Custom URLs

Overview

Custom URLs allow you to use your own branded domain for shortened links instead of the standard ury.io domain.

Using a branded URL can help improve brand recognition and provide recipients with greater confidence when clicking links received via SMS.

Custom URLs provide the same tracking and reporting capabilities as standard shortened URLs.

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Setting Up a Custom URL

Step 1: Choose and Register Your Domain

To use a custom URL, you must own the domain or subdomain you wish to use.

For example:

links.yourcompany.com

If you do not already own the domain, please register it through your preferred domain provider before proceeding.

Recommended: We recommend using a subdomain, such as links.yourcompany.com, as this makes DNS configuration easier and provides greater flexibility.

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Step 2: Configure Your DNS

To use your custom URL, you will need to configure a DNS record with your DNS provider.

Short URLs

Create a CNAME record pointing your custom domain or subdomain to:

branded.ury.io

For example:

This would allow you to use URLs such as:

https://links.yourcompany.com/abc123

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Step 3: If a CNAME Cannot Be Used

Some DNS providers do not allow the root domain (@) to be configured as a CNAME.

If your provider does not support a root-level CNAME, you can instead point the root record to the following IP address:

102.205.165.4

Note: We recommend using a CNAME wherever possible.

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Why Do We Prefer a CNAME?

A CNAME allows us to manage the underlying infrastructure and IP addresses on our side.

This provides additional flexibility and resilience, allowing us to make infrastructure changes or recover services more efficiently without requiring you to update your DNS configuration again in the future.

If your DNS provider does not support CNAME records for your preferred setup, pointing directly to the IP address above is also supported.

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Step 4: SSL & Security Considerations

For enhanced security, it is recommended that your custom URL is accessed using SSL/TLS (https), particularly when the URL is used for customer-facing services.

SSL/TLS ensures that traffic between the recipient and your custom URL is encrypted and protected.

Depending on your hosting or DNS provider, SSL/TLS can typically be configured using one of the following methods:

1. SSL/TLS termination through your hosting or DNS provider – your provider manages the SSL certificate and handles HTTPS traffic.
2. Reverse proxy with SSL/TLS – a reverse proxy can be configured to terminate HTTPS connections and securely forward traffic to the destination service.

Ensure that a valid SSL/TLS certificate is configured for the custom domain before using it with HTTPS.

Note: If you would like SMSPortal to manage the SSL on your behalf please reach out to us at [email protected] and we can assist you with pricing and any additional information required for the setup.

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Step 5: Notify Us

Once your DNS record has been configured, please provide us with:

• The exact custom URL or domain you would like to use.
• The username or account that the custom URL should be linked to.

We will configure the custom URL on your account and confirm once it is ready for use.