-based export into a third-party analytics tool or for more customized analysis, see Tracking Link conversion.

Many different steps can be taken to maximize Link conversion, and the exact impact of these steps will vary for each customer and use case. The recommendations below are provided in general priority order.

In general, calling /link/token/create with a minimal set of products will both increase conversion and reduce your costs. For more details, see Choosing how to initialize products.

While supporting mobile app-to-app impacts only a small number of banks (currently only Chase), the impact on conversion for eligible users is very large, as app-to-app flows can allow users to authenticate with biometrics instead of a username and password. For iOS, supporting app-to-app requires creating an apple-app-site-association file to support universal links. On Android, supporting app-to-app requires registering your Android package name. For more details, see the OAuth Guide.

All Plaid SDKs offer a method to pre-initialize Link before opening it -- for example, by calling the create() method on web, React Native, or iOS, or creating a PlaidHandler on Android. It is recommended to call this method as soon as you load the view or screen from which the end user can open Link. Pre-initializing Link as soon as possible, before the open() method is called, results in lower latency for your end-user in loading the Link UI, leading to increased conversion.

Support for pre-initialization was added in March 2024. You must be using an up-to-date version of Plaid Link SDKs to benefit from the performance enhancements of this approach.

Link conversion is highest when users have the right expectations set going into Link. Your app should explain why you use Plaid, the benefits for the user of connecting their account, and that the user's information will be secure. It should also set the user's expectations around what information they will need to provide during the Link flow. Plaid should be configured as the default experience. For more details, including visual examples, see Pre-Link messaging for optimizing conversion.

Plaid makes continual updates to Plaid Link to improve conversion. If you are using Link on web, you will automatically be on the latest version; if you are using one of Plaid's SDKs for iOS, Android, or React Native, we recommend you update regularly (ideally once at month, and at least once per quarter) to ensure you have access to the latest Link conversion improvements.

While the vast majority of users can use Plaid's default Auth flows, some users, especially those at smaller banks and credit unions, have accounts that do not support those flows. Implementing micro-deposit-based Auth flows will increase conversion by allowing these users to link their accounts. For more details, see Auth coverage.

If you are building pay by bank flows, implementing the Embedded Institution Search UI for Link can increase the percentage of customers who choose to pay by bank rather than via a different means of payment.

Link Recovery (beta) allows you to recapture end users who abandoned Link due to temporary institution outages and notify them when the issue is resolved. To learn more and request access to the beta, see Link Recovery.

For apps with multi-language experiences, custom profiles improve conversion by allowing you to display Link in your user's preferred language. Calling /link/token/create with the country parameter set to your user's specific country, rather than all countries your app supports, will allow Link to show a more accurately targeted list of institutions. For Auth customers, calling /link/token/create with country set to just US is also required to enable the conversion-maximizing Instant Match and micro-deposit based Auth flows.

Plaid allows you to customize certain aspects of the Link UI. Customizing these in a way that matches your app -- for example, uploading your organization's logo to be used on the Link consent pane or matching your brand colors can increase conversion. For more details, see Customizing Link.

If you already know the institution your user plans to connect before the Link flow is launched, you can highlight this institution in the Institution Select UI by specifying the routing number during the /link/token/create call. For more details, see Institution Select shortcut.