How to send a link in a text message that will inspire action from your contacts

Looking to find a trick for how to send a link in a text? Many business owners go looking for an easy way to hyperlink resources in their SMS messages.

So, if you’re here, you may be wondering how hyperlinks in texts work. Well, I have good news and bad news. 

The bad news is, you can’t technically put a hyperlink into a text message. 

The good news? You can still add a link to almost any text message. If you’re feeling a little confused about the difference between links and hyperlinks, you’re not alone.

I’ll explain the difference between the two, show you how easy texting links can be, and give you some inside information on how to use links to perfect future campaigns.

Why send links in texts?

First things first, why would a business owner want to send a link in a text message? Well, links do a few very important things.

• They give your contacts a clear next step to follow.  A text that simply says, “We’re having a sale!” may confuse your subscribers more than one that says, “Shop our sale at [LINK]!”
• They make taking the next step convenient. Once your contacts know what to do, it’s important that you reduce the amount of time and effort they’ll have to devote to doing it. Your customers can open your link with a single click, making them much more likely to take action.
• They allow you to track your results (more on that later). The best SMS marketing strategy is one that improves and evolves over time. Links give you an easy, measurable way to see how much of your audience is tuned in and interacting with your texts so you can level up future campaigns.
• They encourage engagement beyond simply opening and reading the text. Texts get a 98% open rate, which is excellent. Add links to that open rate and you give your audience a reason to stay engaged with your brand for longer than the time it takes to read your text.

What’s the difference between links and hyperlinks?

While links and hyperlinks both direct you to a web page when you click on them, the difference is in the look of the link itself.

You open a hyperlink by clicking on a highlighted word or phrase. A regular link is simply a URL that’s not embedded in any text. 

To give you an example, here are two versions of the link to our Ultimate SMS Marketing Guide:

No matter how you format them, adding links to your texts gives you the chance to extend your messages beyond the character limits and deepen your customer connection.

How to send a link in a text

The big question is, how do you send a link in a text? There’s just one easy step to follow. To include a link in any text message, just type or paste the full URL into your text.

Most messaging platforms automatically turn the URL into a link allowing contacts to click and access the linked page.

Shortening links 

You can also use a URL shortener to reduce the length of the URL you include in your message.

For SimpleTexting users, including short URL links in your texts is as easy as copying and pasting your link, then pressing the paperclip icon at the top of the message box.

Not only does the link shortener save you valuable characters, but it also converts your link into a tracking tool accessible from your analytics dashboard.

Let’s say we want to share a new blog post with our contacts.

So, you’d insert the link right into the message box. If you’re adding a link to a message with other information in it, write your text out as usual, then paste in the link. 

Then, click the URL shortener button.

And that’s that. Your contacts will receive a shortened version of the link you included.

How to track link click-through rate

Once you text out a shortened URL, you can track your message in real-time to see who has clicked on your link.

That’s crucial information that will help you refine future campaigns and troubleshoot low link clicks.

To find your click-through rate (CTR), click on “Analytics” from the left side menu. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the page and find your text campaign.

This page will give you all the necessary information, including how many messages were successfully sent, delivered, and opened. You’ll also be able to see how many people responded to your campaign or unsubscribed. 

To view your CTR, scroll all the way to the right until you see “Clicked” and “CTR.”

Knowing your campaign’s CTR will help you measure its success based on how many people clicked.

That knowledge means you can refine your future campaigns by segmenting your list based on which contacts interacted with the last campaign. You can then send follow-up messages based on that behavior.

This piece was originally published September 23, 2019. It was significantly updated August 2, 2023. Meghan Tocci contributed to this piece.