Sending links in SMS
Give good directions. Including links in SMS messages helps your recipients to go straight to the information you want to share. Here’s how to make the most out of sending links:
Start with a brief, clear message about what the link is for. For example: “Check your delivery status here: [link]”
Use shortened links to save space. The in-built link builder can help make link shortening easy.
Links work well at the end or in the middle of your message to make the text easier to read and take action on.
To keep customers safe, links do have to be vetted by our team. It’s an easy to follow process. However there can be a small sending delay while your links are being checked for safety.
How to shorten links
The link shortener is available in SMS Campaign and Quick SMS.
Create a new SMS Campaign or Quick SMS in the Dashboard.
Fill out details and enter your message in the message field.
Click on Add Short URL and add the full URL you want to shorten.
Once you add your long URL, we’ll automatically generate a placeholder in the message as
smsg.io/xxxxx. When you send the campaign, this placeholder will be replaced with a unique short URL for each recipient.Send the campaign.
Link analytics
With the short URL tool, you can see who’s interacting with your message, which links perform best, and more. Once recipients click, you’ll be able to track:
Which contacts clicked the link.
How many times each contact clicked.
The exact times they clicked.
Their location (country and city).
Device type (e.g., desktop, Android, iPhone).
Browser type (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox).\
To see this information, go to Links Opened under SMS Campaigns in your Dashboard.
How to receive inbound SMS to your URL
You can forward inbound SMS messages directly to your URL by setting up a rule in your Dashboard.
Go to your Inbound SMS Settings.
Click Add Rule.
Set the Action to URL.
Enter the destination URL you want to receive the messages.
ClickSend will send the data using x-www-form-urlencoded format (not JSON).
How to test this rule
When setting this up for the first time, we recommend using a test endpoint to inspect the payload and verify your setup. You can use a service like PostBin to see how ClickSend sends the data.
PostBin is an example tool. ClickSend does not officially endorse or support any third-party testing services.