SMS Link Shortener Built for Marketing Teams

Why branded SMS links outperform generic shorteners

Most SMS marketing teams still use generic short-link tools — sometimes the one built into their sending platform, sometimes a free shortener their marketing team picked years ago. Both leave click-through rate, deliverability, and brand trust on the table.

Works with the SMS platform you already use

Linkly connects to the major SMS marketing platforms — pull branded short links into any message authoring tool, or generate them programmatically via REST API.

Don't see your platform? Linkly's REST API integrates with anything that sends SMS — see the URL shortener API.

// Shorten the URL before sending the SMS
const link = await fetch("https://app.linklyhq.com/api/v1/link", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": `Bearer ${process.env.LINKLY_API_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    url: `https://acme.com/campaign/${campaignId}?recipient=${recipientId}`,
    name: `bf-${recipientId}`,
    domain_id: ACME_BRANDED_DOMAIN_ID,
  }),
}).then(r => r.json());

// Send the SMS via your provider, using link.full_url
await twilio.messages.create({
  to: phoneNumber,
  from: ACME_FROM_NUMBER,
  body: `Black Friday is live! 30% off everything for 48hrs only. ${link.full_url}`,
});

For multi-language examples and the full API reference, see the URL Shortener API.

SMS link shortener — frequently asked questions

Why use a link shortener for SMS marketing?

SMS messages are capped at 160 characters per segment, and every link in a typical campaign eats 15–25 characters. A branded short link cuts the URL footprint and lifts CTR — recipients trust links from a brand they recognise. Generic shorteners like bit.ly are also increasingly flagged by US carriers for spam filtering, particularly on promotional sends.

What's a branded SMS link?

A short link on your own domain — for example, "acme.co/bf30" — instead of a generic shortener domain. Branded short links typically improve click-through rate over generic shorteners and reduce the risk of carrier filtering, especially for marketing sends to US numbers.

Does Linkly work with Klaviyo, Attentive, and Postscript?

Yes — any platform that lets you author the message body works with Linkly. Set up your branded domain once, generate the short link in Linkly (via dashboard or API), and paste it into your platform's message. Teams using Twilio, Bandwidth, Sinch, and other developer-platforms wire Linkly in via the REST API.

Can I shorten SMS links via API?

Yes. Linkly's REST API accepts up to 10,000 URLs per bulk-create request. Use the API to shorten URLs in real time as your SMS sending pipeline fires, or pre-create batches for scheduled sends. See the URL shortener API page for code examples.

Does the SMS link tracker work with two-factor and transactional messages?

Yes — Linkly's free plan and paid plans both support transactional sends. Links are permanent (no expiry, no deletion on plan downgrades), have a 99.9% uptime SLA on the redirect path, and respect HTTPS-only.

How much does an SMS link shortener cost?

Linkly's free plan handles up to 500 link clicks per month at no cost, including one custom domain. Growth and Enterprise plans scale with click volume — typical SMS marketing teams sending 50k–500k messages per month land on the Growth plan. High-volume senders (1M+ messages/month) get bespoke pricing.

Will branded short links actually lift my SMS click-through rate?

Studies in email and SMS marketing consistently report meaningful CTR uplift for branded short links versus generic shorteners. The mechanism is recognition: recipients click links they trust, and a recognisable brand domain converts trust into clicks. Specific lift varies by audience and creative — most Linkly customers see improvement within the first campaign.

Can I use one branded domain across SMS, email, social, and print?

Yes. A custom domain in Linkly works across every channel. Many marketers use the same short domain in SMS, email, social bios, QR codes on packaging, and even printed materials — one short-link inventory, one analytics dashboard.

What happens if I exceed my monthly click limit?

Links keep redirecting — Linkly does not break in-the-wild SMS links if you exceed plan limits. You're notified and prompted to upgrade. This matters most for transactional senders who can't afford a broken link in a password-reset or order-confirmation SMS.

Is Linkly GDPR-compliant for SMS marketing in Europe?

Yes. Linkly is GDPR-compliant by default. A Data Processing Addendum is available for all paid customers, and EU data residency is available on enterprise plans. The webhook payloads can be configured to exclude personally identifiable information for stricter compliance needs.