Smart links

A Smart link is a short, trackable link (for example https://cht.ad/a3x9kp) that sends people on to your own web page and counts every click. Create one under More → Growth → Smart links, or tick Use SmartLink tracking (cht.ad) on a WhatsApp template button so every broadcast recipient gets their own tracked link.

#Where Smart links are used

Smart links are part of your plan. If your plan does not include them, creating a link fails with "Feature not available in your plan. Please upgrade to access this feature." See Plans and subscription.

Team members need the broadcast permissions to use them: view to see links and reports, manage to create, edit or delete links. See Team members and roles.

#Create a Smart link

1. Open More → Growth → Smart links.
2. Select Create Link.
3. Enter the Destination URL, the page people should land on. It must start with http:// or https://.
4. Optional: enter a Custom Slug (optional), the part after the domain, such as baner-visit. Use 2 to 50 letters, numbers, hyphens or underscores. Leave it empty to get a random 6-character slug. Every slug must be unique; a taken one shows "Slug "baner-visit" is already taken. Please choose a different one."
5. Leave Tracking Mode on Token (lightweight). For a link you share yourself, both modes simply count clicks.
6. Optional: add Tags (comma separated), such as baner, site-visit. You can search by tag later.
7. Optional: select Show Advanced Options to set:
   • UTM Parameters: Source, Medium, Campaign, Term and Content (up to 200 characters each). Slovio adds them to the destination as utm_source, utm_medium and so on, so Google Analytics can attribute the visit.
   • Expiry Date: after this date and time, the link sends people to the Expired Redirect URL instead. If you leave that empty, it keeps opening the destination. Clicks after expiry are not counted.
8. Select Create Link.

The link appears in the Links tab, with a copy button next to the short URL.

#Edit, copy or delete a link

On the Links tab, open the ⋯ menu on a row:

• Edit changes the destination, tags, UTM values, expiry and expired redirect URL. The slug and tracking mode cannot be changed.
• Copy URL copies the short link.
• Delete asks you to confirm. After that the short URL stops redirecting. This cannot be undone.

The Links tab has a search box (it matches the slug, the destination and tags) and a status filter: Active, Inactive and Expired. The Status column does not change on its own when an expiry date passes, so an expired link can still show ACTIVE.

#Make a QR code

1. Open the QR Code tab.
2. Select Link.
3. Pick a Size (px): 128, 256, 512 or 1024.
4. Optional: change the Foreground Color and Background Color.
5. Select PNG or SVG to download.

The QR code holds the short URL, so if you later edit the destination, printed codes follow the new page.

#Read your click reports

The Analytics tab shows every link by default. Pick a period (Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, Last 90 days or All time; the default is 30 days) and All Links or one link.

How clicks are counted:

• Link previews that WhatsApp and other apps fetch are not counted as clicks.
• Unique Clicks counts one click per contact, so it only grows for links tied to a contact (broadcast links). For a link you share yourself it stays at 0, and Recent Clicks shows the person as Anonymous.
• QR Scans counts visits Slovio can identify as coming from a QR scanner app. Many phones open QR codes in the normal browser, and those visits count as clicks.

#Export day-wise clicks

Select Export clicks, choose Today, Last 7 days or Last 30 days, and select Download. The Excel file covers your broadcast links and has three sheets: Click Events (one row per click), Daily Clicks (each day and broadcast that got clicks) and Daily Totals. An export is limited to 50,000 clicks; for more, pick a shorter period.

#Track clicks in a WhatsApp broadcast

1. Create a WhatsApp template with a Visit website button. Set Type to Dynamic, keep Use SmartLink tracking (cht.ad) ticked, and fill in the Example. See WhatsApp templates.
2. Once it is approved, start a broadcast with it. See Create a broadcast.
3. Fill in Destination URL, where clicks should go. Enter one address for everyone, or use the … picker to insert a column such as {{visit_link}} so each person goes to their own page. A fixed address must start with http:// or https://.
4. Send the broadcast. Each recipient's button opens their own link, such as https://cht.ad/7Hq2Lm.

Each recipient's link is also listed on the Links tab, so a large broadcast adds many rows there.

In the broadcast's View statistics page you then get:

• Clicked (people who clicked, with the total number of clicks next to it), Not Clicked and Click Rate.
• SMARTLINK and CLICKS columns in Recipients, and a Click Status filter.
• Click report, an export with one row per click.
• Retarget → By Click → Clicked or Not Clicked.

See Broadcast reports and retargeting.

Smart link tracking works for WhatsApp broadcasts. RCS broadcasts do not create Smart links.

#Worked example: a site-visit link for a Pune builder

Sahyadri Homes, a real-estate developer in Pune, is inviting 3,000 enquiries to a weekend site visit at its Baner project.

The WhatsApp broadcast. They create a Marketing template:

In the broadcast, Destination URL is https://www.sahyadrihomes.in/baner/site-visit. Priya Kulkarni (+919876543210) receives the message, and her Book site visit button opens https://cht.ad/7Hq2Lm, which takes her to the booking page.

By Monday the report shows 2,850 delivered, Clicked 410 · 530 total, Not Clicked 2,440 and a Click Rate near 14%. The sales team exports the Click report to call the 410 people first, then uses Retarget → Not Clicked to send a reminder.

The brochure QR code. For printed brochures they create a Smart link:

The short link is https://cht.ad/baner-visit. A visitor lands on https://www.sahyadrihomes.in/baner?utm_source=brochure&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=baner-launch. On the QR Code tab they pick baner-visit, choose 1024 × 1024 and download the PNG for the printer. The Analytics tab, filtered to baner-visit, shows scans by city and device.

#Common questions

#Can I use my own domain for Smart links?

No. Smart links use Slovio's short domain, such as cht.ad. You choose only the slug after it.

#Why is Unique Clicks 0 for my link?

Unique clicks are counted per contact. A link you share yourself is not tied to a contact, so only Clicks grows. Broadcast links are tied to each recipient and show unique clicks.

#Can I change where a link goes after I share it?

Yes. Edit the link and change the Destination URL. The short URL and any printed QR codes stay the same and send people to the new page.

#Do WhatsApp link previews count as clicks?

No. Slovio recognises preview requests from WhatsApp and other apps and does not count them.

#What happens when a link expires?

People who open it go to the Expired Redirect URL, or to the normal destination if you left that empty. Clicks after the expiry date are not counted.