How SmartLynx links work
Everything is a link on one shared address with your base name first. The link records the click, reads any utm_ tags, then sends the visitor on to your web page.
https://apps.smartlinks.mobi/mybrand?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring
Your base name (up to 15 characters) is chosen when you sign up. A link set is one base name with its own destination, links and stats; your plan sets how many you can have.
Web page destinations
In Account Settings, tick Web Page and enter the address visitors should land on. Anything after your base name is passed through to that page:
apps.smartlinks.mobi/mybrand/offers/42?utm_source=x → yoursite.com/shop/offers/42?utm_source=x
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302 or 301
Leave 301 redirect unticked for a temporary (302) redirect, which is almost always what you want. Browsers remember 301s, so repeat visits skip SmartLynx: they aren’t counted as clicks, and later changes to your destination won’t reach them. Tick it only if the destination will never change.
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Changing the destination
Edit the Web Page address in Account Settings. Every link you have already shared follows it straight away.
Attribution links
Any query parameter that starts with utm_ is tracked. Turn on Attribution Links in Account Settings and add them to your links — there is nothing else to set up.
- utm_source
Where the link is shared: newsletter, instagram, partner-blog.
- utm_medium
The kind of link: email, social, cpc, qr.
- utm_campaign
The promotion: spring_sale, product_launch. You can also invent your own, as long as the name starts with utm_.
Not sure how to write one? Use the campaign link builder. Your dashboard lists every source with its clicks.
Short links
A short link stands in for a long one, e.g. apps.smartlinks.mobi/mybrand/Hg5d. Create them from Generate Short Links on your dashboard, or from your own systems with the API below. Each short link has a 4-character code and one of two behaviours:
- Passthrough (default)
The short link expands to the full link and is processed like any SmartLynx link, so clicks and attribution are counted.
- 301 redirect
An immediate permanent redirect to the full URL. Handy for SMS and print, but the click isn’t counted by SmartLynx (see the 301 note above).
Short link API
Call it from your server. Your API key (shown in Account Settings) must never go into a web page or app.
curl -X POST https://apps.smartlinks.mobi/create_short_link \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
"url": "https://apps.smartlinks.mobi/mybrand?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=spring",
"redirect_type": 0}'
redirect_type is 0 (passthrough, the default) or 1 (301). The URL must start with your own base name and include a query string or extra path.
{ "success": true, "short_code": "Hg5d", "short_url": "https://apps.smartlinks.mobi/mybrand/Hg5d" }
Troubleshooting
- A click didn’t show up
Check that it wasn’t a cached 301 and that the link starts with your exact base name. Counts update on your dashboard shortly after a click.
- No attribution table
Turn on Attribution Links in Account Settings, and make sure at least one tag starts with utm_.
- Over your click limit
Links keep working. Your dashboard will say so, and you can change plans at any time.
Building a mobile app too?
The same account can open your iOS or Android app and hand it the link after install. See the developer guide for mobile apps.