Texting a link?
Send it from a domain you own.
Carriers filter texts that carry public shorteners like bit.ly, and Twilio rejects registrations that use them. Short links on your own domain fix that, and still count every tap.
Quick answer
US carriers filter, and providers such as Twilio reject, public URL shorteners (bit.ly, TinyURL, goo.gl, t.co) in business text messages, because they hide the destination and are shared with spammers. Use short links on a domain your business owns instead, such as go.yourbrand.com, served over HTTPS, and put those exact links in your 10DLC or toll-free sample messages.
Text Message · Today 10:41
The first names the sender. The second could be from anyone, and carriers treat it that way.
The Twilio errors this causes
Other providers use different codes for the same rule. Twilio documents it most plainly.
A2P 10DLC campaign
Replace the shortener in your sample messages and description with links on a domain your business owns, then resubmit.
A2P 10DLC vetting
Use a dedicated, branded short domain, make every URL HTTPS, and make sure the link identifies your business.
Toll-free number
Swap bit.ly, TinyURL and similar for branded links on your own domain. Messaging on the number stays blocked until verification passes.
How to set it up
- 1Pick a subdomain of the brand your messaging is registered under, such as go.yourbrand.com. The link should say who it is from.
- 2Add it in Track Link and create one CNAME record at your DNS provider. HTTPS is issued for it automatically.
- 3In the domain's settings, send the bare domain to your website, so anyone checking go.yourbrand.com lands on your site.
- 4Create your links on that domain and use them in your campaign's sample messages, exactly as you will send them.
- 5Send. Every tap is counted, with country, device and time, and link previews are left out.
The DNS step for Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap and others is in the custom domain guide. Tag each campaign with utm_medium=sms and your analytics tool can separate texts from everything else.
Before you rely on it
What your own domain does and doesn't change.
No link guarantees delivery.
Carriers filter on the whole message: content, sender reputation, volume and opt-in, not only the link. Your own domain removes one common reason for rejection; it does not switch filtering off.
A custom domain can still look like a redirect service.
Twilio notes that a campaign can be rejected even with a custom domain if that domain works like a public URL redirector. Keep the domain dedicated to one brand, make it a subdomain of that brand's site, and send its bare address to your website.
The free plan isn't for texting.
Free links show a short Track Link notice before forwarding, which is the wrong thing to put in a customer's text. Every paid plan forwards instantly; Starter at $5.60/mo includes 2 custom domains.
One brand per domain.
If you send for several clients, give each client their own domain. Sharing one domain across unrelated senders is what makes public shorteners a problem in the first place. Agency includes 50.
SMS link shortener FAQ
Why are my bit.ly links being blocked in text messages?
Public shorteners hide where a link goes and are shared by every sender who uses them, including spammers. US carriers filter messages that contain them, and Twilio rejects 10DLC campaigns and toll-free verifications whose sample messages use them. Bitly's own help centre recommends a custom domain for SMS for the same reason.
Do I have to use a short link in SMS at all?
No. A full HTTPS link on your own website is always acceptable. A short link on your own domain is useful when you want the message to fit in one segment, or want to count taps per message and campaign.
Can I use my main website domain?
Use a subdomain of it, such as go.yourbrand.com or link.yourbrand.com. It carries your brand, it keeps short-link traffic separate from your website, and it sets up with a single CNAME record.
Does Twilio have its own link shortener?
Yes. Twilio's Link Shortening works on a domain you own and only inside Twilio Messaging Services. It fits if all of your texts go through Twilio. Track Link fits when you send through more than one provider, or want the same links and analytics in email, social posts and QR codes as well.
Will link previews count as clicks?
No. When iMessage, WhatsApp or another app fetches the link to draw a preview, that request is recognised and left out of your numbers, so a tap count is people who tapped.
Does it work with any SMS platform?
Yes. A Track Link short link is an ordinary HTTPS link, so it works in Twilio, Vonage, MessageBird, Klaviyo, Postscript, Attentive, SimpleTexting or a text from your own phone.
Links on a domain you own
Email link shortener
Keep the links in your emails on a domain you own.
White label link shortener
Every client's links on that client's own domain.
Branded URL shortener
Short links on go.yourbrand.com instead of a shared domain.
Custom domain link tracker
Full click analytics on links served from your domain.
Custom domain setup
Add a domain with one CNAME record; SSL is automatic.
Put your name on every link you text
Starter is $5.60/mo with 2 custom domains and click tracking on every link.
Set up your SMS domain