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Mobile Commons: Tracking Clicks with Vanity URLs and Other Link Shortening Tools

Eric Shin
Updated

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Provided information on Tracking Clicks with Vanity URLs and Other Link Shortening Tools




Answer


Mobile Commons creates shortened URLs to allow users to automatically track all clicks coming from text messages. These short domains can be used without any configuration and is available to all users. However, many organizations prefer to get their own vanity short URL.

How to Configure a Vanity Short Domain

To configure your vanity short domain and add it to Mobile Commons, you will need to follow these three steps:

  1. Purchase a short domain from your registrar
  2. Setup your DNS to point this new domain to Mobile Commons (see below)
  3. Email mc_support@mobilecommons.com, and we will add the new domain to your account

Setting up DNS

After purchasing a short domain, you need to set up your DNS CNAME records to point to Mobile Commons. This is something your organization’s IT department will be able to do. They should do the following:

  • Ideally, you will need to create a CNAME record to point your root domain (ex: acm.co) to our MC domain "lil.ms". If the domain provider has a limitation that prevents setting up a CNAME for the root domain, you can setup the CNAME record for a subdomain (ex: m.acm.co) to point to lil.ms.

NOTE: Once the DNS CNAME record points to lil.ms, your short domain will begin redirecting to lil.ms. This will continue until you contact mc_support@mobilecommons.com to configure a default destination for your short domain.
 

Using bit.ly (and other link shortening tools)

Bit.ly is a free online service that allows users to create short URLs and track clicks on the web. For technical reasons, you cannot use both Mobile Commons and bit.ly for a single short URL at the same time.

If you want to use both services, there are two options:

  1. Get separate short domains to use with Mobile Commons and bit.ly
  2. Set up a subdomain on your short domain (aka fake.ly and m.fake.ly)

Bit.ly and Mobile Commons both provide short links, but our services are complementary:

  • Bit.ly works better when you post a public link and want to know where referrers are coming from
  • Mobile Commons works better when you send out a link in a text message and want to know who is clicking your links and when

It is possible to use both services with a single click. This lets you take advantage of Mobile Commons clicks as well as bit.ly stats. To use both, you just need to set up two links:

  1. Set up a bit.ly link to point to your destination
  2. Set up a Mobile Commons link that points to the bit.ly URL

This way, when a user clicks the short link, they are taken first to Mobile Commons, then bit.ly, then the destination. This happens in milliseconds and users don’t know that they are being redirected. They just see the final page, but the statistics are recorded at each step.




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Question: Product How-To / Training




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