URL shortener

What is a short URL?

A URL shortener is a feature that converts a regular URL (the web address that starts with http://) into its condensed format. You can now save credits by cutting short the SMS length with our smart URL Shortener. Using this feature will automatically convert the long URL present in your SMS content into a short one. Once the SMS is delivered and the receiver clicks on the short URL received, it will redirect him/her to your original long URL.

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

Enable the Short URL feature for your account

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.

The message received on the handset will look like this.

You can use Short URLs explicitly in two ways-

a. Via API

- Start passing short_url=1 as an additional parameter in your API call.

- It will work with all the versions of API.

Creating 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 (The URL will only be replaced if)

The length of URL with hostname > 9 & URL without hostname > 5.

For example:

URL: http://testdevu.mywire.org/welcome/

URL with hostname: testdevu.mywire.org/welcome/

URL without hostname: /welcome/

Auto-convert short URLs will not work for "cutt.ly", "t.ly", "bit.ly", "bl.ink", "rb.gy", "bit.do", "is.gd", "ow.ly"

Any URL of local host will also not be shortened.

How this will help you? 

This helps with CTA whitelisting on DLT. As per TRAI guidelines, if you're using a Redirection URL in your SMS, you must use a Short URL, and your header should be included in that URL.

To use the URL shortener, whitelist the domain https://m.9m.io/ with all your headers on your DLT portal.

Example: If your header is ABCDEF, whitelist https://m.9m.io/ABCDEF on the DLT portal.

NOTE: The maximum limit of a long URL is 3000 characters which our system can short.

How to use Short URL expiry in the API?

Short URL Expiry: If you want to set the short URL expiry just pass the extra parameter of short_url_expiry in seconds in the API. This is the optional parameter.

“short_url_expiry”: “ seconds“, || Add the value in seconds, and the maximum value in seconds is 31536000 seconds.

Happy messaging!
TEAM MSG91

You can follow the below-described steps to get the delivery report of the short URL:

2. It will show you the Logs section in the sidebar where you can see the campaign name, date, recipient mobile number, short ID with actual long URL, and the number of clicks. Select the time span for which you wish to see the report. You can also export it by clicking on the Export button.

3. When you will click on the Clicks column of a particular URL, it will give you additional information about the receiver who has clicked on the URL like - IP, date, country, browser, and OS.

4. The Filter option lets you filter the report by short URL, URL, mobile number, and the number of clicks. 

If URLs in your SMS content Redirect to another URL, we have a AI-enabled-solution which can be implemented without any Tech efforts at your end and at no additional cost.

Additionally, you will be able to track click-rates for each recipient (Mobile Number).

AI-enabled-solution:

You can pass any URL in your SMS content and we will Shorten that URL and send the same to the receiver.

Now, to ensure CTA whitelisting of URLs, you have to whitelist below URLs with https on your DLT Portal:
https://m.9m.io/add-all-your-SMS-header-here/

For example,

If you have 3 DLT approved Headers as: ABCDEF, JKLMNO, XYZ123

Then, you have to whitelist below 3 URLs on DLT Portal:

https://m.9m.io/ABCDEF/

https://m.9m.io/JKLMNO/

https://m.9m.io/XYZ123/

Notes:

1. To use this Solution, kindly enable URL Shortener on MSG91 Account: https://msg91.com/help/how-to-use-and-check-report-of-short-url (This will not work in case you are using our SendOTP API).

2. No need to whitelist CTAs on multiple DLT Portals, just whitelist on any one DLT.

3. Only Alpha and Alphanumeric Headers allowed by DLT, so do not use this for SMS with Numeric Headers

4. Any URL in your SMS content will be Shortened, so kindly cross check URLs that are already approved in Static parts of your SMS Template on DLT.
5. Auto-convert short URLs will not work for "cutt.ly", "t.ly", "bit.ly", "bl.ink", "rb.gy", "bit.do", "is.gd", "ow.ly"

6. The Header is case sensitive so make sure whatever is approved on DLT use the same header for sending the SMS.

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

1. Log in to Your MSG91 Account:
   Navigate to your dashboard.

2. Go to ShortURL Settings:

   • Locate the ShortURL section under the Utilities.

     

3. Access the Skip URL Configuration:

   • Open the settings for ShortURL.

   • Look for the Skip URL Feature option.

     

4. Add Static URLs to Skip:

   • Enter the static URLs you want to exclude from shortening.

     

   • For example, if your website’s URL is https://www.example.com, add it under the Skip URL box.

   • You can add URLs without https/http or www in the Skip URL field. This means if your content contains a static URL like xyz.com, you can add it to bypass URL shortening.

     

   • Choose the microservice (SMS, WhatsApp, or Both) for which you would like to enable this feature.

   • Save the configuration.

5. Send SMS with Mixed URLs

   When you send an SMS containing both static and variable URLs, the system will automatically skip shortening for the URLs listed in the Skip URL configuration.

   Example:

   • Message Content:
     "Hello [Name], visit our website at https://www.example.com and track your order here: https://tracking.example.com/[orderID]."

   • Outcome:

     • Static URL (https://www.example.com): Skipped, remains unchanged.

     • Variable URL (https://tracking.example.com/[orderID]): Shortened automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I add multiple URLs to the Skip List?
   Yes, you can add multiple static URLs to the Skip URL list. Ensure that each URL is added separately.

2. What happens if I don’t configure the Skip URL feature?
   If the Skip URL feature is not configured, all URLs in your message content will be shortened by default.

3. Can I update or remove URLs from the Skip List?
   Yes, you can edit the Skip URL list anytime from the ShortURL settings in your MSG91 dashboard.

Need Assistance?

If you have questions or need further support, feel free to contact our support team at [email protected] or via chat on the MSG91 platform.

Leverage the Skip URL feature to optimize your messaging strategy with MSG91!