How to Use the SMS Link Shortener and Tracker

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The SMS Link Shortener turns a long URL into a short, trackable link that uses your Custom Marketing Domain. Each recipient gets a unique link that redirects to the destination you specify, and Act-On tracks clicks the same way it does for email. In a channel where every character counts, shortening is how you fit a link at all.

Who does this: Anyone composing an SMS that includes a link
Time needed: 1-2 minutes per link
Why this matters: Act-On cannot track click-throughs on unshortened URLs - the Link Shortener is the only way to get click reporting. It also keeps your character count predictable: Act-On inserts a placeholder at the maximum link length so the count in the composer reflects the highest possible message size.
In plain English: Click the link icon in the composer, paste your full URL, test it, leave tracking on, click Insert. Each recipient gets a unique short link.
Note: Click-throughs on URLs that were not shortened cannot be tracked. You MUST use the Link Shortener if you want click behavior in your reports.

How short is it?

The length depends on your Custom Marketing Domain and two randomly generated IDs:

  • A Recipient ID, between 4 and 8 characters.
  • A Random ID for the URL, 3 or 4 characters.

How the short link is composed

Including the other characters required for a complete URL, the short link will be a maximum of 24 characters plus your Custom Marketing Domain. When you insert a short link, Act-On reserves the maximum length in the character count so your SMS size always reflects the highest estimate.

Insert a short link

You insert the Link Shortener while creating an SMS Message.

  1. In the SMS Message Composer, click the link icon Link Shortener icon.
  2. Enter the full URL.
    • Accepted: https://www.act-on.com
    • Not accepted: act-on.com
  3. Click Test this link to open it in a new browser tab and confirm the URL.
  4. Leave Enable Link Tracking selected to track clicks. This is the default. Clear it only if you do not want tracking.
  5. Click Insert.

Inserting a shortened link in the composer

Be careful: When link tracking is on, use a unique link per SMS message. Reusing the same short link across multiple sends means tracking and reporting will not attribute correctly.

Once inserted, the composer shows a placeholder. At send time, Act-On swaps in a unique trackable link for each recipient.

  • Placeholder shown in the composer: https://success.act-on.com/l/JRp/XXXXXXXX
  • Recipient URL at send time: https://success.act-on.com/l/JRp/XgZd

Next steps

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