Short Links for Email, SMS and Social Media: Best Practices

Published 19 September 2026 · Updated 19 September 2026

Short links are a natural fit for channels where space is tight or long addresses look messy. But they behave differently in each channel, and a few habits make the difference between links people click and links people ignore.

Text messages (SMS)

Every character counts in a text, and long links may be broken across lines. A short link keeps the message compact. Because scam texts commonly use short links, recipients are cautious, so:

• Say who you are at the start of the message.
• Describe what the link leads to, for example "Your appointment details:".
• Use a readable custom alias rather than a random code.

Email

In email you can hide a long URL behind text, so a short link is rarely needed for appearance. It is useful when the plain-text version of a message shows the full address, or when you want per-campaign click counts. Some spam filters treat links from well-known public shorteners with suspicion, so:

• Use descriptive link text rather than pasting the bare short URL.
• Use one link per call to action, not many.
• Send a test to a few different mailboxes before a large mailing.

Social media

Most platforms shorten or wrap links themselves, and some rewrite them for tracking. A short link can still help in places where the address is displayed as plain text, such as profile bios, video descriptions and image captions.

• Check that the link works on mobile before you post it.
• Give each platform its own link so you can compare results.
• Mention the destination in the post so the link does not look like a mystery.

Print and spoken word

On flyers, posters and slides, people have to type the address by hand. Choose a short custom alias with common words, lowercase letters and no look-alike characters. If you can, also print a QR code that points to the short link, so people can scan instead of typing.

Checklist before you send

1. Open the short link yourself, on a phone and a computer.
2. Confirm it goes to the right page and that the page loads quickly.
3. Make sure the destination is safe and will remain online for as long as the message circulates.
4. Keep a note of which link belongs to which channel.

You can shorten up to 20 links at a time with the bulk shortener, which is handy when you prepare links for several channels at once.