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, Quick SMS, and via the API. It is never available for MMS. Click tracking is available for SMS Campaigns (via the Dashboard) and Quick SMS (via the API) — click tracking is not available for MMS.

Shortening links via the API

To enable URL shortening when sending SMS via the API, include the shorten_urls parameter in your JSON payload. This automatically detects and shortens one valid URL per message. Here’s how:

JSON Payload Example

{
  "shorten_urls": true,
  "messages": [
    {
      "to": "+1234567890",
      "from": "+1098765432",
      "body": "Check this out: https://www.example.com"
    }
  ]
}

Key Notes:

Place shorten_urls: true at the root level or inside individual message objects.
Ensure the URL is valid, publicly accessible, and under 2048 characters.
Only one URL per message will be shortened.
The shortened URL will appear in the format smsu.io/xxxxx.

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.us/xxxxx. When you send the campaign, this placeholder will be replaced with a unique short URL for each recipient.
Send the campaign.

Maximum URL length: The length of the URL you can shorten depends on where you send from. Quick SMS, in the Dashboard and through the sms/send API endpoint, can shorten URLs up to 2048 characters. SMS Campaigns, in the Dashboard and through the sms-campaigns/send API endpoint, can shorten URLs up to 250 characters.

Common errors when shortening URLs in SMS campaign

If you are trying to send out a short link via SMS campaign and are getting an error with URL placeholder not specified in message body, this suggests that we cannot find the smsg.us placeholder in the body of your message. Please check the following:

The content of your message contains smsg.us/xxxxx
If you decided to remove the short link from your message, check that it has been unlinked.
Error: 'shorten_urls' flag cannot be applied: This occurs if no URL is detected in the message body. Ensure the parameter is correctly placed and the message contains a valid URL.

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).

Want to see how your campaign performed? Head to Links Opened under SMS Campaigns in your Dashboard. If you'd like to check the exact short link a recipient received, go to SMS > History. The Body column shows each person's unique link. Just keep in mind that unsubscribe links don't appear in the Links Opened report.

FAQ

Can I use the link shortener with automations or integrations?

No, the built-in link shortener isn't available for messages sent through automations or integrations. If you want to shorten links in those messages, you'll need to use your own URL shortener. Because you own that shortener, you're the one who tracks the clicks. You'll find the click data on the platform that provides your shortener, not in your ClickSend Dashboard.

Sending to the US or Canada with a TFN?

There are strict regulations when sending to the US or Canada, and the use of short URL domains are one of them. To improve deliverability, we recommend that you do not use common, public or shared domain shorteners such as tiny.url, bit.ly, t.co or goog.gl.

Sending and shortening URLs