# Short links & branded domain

Instasent shortens the links in your messages so they fit and so clicks can be tracked. This page covers the default short-link domain, using your own branded domain, the two setup modes, the DNS records to create, verification, the default redirect, and why short links matter for click tracking.

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When you add a link to a message, Instasent shortens it. Short links save characters — which matters most in SMS — and they're what lets us track who clicked, so your campaign and conversion stats know which links drove results. Every project comes with a shared default short-link domain, and you can add your own branded domain so the links carry your name instead.

You'll find this under **Settings → Tools → Short links**.

## The default short-link domain

Out of the box, your shortened links use a shared Instasent domain assigned to your organization, with nothing to configure. If you don't add a domain of your own, this is what your links use, and the panel shows it on the **Short links** screen.

**The default domain is fully functional.** Your links are shortened, they resolve, and clicks are tracked exactly as they would be on a branded domain. Adding a branded domain changes what the recipient reads in the URL, and nothing else: it is not a prerequisite for click tracking, for [click attribution](/platform/en/project-settings/conversions-attribution), or for any other feature. A project with no domain of its own measures clicks just like a project with one.

## Adding your own domain

When you add a link domain, you pick one of two types:

- **Subdomain** — a subdomain of Instasent's default tracking domain (3–20 characters, letters, numbers and hyphens). It's configured automatically, with no DNS to set up: your shortened links use this subdomain right away.
- **Branded domain / subdomain** — a domain you own, such as `sms.myshop.com`. It must be a domain or subdomain you own and that isn't already in use. This is the one that needs DNS records, below.

## Setting up a branded domain

A branded domain has two setup modes:

- **Automatically** (recommended) — Instasent manages the SSL certificate for you and renews it automatically. You only create the DNS records.
- **Self-Managed** (advanced) — you run your own vhost that redirects to our link tracker, and you handle the SSL certificate yourself. This needs an IT team.

### DNS records (Automatically mode)

In the **Automatically** mode you create a DNS record pointing your domain at Instasent. The panel shows the exact values to use; the shape is:

| Record type         | Hostname                                                     | Points to                            |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ |
| **CNAME**           | `@` for an apex domain, or the subdomain prefix (e.g. `sms`) | The CNAME target Instasent gives you |
| **A** (alternative) | The apex domain                                              | The IP address Instasent gives you   |

- Use the **CNAME** record by default.
- Use the **A** record only if your DNS provider doesn't support CNAME flattening at the apex.
- If you also want the `www.` subdomain to work, add it as another domain so both are available.

![The branded domain setup screen showing the DNS records to create](/platform/en/project-settings/images/short-links--1.png)
*The branded domain setup: the DNS records to create at your provider.*

### Verifying the domain

Once the records are in place, click **Check domain**. DNS changes take a few hours to propagate — up to 24 — and Instasent re-checks automatically every few minutes until the domain verifies. When it's done, the domain's status shows its DNS, hosting and SSL certificate, with the certificate auto-renewed.

> **Note**: **Keep in mind:** if you previously had conflicting DNS records on the same hostname, remove them first — they can stop the new ones from resolving.

## Default redirect

Each link domain has a **Default redirect URL** — your business's main webpage. If someone reaches the domain without a specific short link, they're forwarded here by default.

## Short links and SMS

To save characters in SMS messages, Instasent doesn't add the `http://` scheme to short links. For uncommon top-level domains where the link might not be recognised without it — `.me`, `.gg`, `.club`, `.online` and similar — you can force the scheme to be included.

> **Note**: The shortener doesn't add UTM parameters by itself. UTMs are set in the message editor, at the campaign level — not in the domain settings.

## Why short links matter for tracking

Shortening is what makes a click measurable. When Instasent shortens a link, the click is registered as the recipient is forwarded to your page, and that is what feeds the click figures in [campaign analytics](/platform/en/campaigns/campaign-analytics), what the **Click on link or button** [attribution window](/platform/en/project-settings/conversions-attribution) is counted from, and what ties a [conversion](/platform/en/insights/conversions) back to the message.

What decides whether a click is measured is **shortened or not**, never which domain does the shortening:

- A **shortened link** is measured, on the default domain and on a branded domain alike.
- A **plain, untracked URL pasted as text** is sent exactly as written, and its clicks are not measured.

> **Note**: Adding a branded domain does not switch click tracking on, and not having one does not switch it off. Tracking comes from shortening, which is already active on every project.

## Limits

The number of subdomains and branded domains you can add depends on your plan. When you reach the limit, the panel shows a notice with an upgrade option. Adding, setting a default, archiving and changing the mode all require the project-write permission.

Archiving a domain doesn't delete it: it's no longer used for new short links, but links already sent keep working.

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