Short Links for SMS Marketing: How to Get More Clicks from Text Messages

SMS marketing has the kind of engagement rates that email marketers dream about. Open rates above 90%. Click-through rates of 20-35%. And most messages get read within three minutes of delivery.

But here's the thing — those numbers only hold up if you handle your links properly. A clunky URL in a text message doesn't just look bad. It eats into your character count, triggers carrier spam filters, and scares off recipients who've been trained to distrust suspicious-looking links.

Short links solve every one of these problems. Here's exactly how to use them in your SMS campaigns, with practical tips that go beyond the obvious.

Why Link Length Matters in SMS

An SMS message has a hard limit of 160 characters for a single segment. Go over that, and your message gets split into multiple segments — each one billed separately. Most SMS platforms charge per segment, so a two-segment message literally costs twice as much.

Let's look at the math:

Without short links:

Hey Sarah! Our spring sale starts today — 30% off everything. Shop now: https://mystore.com/collections/spring-sale-2026?utm_source=sms&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=spring_sale

That's 184 characters. Two segments. Double the cost.

With short links:

Hey Sarah! Our spring sale starts today — 30% off everything. Shop now: y.hn/spring

That's 85 characters. One segment. Half the cost. Plus you have 75 characters left to add more detail or a stronger call to action.

When you're sending 10,000 messages, that segment difference adds up fast. At $0.01 per segment, you're saving $100 per campaign just by shortening your URLs.

The Carrier Spam Filter Problem

Here's something that catches a lot of SMS marketers off guard: mobile carriers actively filter messages that look like spam. And long URLs with lots of parameters are a red flag.

Carriers scan for patterns commonly associated with phishing and spam, including:

• URLs with many query parameters
• URLs containing suspicious-looking character strings
• Multiple different URLs in one message
• URLs from domains with poor reputation

Short links from reputable providers like y.hn help on multiple fronts. The URL is clean and simple. There are no visible query parameters. And y.hn maintains strict anti-abuse policies to keep its domain reputation clean — which means carriers are less likely to flag your messages.

That said, not all URL shorteners are safe for SMS. Bit.ly and other widely-used free shorteners have been heavily abused by spammers. Some carriers specifically filter messages containing bit.ly links. Using a less-abused, professional shortener matters.

Building an SMS Campaign with Short Links

Let's walk through a complete SMS campaign setup, from link creation to sending to analysis.

Step 1: Define Your Campaign Structure

Before creating a single link, plan out your messages. A typical promotional SMS campaign might have:

• A primary blast to your full list
• A follow-up to non-clickers 48 hours later
• A final reminder before the offer expires

Each message variant needs its own short link for tracking purposes.

Step 2: Create UTM-Tagged Destination URLs

Build your destination URLs with proper UTM parameters:

Primary blast:

https://mystore.com/spring-sale?utm_source=sms&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=spring-2026&utm_content=blast-1

Follow-up:

https://mystore.com/spring-sale?utm_source=sms&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=spring-2026&utm_content=followup

Final reminder:

https://mystore.com/spring-sale?utm_source=sms&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=spring-2026&utm_content=last-chance

Step 3: Shorten Each URL with y.hn

Go to y.hn and create short links for each:

• Primary: y.hn/spring
• Follow-up: y.hn/spring2
• Reminder: y.hn/last

Each short link preserves the full UTM-tagged destination. Your recipients see the clean short URL. Google Analytics sees the full tracking parameters.

Step 4: Write Your Messages

Keep SMS copy tight. Every character matters. Here are templates that work:

Primary blast:

🌸 Spring Sale is LIVE! 30% off sitewide through Sunday. Shop your favorites → y.hn/spring





Reply STOP to opt out

Follow-up (48 hours later):

Still haven't grabbed your 30% off? Sale ends in 2 days. Don't miss it → y.hn/spring2





Reply STOP to opt out

Final reminder:

⏰ Last call — spring sale ends tonight at midnight. 30% off everything → y.hn/last





Reply STOP to opt out

Notice: short links leave room for emojis, urgency copy, and the required opt-out language — all within a single 160-character segment.

Step 5: Monitor Results

After sending, check two dashboards:

y.hn analytics shows you:

• Total clicks per short link
• Click timing (when are people opening your texts?)
• Device breakdown (almost 100% mobile for SMS)
• Geographic data

Google Analytics shows you:

• What people did after clicking (browsed, added to cart, purchased)
• Revenue attributed to each message variant
• Bounce rate and session duration

Compare blast-1 vs followup vs last-chance in your campaign report to see which message drove the most value.

SMS Link Best Practices

Use Custom Slugs That Look Intentional

Random character slugs (y.hn/x8k2) look suspicious in text messages. People are wary of clicking unknown links in SMS. Custom slugs (y.hn/spring or y.hn/deal) immediately tell the recipient what to expect, which builds trust and increases click rates.

One Link Per Message

Resist the temptation to include multiple links. SMS is a one-action medium. Each message should have one clear CTA and one link. Multiple links confuse recipients and reduce overall click-through rates.

Place the Link After Your Value Proposition

Don't lead with the link. Tell people what they'll get first, then give them the link:

• ✅ "30% off everything this weekend → y.hn/deal"
• ❌ "y.hn/deal — click for our sale"

The value proposition hooks them. The link converts them.

Test Your Links Before Sending

Send yourself a test message. Click the link. Make sure it:

• Redirects to the right page
• Loads properly on mobile
• Doesn't trigger any browser warnings
• Displays well on both iOS and Android

One broken link in a 10,000-message blast is an expensive mistake.

Use HTTPS Links Only

Some carriers flag non-HTTPS URLs as potentially unsafe. y.hn uses HTTPS by default, so this is handled automatically. But if you're using any other shortener, double-check that the short URL uses HTTPS.

Segment-Level Strategies for Different SMS Types

Transactional SMS

Order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders — these messages have naturally high engagement. Add short links to drive additional action:

Your order #4821 has shipped! Track it here → y.hn/track4821





Estimated delivery: Feb 20

For transactional SMS, consider using the y.hn API to generate unique short links per order or customer. This gives you per-user tracking and the ability to update destinations if needed.

Promotional SMS

Sales, launches, limited-time offers. These are where short links save you the most money (segment cost) and drive the most measurable revenue.

New arrivals just dropped 🔥 Be the first to shop → y.hn/new





Members get early access through Friday

Conversational SMS

Two-way messaging campaigns where customers reply. Keep links minimal but available:

Thanks for reaching out! Here's the sizing guide you asked about → y.hn/sizes





Reply with any questions!

Re-Engagement SMS

Win-back campaigns for inactive customers. These messages need to be especially compelling:

We miss you! Here's 25% off your next order, just for coming back → y.hn/welcome





Expires in 48 hours

Tracking SMS ROI with Short Links

The beautiful thing about using tracked short links in SMS is that you can finally measure SMS marketing properly. Here's the framework:

Cost Per Click (CPC)

SMS CPC = (Total SMS cost) / (Total link clicks)

With y.hn analytics, you know exact click counts. With your SMS platform, you know exact send costs. The math is straightforward.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

SMS CTR = (Link clicks) / (Messages delivered) × 100

Industry average is 20-35%. If you're below 15%, your copy or offer needs work. If you're above 35%, you're doing something right — document it and replicate it.

Revenue Per Message

Revenue per message = (Campaign revenue from UTM data) / (Messages sent)

This is the metric that justifies your SMS budget. Use Google Analytics UTM reports to attribute revenue to each SMS campaign.

Cost Per Acquisition

CPA = (SMS cost + platform fees) / (Conversions from SMS)

Compare this against your email CPA, paid ad CPA, and other channels. SMS typically wins on CPA because of the high engagement rates.

Compliance Reminders

SMS marketing is heavily regulated. Short links don't change your compliance obligations:

• Always include opt-out instructions ("Reply STOP to opt out")
• Only message people who opted in (explicit consent required)
• Identify yourself — recipients should know who's texting them
• Follow TCPA (US), GDPR (EU), and local regulations
• Keep records of consent and opt-outs

Using y.hn links doesn't affect compliance — the tracking is server-side and doesn't involve cookies or personal data collection from the recipient.

Automating SMS Links at Scale

If you're sending thousands of messages with personalized links, use the y.hn API to automate link creation:

// Generate a unique tracked link for each customer


async function createSMSLink(customerId, productUrl) {


  const response = await fetch('https://y.hn/api/links', {


    method: 'POST',


    headers: {


      'Authorization': 'Bearer yhn_your_api_key',


      'Content-Type': 'application/json',


    },


    body: JSON.stringify({


      url: productUrl + '?utm_source=sms&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=personalized&utm_content=cust_' + customerId,


    }),


  });


  const data = await response.json();


  return data.shortUrl;


}

This lets you create a unique short link for each recipient, enabling per-customer tracking. You'll know not just how many people clicked, but which customers clicked — connecting SMS engagement to lifetime value.

Putting It All Together

SMS marketing is one of the highest-ROI channels available, but only if you're measuring it properly. Short links are the missing piece that turns SMS from a "spray and pray" channel into a data-driven one.

The workflow is simple:

1. Build UTM-tagged destination URLs

2. Shorten them with y.hn (custom slugs for trust)

3. Write tight copy with one link per message

4. Send and monitor clicks in real time

5. Analyze revenue attribution in Google Analytics

6. Optimize based on what worked

Every message without a tracked short link is a message you can't learn from. And in a channel that costs real money per message sent, learning fast is how you win.

Create your SMS campaign links on y.hn →