Marketers rely on messaging channels like SMS, WhatsApp, and social DMs. These platforms are fast, personal, and effective but they also come with limits. Every character counts. Tracking is harder. 

And trust can break with a single suspicious link.

That’s why shortened links are so widely used. They help you stay within character limits, clean up long links, and track clicks. 

Short urls can do more than just save space. When branded and customized, they improve click-through rates, build trust, and simplify attribution. But when used poorly, they can confuse users, break journeys, or lose valuable campaign data.

Here’s why they matter:

• They save space. Platforms like SMS and WhatsApp have character limits. Short links help you keep messages concise and clear.
• They build trust. Branded short links are more recognizable and reliable. Users are more likely to click on a link that includes your name than a generic one.
• They allow tracking. Adding UTM parameters to shortened URLs helps you track where clicks are coming from – by channel, campaign, or even sender.
• They support attribution. Marketers can use short links to understand which platform or message is actually driving results – SMS, WhatsApp, email, or something else.
• They simplify reporting. Most shorteners offer dashboards or export tools. You can monitor link clicks, compare performance, and identify what’s working across campaigns.

This guide covers the right way to use URL shorteners in message marketing. You’ll find practical tips, common mistakes to avoid, and real challenges that marketers deal with every day.

10 Best Practices for Short URLs in Message Marketing

Short links are everywhere – campaign messages, follow-up reminders, newsletters, influencer promos. But not all short links are created equal.

The way you structure, brand, and manage your links affects how people respond to them and how well you can measure those responses.

Here are 10 practical ways to use short links more effectively in your message marketing.

1. Use a Branded Domain

Generic links (like bit.ly/abc123) do the job, but they don’t carry your brand. A branded domain does.

For example:

• Generic: bit.ly/3xYz81
• Branded: go.acmecorp.com/demo 

Why this matters:

• It earns trust – Users are more likely to click a link that looks like it came from your company.
• It’s easier to remember – Especially in voice, print, or on-screen messages where users might need to type it out later.

It reinforces your brand – Every link becomes a brand touchpoint without adding extra words.

Many marketers skip this step, especially when trying out new URL shortner tools. But in tools like SMS Magic, branded domains can be managed natively within the CRM making it easier to roll this out across teams.

A branded domain isn’t just cleaner. It helps your message look professional and perform better.

2. Customize the Slug (URL Path)

The slug is the part of the URL that comes after the slash. It’s where you can add meaning, clarity, and tracking value – all in just a few characters.

Example:

• Default: go.acmecorp.com/4fT82h
• Customized: go.acmecorp.com/summer-offer 

Why it’s worth customizing:

• It improves readability – People can glance at the link and know what it’s about.
• It boosts credibility – A clear, intentional slug feels more trustworthy than a random string.
• It helps with campaign organization – You can instantly recognize which campaign a link belongs to when reviewing reports.

Marketers often skip this step when in a rush but taking 10 seconds to edit the slug can save time during reporting and improve the user experience.

Try to include:

• Product names (/productX)
• Campaign themes (/new-launch)
• Time-sensitive terms (/april2025)

Avoid:

• Random characters
• Overlong phrases
• Anything that could look spammy or broken

A custom slug turns a generic short url into a mini campaign message.

3. Use Short Links Across Different Channels Strategically

Short links work across channels but that doesn’t mean one link fits all.

When you share the same shortened URL everywhere, you lose visibility into where traffic is coming from. Instead, create channel-specific links for SMS, WhatsApp, email, social media, and print.

Example:

• go.acmecorp.com/webinar-sms
• go.acmecorp.com/webinar-email
• go.acmecorp.com/webinar-insta 

Why this matters:

• Cleaner reporting – You’ll know which channel actually drove the clicks.
• Smarter optimization –  If one link underperforms, you know where to improve messaging or timing.
• Better attribution – Great for campaign reviews and team handoffs when multiple people are involved.

This approach is especially useful in messaging workflows where you might follow up across multiple touchpoints. Even if the landing page is the same, the link can tell you how the visitor got there.

Treat your short url like a campaign variable, adjust it per channel to get better insight.

4. Add UTM Parameters for Better Attribution

Short links make messages cleaner but without UTM parameters, you can’t always tell where your traffic came from. That’s a problem when you’re running multi-channel campaigns or reporting results to a wider team.

UTM parameters let you tag each link with context – source, medium, campaign, and more.

Example – go.acmecorp.com/demo?utm_source=sms&utm_medium=outreach&utm_campaign=april_offer 

When paired with your analytics tool (like Google Analytics or CRM dashboards), UTMs help you:

• See where visitors are coming from (e.g., SMS vs. WhatsApp)
• Track campaign-level performance
• Understand message-level engagement within larger workflows

If you skip this, traffic from messaging channels may show up as “Direct” in reports which makes it harder to prove what’s working.

Tips:

• Use consistent naming conventions for easy filtering.
• Avoid using UTMs in public-facing or offline links if aesthetics matter. Hide them behind a short url instead.
• Use link builders or built-in UTM generators to reduce manual errors.

Without UTMs, you’re flying blind. With them, your reports tell a real story.

5. Avoid Shortening Already Shortened URLs

It might seem harmless to take a short url and run it through another shortener especially if you’re reusing content or switching tools. But this creates problems.

Double-shortening a URL often leads to:

• Slower redirects – Each extra layer adds a step before the final page loads.
• Broken links – If either shortening service has an issue, your link may fail.
• Loss of tracking – The original analytics may not carry through, or the second tool may overwrite them.

This usually happens when a marketing team copies a link from one platform (e.g., a Bitly link from a content doc) and pastes it into another system that automatically shortens it again.

Instead:

• Always shorten the original, full URL.
• Use a single tool across your messaging workflows to avoid accidental overlaps.
• If possible, check previews before sending live campaigns especially on SMS and WhatsApp where redirects can behave differently.

A clean, single-level redirect is faster, safer, and easier to trust.

6. Capitalize Key Terms in the Slug

Short links should be easy to read not just for users, but also for your own team when reviewing reports or sharing URLs in meetings.

Using capital letters at the start of words in the slug helps separate terms and improve readability.

Example:

• Harder to read: go.acmecorp.com/summersaleoffer
• Easier to read: go.acmecorp.com/SummerSaleOffer 

Why this matters:

• Improved clarity –  Capitalized slugs act like headlines. They make links easier to scan and understand at a glance.
• Fewer mistakes – Users are more likely to type the link correctly when it’s visually clear.
• More professional feel – Clean formatting signals intentionality, especially in customer-facing messages.

For tools that support case sensitivity (which most do), capital letters don’t affect functionality. But they do improve how a link looks and feels.

A short link is part of your message; make it as clear as the rest of your copy.

7. Track Performance and Validate It

Most URL shorteners offer basic click tracking. That’s helpful, but not always accurate.

Not every click is from a real person. Bots, spam filters, or link previews (like those generated by apps) can inflate your numbers. If you rely only on the shortener’s dashboard, you might misread campaign performance.

What to do instead:

• Cross-check clicks with website sessions in tools like Google Analytics or your CRM.
• Filter out suspicious spikes – A sudden jump in link clicks with no matching traffic or conversions is usually bot activity.
• Compare across channels – If your email link shows 500 clicks but your landing page has 50 visits, there’s a disconnect worth investigating.

When you’re presenting results or making campaign decisions, accuracy matters more than vanity metrics.

Use your link shortener to collect signals, not conclusions. Always double-check what the data is actually telling you.

8. Create Time-Sensitive or Expiring Links

Not every link should live forever. 

Campaigns end. Offers expire. Events pass. 

But if old links continue to circulate, they can confuse users or send them to outdated pages.

With time-sensitive or expiring links, you control what happens after the campaign is over.

How this helps:

• Improves user experience – You can redirect users to a waitlist, thank-you page, or updated offer once the original promotion ends.
• Prevents confusion –  Avoids people landing on outdated pages with expired discounts or event details.
• Reduces cleanup – No need to manually chase down old posts or resend links to fix things.

SMS Magic allows you to schedule redirects or deactivate links after a certain date or click limit. Common use-cases include webinar registrations, flash sales, and time-bound surveys or forms.

A short link should match your campaign’s lifecycle, not outlive it.

9. Assign Different Links for Each Traffic Source or Partner

Even when you’re promoting the same landing page, it helps to use different short links for each traffic source – SMS, WhatsApp, email, social, or influencer partners.

Example:

• go.acmecorp.com/SummerSMS
• go.acmecorp.com/SummerInsta
• go.acmecorp.com/SummerAlice  (for influencer Alice)

Why this matters:

• Clear attribution – You’ll know exactly where each click is coming from.
• Channel comparison – Helps you see which platform or partner is driving results.
• Faster decisions – If one link underperforms, you can adjust messaging or spend without waiting on full reports.

This is especially powerful in multi-touch workflows, where customers engage across several touchpoints before converting.

Different links for the same page = sharper insight, smarter campaigns.

Even better, when you tie each link to a UTM-tagged URL, your CRM and analytics tools can map full journeys more accurately.

10. Monitor Link Health and Delivery

A broken link in a message doesn’t just stop a click, it interrupts the user journey and chips away at trust. Unfortunately, these issues often go unnoticed until someone reports them.

Regularly checking the health of your short urls helps avoid surprises.

What to monitor:

• Redirect status – Make sure your short links are pointing to live, active pages.
• Mobile experience – Test how the link opens on different devices or apps, especially for SMS and WhatsApp.
• Blocked domains – Some spam filters or networks may block overly generic or overused shorteners.
• Expired content – If a campaign has ended or a form is closed, update the link or set a redirect.

SMS Magic offers link performance visibility alongside messaging analytics, so you can catch issues without leaving your workflow.

Every link you send is a moment of trust. Make sure it works when your user clicks.

Common Challenges Marketers Face with Using Shortlinks

Short links are powerful but using them at scale comes with challenges that many teams aren’t prepared for. These issues often surface during campaign execution, reporting, or collaboration across departments.

Here are the most common ones we see:

1. Fragmented Tracking Across Channels

Marketers often use the same short link across SMS, email, and social. That makes it hard to tell which channel drove results. Without separate links or clear UTM parameters, attribution becomes guesswork.

2. No Central View of All Links

Short links get created across tools, spreadsheets, and teams. After a few weeks, no one knows which link points where or who made it. This leads to broken links, duplicate campaigns, and wasted effort.

3. Inconsistent Naming and Tagging

Slug names and UTM parameters often vary from person to person. One link might say utm_campaign=Webinar, while another says utm_campaign=webinar2024. This inconsistency makes reporting harder and insights less reliable.

4. Compliance Blind Spots

In regulated industries, links need to follow opt-in rules and consent policies. But when short links are created outside the messaging platform or by third-party tools compliance checks can fall through the cracks.

5. Outdated or Unmonitored Links

Campaigns end, landing pages change, but links often stay live. Users might click a link weeks later and land on a dead page, hurting brand experience and trust.

6. Overdependence on Manual Workflows

Without automation or built-in URL management, marketers often resort to copy-pasting from spreadsheets, guessing UTMs, or duplicating links manually across tools.

Many of these challenges can be solved with a CRM native short link system  embedded inside your CRM or messaging platform. When link creation, tracking, and compliance are part of your existing workflow, you reduce errors and save time.

Branded vs. Free Shorteners: What Should You Know

Not all URL shorteners work the same way. While free tools can help in a pinch, they often fall short when it comes to brand control, compliance, and data visibility.

Here’s how the most common types compare:

Why branded shorteners matter:

• Trust and clarity – A link with your domain is more likely to be clicked and remembered.
• Control – You decide how the link looks, where it goes, and what happens after it’s clicked.
• Data ownership – Native tools (like SMS Magic’s shortener) tie link clicks to CRM data, opt-in status, and campaign performance without jumping across tools.

When to use free tools:

• For internal testing, team previews, or low-stakes content
• When you don’t need tracking or attribution
• If your brand isn’t a concern in that context

For message marketing that involves compliance, personalization, and reporting, branded shorteners are the safer and smarter choice.

How SMS Magic Supports Smarter Short Links

Once you use SMS Magic for messaging, you don’t need a separate URL shortening tool. The platform includes a native short link generator that’s tightly integrated with your CRM and messaging workflows.

Here’s what that unlocks:

1. Branded Short Links, Built-In

You can configure and manage branded domains directly inside SMS Magic. Every team member uses the same domain, helping maintain trust and consistency across all outbound links.

2. Custom Slugs with Campaign Context

Slug customization is part of the message composer – no need to bounce between tools. You can label links by campaign, product, or source, keeping everything traceable and meaningful.

3. Auto-Attached UTM Parameters

You can set UTM templates that get applied automatically based on the channel or campaign. That means less manual tagging and cleaner analytics.

4. Click Tracking, Tied to CRM Records

Because SMS Magic sits inside Salesforce, every link click can be tied back to specific leads, contacts, or campaign members. You’re not just tracking traffic, you’re tracking engagement with people in your pipeline.

5. Link Expiry and Redirects

You can set time-bound links that expire after a date or redirect to different destinations after the campaign ends ideal for limited offers or event-based outreach.

Key Takeaways

Shortened URLs are more than just space-savers. They’re tools for tracking, branding, and delivering better user experiences especially in message marketing where every character counts.

But getting the most out of short links takes more than just using the right tool. It’s about how you name them, where you use them, what data you attach, and how you maintain them over time.

Small improvements like using branded domains, adding UTMs, or organizing links by channel can lead to sharper reporting, higher click-throughs, and smoother operations.

Whether you’re running SMS campaigns, sharing links through WhatsApp, or printing them on event banners, the link itself is part of the message.

Book a demo to see how short links work inside SMS Magic and how they can improve campaign clarity, tracking, and trust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same short link across multiple campaigns?

You can, but it’s not ideal. Using different short links for each campaign or channel helps you track performance more accurately. It also makes reporting and troubleshooting easier.

Do short links affect SEO?

Shortened links don’t harm SEO as long as they use proper 301 redirects. However, for search ranking purposes, the original page URL matters more than the short link itself. Use short links for sharing, not indexing.

How do I know if a short link is safe to click?

Branded domains are more trustworthy than generic ones. If you’re managing links internally, always test before launch. If you’re receiving a link, check the domain and hover to preview (on desktop) before clicking.

Can I update the destination of a short link after sharing it?

It depends on the platform. SMS Magic and other advanced tools let you redirect or expire a short link after publishing. Free tools like TinyURL or Bitly often don’t offer that unless you’re on a paid plan.

Should I shorten links even for email or social posts?

Yes, especially if you want cleaner formatting, better tracking, or branded presentation. But be sure to use UTM parameters and customize the slug for context. For purely visual platforms (like Instagram), a clear branded link stands out more than a long URL.