URL shortener

🔗 What is a Short URL?

A Short URL is a compact version of a regular link (e.g., http://example.com/page). MSG91’s Smart URL Shortener automatically converts long URLs in your SMS content into short ones — saving SMS credits and enabling powerful tracking features.

When the recipient clicks on the Short URL, they are redirected to the original long URL.

✅ Why Use It?

• Reduces SMS length → Saves credits

• Tracks link performance → Know who clicked and how many times

• DLT-compliant → Ensures redirection URLs meet TRAI’s CTA whitelisting guidelines

  
  To achieve it, just follow the below steps or watch this video-

⚙️ How to Enable Short URL

1. Login MSG91 panel -> Click on Short URL section

- In the  Settings section, you will get a toggle button where you can enable or disable the Short URL service.

✳️ How to Use Short URLs

1. Via API

Add the following parameter in your API request:

✅ Works with all versions of the MSG91 API.

Optional: Set Expiry for Short URLs

You can define how long a short URL remains active by adding this parameter:

• Example: short_url_expiry=86400 (valid for 24 hours)

• Maximum allowed: 31536000 seconds (1 year)
  

Option 2: Via Google Sheet Panel

• All valid URLs in your SMS content will auto-convert to short URLs once the feature is enabled.

📝 Manually Create a Short URL

In the URL section, you will get all the URLs with created date, expiry (if any), and their short IDs. You can edit the expiry time by using the edit/action button.

Also, a new URL can be created manually with Create New button. You just have to add your Long URL and its Expiry time and click Save.

⚠️ Limitations & Exceptions

• URLs must meet minimum length requirements:

  • With hostname: ≥ 12 characters

  • Without hostname: ≥ 7 characters

✅ Example:
http://test.mywire.org/welcome/
Hostname part: test.mywire.org
Path: /welcome/

• Not supported for these domains:

  • cutt.ly, t.ly, bit.ly, bl.ink, rb.gy, bit.do, is.gd, ow.ly

• Localhost URLs are not shortened

• Max long URL length: 3000 characters

Want to know who clicked your short URLs and when? MSG91 gives you full visibility with detailed click tracking reports. Follow these simple steps to view and export your short URL performance data.

🔍 Step-by-Step Guide

1️⃣ Access the Short URL Report

• Login to your MSG91 Dashboard

• Navigate to:
  Reports → Short URL

2️⃣ View Campaign Click Logs

In the Logs section, you'll see:

• Campaign name

• Date of SMS

• Recipient’s mobile number

• Short URL ID & original long URL

• Number of clicks

👉 Tip: Use the date selector to filter reports by your desired time span.

📥 To download the data, just click the Export button.

3️⃣ Get Detailed Click Insights

Click on any value under the Clicks column to see:

• IP address of the recipient

• Date & time of the click

• Country, Browser, and Operating System

This helps you track user engagement across devices and geographies.

4️⃣ Use Filters to Refine Your Search

Filter the report by:

• Short URL ID

• Original URL

• Mobile number

• Number of clicks

This makes it easy to drill down into specific results or user behavior.

📈 Why It Matters?

• Monitor engagement per campaign

• Ensure compliance and transparency

• Understand your audience's behavior by device & region

The Skip URL feature in MSG91’s ShortURL service provides flexibility and control when shortening URLs within your SMS content. This feature allows you to skip shortening specific static URLs, ensuring that only dynamic or variable URLs are processed for shortening. This helps maintain the integrity of certain links while optimizing others for compact delivery.

What is the Skip URL Feature?

The Skip URL feature is designed to:

• Exclude Static URLs: Prevent specific static links from being shortened.

• Shorten Variable URLs: Ensure that dynamic or parameter-based URLs are still optimized.

• Simplify SMS Content Management: Streamline the handling of multiple types of URLs in your message templates.

Why Use the Skip URL Feature?

• Preserve Brand Recognition: Static URLs, such as your website homepage, remain intact to maintain brand consistency.

• Target Optimization: Only variable URLs that change per recipient are shortened, reducing redundancy.

• Improved Analytics: Helps in differentiating between static and variable link performance.

How to Enable and Use the Skip URL Feature

Make your SMS messages more trustworthy, recognizable, and engaging using MSG91's Smart URL Shortener with the new Sender Mapping feature.

✅ Why Should You Use This?

When you send messages with short URLs, customers often hesitate to click unknown links from numeric sender IDs. Now with Sender Mapping, you can:

• Show your brand name (alphanumeric sender) during URL redirection.

• Boost customer trust by making messages feel official and branded.

• Improve click-through rates by increasing message credibility.

• Ensure compliance with Indian DLT regulations.

🔒 Your messages will still be delivered from your numeric sender ID, but the short URL will redirect through a branded sender name.

🔧 Quick Setup Guide (Takes Less Than 2 Minutes)

Step 1: Whitelist Our Domain on Your DLT Portal

To use the Smart URL Shortener, you must whitelist our domain for all your headers: