Adding and Managing Custom Link Domains

SlickText offers the ability to shorten and track links that you send in messages to your audience. We will use one of our standard link domains (for example, sltxt.io) for your trackable links unless you create a custom link domain for your brand. If you don’t already have a domain secured for this purpose, go to a domain registrar (like GoDaddy) to purchase one.

For more information about shortening and tracking links, click here.

In this article:

Adding a Custom Link Domain for Your Brand
Changing the Default Link Domain
Using Link Domains with Nonconventional Extensions
Enabling HTTPS for Existing Custom Link Domains
Custom Link Domain Settings

Before We Begin

Here are a few things to know before adding a custom link domain in SlickText:

• You should already own the domain you want to connect.
• You must have the ability to make DNS changes for the domain.
• The domain should not be in use as DNS changes can bring a live website down.
• The domain should end with .com, .net, .org, .co, or .io for maximum click engagement as some devices may not convert URLs with nonconventional domain extensions into clickable links.
• We recommend using a short domain to save characters and one that is reflective of your brand.

Adding a Custom Link Domain for Your Brand

To add a custom link domain to your brand in SlickText:

1. From the Home page, click on your name in the bottom left corner and choose Settings.
2. On the Settings page, choose Link Domains. 
3. In the top right corner, choose Connect Domain.
4. Read the requirements and click Next when ready.
5. Enter the domain you want to use and click Next.
6. The next screen will show the DNS records that must be in place for your domain. Log into your domain registrar's portal and create these records. For A records, you may be advised to enter an @ symbol. This may vary by domain registrar. Some registrars might want you to leave the name blank instead of an @ symbol.
7. Once both records are in place, click the button to verify the DNS records. If it's showing your DNS records as invalid, but you know they are correct, keep in mind that DNS changes need time to propagate to servers all over the world. This may take a few minutes up to several hours, so feel free to leave and come back later if your changes aren't taking effect right away.
8. Once SlickText can confirm that your DNS records are valid, we will begin the process of connecting your domain to our servers. This process typically takes between 5 and 10 minutes. You will receive a notification and an email once the domain is ready to use.
9. At this point you can click Done to leave the page, or wait for the process to complete.
10. Once your domain is connected, you'll be able to configure its settings and begin using it in your messaging.

Changing the Default Link Domain

Once you've added one or more custom link domains, you can choose which one to be the default. This is the domain that will be used for shortened links in your messaging going forward. While you can only have one default link domain at a time, any of your link domains will work with any of your shortened links.

Follow these steps to change the default link domain:

1. From the Home page, click on your name in the bottom left corner and choose Settings.
2. On the Settings page, choose Link Domains. 
3. Click the three dots to the right of the domain you wish to make the default, choose Make Default.

Using Link Domains with Nonconventional Extensions

Devices may not convert URLs with nonconventional domain extensions into clickable links. If you are using a nonconventional domain extension, then we recommend manually adding "https://" in front of your shortened links to ensure clickability.

Enabling HTTPS for Existing Custom Link Domains

If you notice a status on existing link domains that is Connected but has an unlock icon, this means you do not have HTTPS enabled for that domain.

To enable HTTPS for that domain, click the options menu on the right, and choose Enable HTTPS. You'll then need to update the DNS records for your domain with your domain registrar as explained above. If this is the case, we highly recommend doing this to maximize clickability.

Custom Link Domain Settings

When a custom link domain is connected, you can configure a few optional settings. These settings allow you to redirect people to another page if they click on the root domain or if the link they click is not valid.

To configure settings for a custom link domain:

1. From the Home page, click on your name in the bottom left corner and choose Settings.
2. On the Settings page, choose Link Domains. 
3. Add a Description. 
4. Define a Root Redirect URL. This will redirect people who click on the root of the custom domain. This could be the homepage for your website. 
   
   For example, if the custom domain is slktxt.io, and you ask SlickText to shorten and track a link in a message, the trackable link will look something like slktxt.io/pr/cbb6a3b664. The Root Redirect URL will send people to another page if they attempt to go to the root, slktxt.io.com in this case, without the additional tracking information.
5. Define an Invalid Link Redirect URL. This will redirect people to another page if the link they are following is invalid, inactive, or has expired.
6. To make this link the default link, toggle on Make Default Domain.
7. Click Save.