Guidelines for texting links

Including URLs (or links) in your text messages is a great way to share information with your recipients. Unfortunately, many spammers use links to run scams. Major carriers have identified patterns used by spammers to run scams and have introduced filters to block those messages. This article covers best practices when using links in your text messages. 

• Make sure you include a valid URL that links to a real web page or document (carrier spam filters will detect invalid URLs and block messages containing them).

• Avoid using generic URL shorteners such as bit.ly and tinyurl. The carriers have increased blocking of messages containing these types of URLs because they are heavily used by spammers for phishing and sending fraudulent links.

• If you want to shorten your URL, many of those same services allow you to create a branded link that is unique to your organization. These branded URLs are allowed and should not cause message delivery issues.
• Non-Compliant URLS:
  • Google Drive Links
  • Google Sites Links