Create Web Links

Overview

Attention
New Branch is now available for some users, your experience may differ.

Note
The information in this article is relevant to the Activation product. If you want information about web link creation for the Engagement product, read our Legacy Web Short Link Creation article.

Web links are Branch Links that take your users to web destinations. There are four primary methods you can use to create web links:

Method 1: Create web in the Branch Dashboard
Method 2: Create bulk web Short Links in the Branch Dashboard
Method 3: Create Short Links in the Branch Slack App
Method 4: Create web links through the Deep Linking API

How Branch Links work

Web Links are web-only Short Links that work everywhere. App links are deep links that take users to specific pages in your app. Web and app links look the same (yourbrand.com/slug or yourbrand.app.link/slug) depending on if you choose to use a custom domain or a Branch-provided app.link domain.

Expected behavior for web links

If your end user does not have your app installed, or if you don’t have an app, the link will open in their default web browser. If they do have your app downloaded, the link will open in your app through an in-app web view.

Expected behavior for app links

If your end user has your app installed, the App Link will deep link to the specific app page you’ve chosen. If they do not have your app installed, they will taken to the redirect destination for non-app users which can be configured as a web page, a Branch Deepview, or the app store listing to download the app.

Read our Create App Links article to learn more about app links.

Before you begin

You can set up a custom domain in the Branch Dashboard or you can use the Branch-provided app.link domain. If you want in-app web views to work, you must have the latest version of the Branch SDK installed.

Set up a custom domain (optional)

You can set up a custom domain (for example, link.yourbrand.com) in the Branch Dashboard. Visit our Basic Link Configuration guide to learn how.

After you set up your custom domain, you can use it to create branded web Short Links.

Set up app integration (optional)

You must have the latest version of the Branch SDK (latest update May 15, 2025) installed for in-app web views to work.

Tip
If you don’t want to show an in-app web view for web Short Links, you can skip this setup.

Read the following articles to learn more:

Create web links

Method 1: Short Links in the Branch Dashboard

You can create individual Short Links in the Branch Dashboard.

Tip
You can quickly access the Create Short Links page by entering deeplink.new in your browser.

Step 1: Start creating link

Complete the following steps to start creating a link:

In the Branch Dashboard, select the Create button in the top-right corner of the page.
Select Link.
Select Short Link. The Create Short Link page will open.

Step 2: Define your web Short Link

Complete the following steps to define your link:

Enter your link title in the Link Title text field. We recommend standardizing your link names to make them easily searchable.
Select Web.
Enter the long URL that you want to shorten in the Destination URL text field. This is where your Short Link will redirect to.
(Optional) Select the domain that you want this link to use from the Link Domain drop-down menu.
(Optional) Enter a custom link alias (slug/back-half) in the Link Alias text field. You won’t be able to change this once you select Create Link.

Step 3: Add analytics tags (optional)

Add analytics tags to your link to sort and compare performance with your other links.

You can add analytics tags in two ways in the Analytics Tags section:

Use the drop-downs to select analytics tags that you’ve used in the last 30 days.
Enter new analytics tags in the text fields and select Create [ANALYTICS TAG] to create a new tag.

Available tags

You can add the following analytics tags to your link:

Feature: Should describe the action or product where this link is placed. For UTM, this is typically utm_medium.
Channel: Should describe the platform or source from which you are expecting users to click this link. For UTM, this is typically utm_source.
Campaign: This can very, but it should describe the theme of the link. For UTM, this is typically utm_campaign.
Tags: Tags are a free-form list of meaningful labels that can be used as filters in the Short Links table. Use them to keep your analytics organized.

Note
For a tag from a previous Short Link to appear in the drop-down list, the previously created Short Link must be published with at least one click on it.

Step 4: Add link data (optional)

Add any custom link settings, custom analytics tags, or custom redirect logic. You can view custom data options and advanced analytics tag options in our Create Deep Links article.

Tip
You can type into the text field to add link data options.

Advanced link configuration for web links

Key	Usage
`$fallback_url_xx`	Change the redirect endpoint for all platforms based on a lower-case Alpha-2 country code. For example, `$fallback_url_de="..."` would redirect Germany deep link clicks. You should also set `$fallback_url` to act as the global redirect in addition to the country-specific ones. WARNING: platform specific redirects (like $ios_url or $desktop_url) are set, they will override the country-specific redirect. Thus, the recommendation is to only use $fallback_url_xx for the country specific redirects and $fallback_url to catch all other users.
`$exp_date`	Expiry date for the content and any associated link data. Represented as UTC epoch milli second. The maximum date this can be set is 31 days in the future.
`$desktop_url`	Redirect URL for desktop devices - mobile users will default to the app store.
`$ios_url`	Change the redirect endpoint for iOS App Store page for your app (set in Link Settings).
`$ios_url_xx`	Change the redirect endpoint for iOS based on a lower-case Alpha-2 country code. For example, `$ios_url_de="..."` would redirect Germany deep link clicks. You should also set `$ios_url` to act as the global redirect in addition to the country-specific ones.
`$android_url`	Change the redirect endpoint for Android Play Store page for your app (set in Link Settings).
`$android_url_xx`	Change the redirect endpoint for Android based on a lower-case Alpha-2 country code. For example, `$android_url_de="..."` would redirect Germany deep link clicks. You should also set `$android_url` to act as the global redirect in addition to the country-specific ones.
`$ipad_url`	Change the redirect endpoint for iPads `$ios_url` value
`$samsung_url`	Redirect to Samsung Galaxy Store on Samsung devices. Only link level control. Format should be `http://www.samsungapps.com/appquery/appDetail.as?appId=YOUR.PACKAGE.NAME`
`$windows_phone_url`	Change the redirect endpoint for Windows OS Windows Phone default URL (set in Link Settings).
`$blackberry_url`	Change the redirect endpoint for Blackberry OS BlackBerry default URL (set in Link Settings).
`$fire_url`	Change the redirect endpoint for Amazon Fire OS Fire default URL (set in Link Settings).
`$ios_wechat_url`	Change the redirect endpoint for WeChat on iOS devices `$ios_url` value.
`$android_wechat_url`	Change the redirect endpoint for WeChat on Android devices `$android_url` value.

Step 5: Customize QR code (optional)

Interface for customizing a QR code with various design options and settings.

Customize the QR code for this link by selecting the pencil icon above the QR Preview section. Learn more in our Customize QR Codes article.

Select Done to save your customizations.

Step 6: Customize link preview (Optional)

Customize the link preview for this link by selecting the pencil icon above the Link Preview section. You can customize the title, description, and background image. This is what your link will look like on social media platforms, messaging apps, and anywhere that supports link previews.

Select Done to save your customizations.

Step 7: Finish creating your link

Select Create Link to finish creating your link.

Method 2: Bulk Short Links in the Branch Dashboard

You can create web Short Links in bulk in the Branch Dashboard.

Complete the following steps to create web Short Links in bulk:

In the Branch Dashboard, select LinkHub.
Select Create Bulk Links in the top-right corner.
Select Short Links.
Select whether you want to create your Short Links with an existing template or a CSV. You can download a sample CSV to get started by selecting Via CSV Upload > sample CSV file.

Add the relevant information for your links. Open the accordion below to view more information about link information. Make sure the Web Only checkbox is selected for your links to be web links.

Expand to view available fields

Required?	Field	Description
Yes	Link Title	Link title is the name of the Short Link that will be displayed and be searchable in the Short Links table. Try making it descriptive and memorable for you and your team.
No	Link Alias	Link alias (link slug) is the part of the link after the domain. For example, in “branch.app.link/example”, “example” is the alias. The alias should ideally describe the landing page of the link. This can't be edited once the link has been created. If this field is left blank, Branch will generate a unique link hash for you.
Yes	Feature	Feature should describe the action or product where this link is placed.In the UTM world, this is typically utm_medium.
Yes	Channel	Channel should describe the platform or source from which you are expecting users to click this link. In the UTM world, this is typically utm_source.
Yes	Campaign (utm_campaign)	Campaign varies from company to company, but it should describe the theme of the link. In the UTM world, this is typically utm_campaign.
Yes	Original Web URL	Branch can fetch and fill data for a link from a page on your website, including open graph tags and other metadata. You'll see this metadata appear in the optional sections later in this creator. This helps reduce the number of steps for you to create a well-configured link.
Yes	Custom Key: $canonical_url	N/A
No	Tags	Tags are a free-form list of meaningful labels that can be used as filters in the Short Links table. Use them to keep your analytics organized.
No	Social Media Title	Title that will appear in this link’s social media preview.
No	Social Media Description	Description that will appear in this link’s social media preview.
No	Social Media Image URL	Note that your image may be cropped and aligned differently depending on the social platform.
No	iOS Default Redirect	Can’t be changed when creating links in bulk.
No	Android Default Redirect	Can’t be changed when creating links in bulk.
No	Desktop Default Redirect	Can’t be changed when creating links in bulk.
No	Web Only	Column edit is restricted as per the Link Template settings. To change the setting please edit the Link Template.

Select Create Links or Publish Bulk Links depending on which method you chose.

Method 3: Short Links in the Branch Slack App

You can create web Short Links using the Branch Slack App. Read our Branch Slack App article to learn more.

Method 4: Web links through the Deep Linking API

The Deep Linking API is included in Engagement Essentials and Activation Essentials. You can use it to create both web and app Short Links.

View and manage links

You can use LinkHub to manage and view your Short Links. Learn more in our LinkHub article. With Activation you’ll see separate Web Short Links and App Short Links tabs.

You can also view Web Short Links on the Overview page in the Branch Dashboard on the All Data and Short Links tabs.

Analyze link performance

LinkHub

In LinkHub, you can view how many clicks your links have received. Select the Clicks column in the table to sort by most clicks or least clicks. You can learn more in our LinkHub article.

Overview page

On the Overview page, use the Summary or Sources tabs to view relevant analytics for your links. Read our Overview Page article to learn more about comparing and filtering results.

FAQs

Why are some Short Link thumbnails not shown in WhatsApp?

The most common issue with Short Links not rendering thumbnail previews in WhatsApp is the image file size being too large. Although Facebook supports the display of Open Graph images up to 8 MB in size, their WhatsApp product appears to have different, undocumented size limitations. We've seen that WhatsApp generally displays thumbnail previews for images up to 300 KB.

If your image file is larger than 300 KB, try reducing the image file size by adjusting your image dimensions or compression settings.

Can I see the stats for links created using the API or SDK in Branch?

Viewing Individual Link level stats for API/SDK created links is currently not available. Aggregate Stats can be observed in Branch by filtering with link analytics tags.

Why aren’t my Short Links showing up in Branch?

The Short Links section in Branch shows links that were generated in Branch. API/SDK-generated links are not visible in Branch.

If the Short Link you are looking for does not appear in Branch, it’s possible that the link wasn’t fetched in the first search. You will have to click on “Load More” at the bottom of the page, you should then be able to see the link pop up if it still exists.

Why is my Short Link redirection not working as expected?

If the Short Link redirection is not working as expected, we recommend trying to debug the link first to see if it is set up correctly.

To debug a Short Link, you can go to Short Link > Select a link and click on the ellipses, then click Debug.
On the Debug page, check the Link Details and the Link Routing Debugger section.

You can also debug a link by adding debug=1 at the end of the link as a query parameter. For example: https://branchster.app.link/share-with-friends7**?debug=1

How can I create a Short Link for Snapchat?

Snap won't let you attach redirecting links to stories. The following workaround disables the redirects until you get the link attached, and then re-enables them after you create your story.

Create your Short Link to be attached to your Snap story.
On the Configure Options section, do the following:
1. Add the key $always_deeplink, and the value of false in the Deep Linking tab.
2. Enable a Deepview on the iOS platform in the Redirects tab.
Attach this link to your Snap story.
Come back and edit the Short Link to:
1. Delete the $always_deeplink key/value from the Deep Linking tab.
2. Remove the Deepview on iOS in the Redirects tab.

Does a Branch-generated QR code have an expiration date?

No, QR codes do not have an expiration date. The QR code has a Short Link behind it. As long as the Short Link is active, the QR code will continue to work. Short Links will always be active if not deleted or archived. However, if you change the link domain (***.app.link) of your Branch app, all Short Links and the QR codes created with the old domain will stop working.

Why do I have to click on 'Load More' to find my link when searching Short Links?

The dashboard only loads the last 500 Short Links. If the link that you are searching for is not part of these 500 links, click 'Load More' in order to continue searching.

You can also load the Short Link directly, by going to the following URL with the corresponding Short Link ID appended to the end.

https://dashboard.branch.io/quick-links/qlc/config/[Short Link ID]

Are the number of 'Opens' included in the number of 'Installs' reported in Branch?

Opens are not included in installs. If a user who already has the app clicks on the link and opens the app, it is counted as an open. If the app is not installed, the user is taken to the app/play store to install the app. The first time they open the app after the install is counted as an install.

Can updating the Social Media Descriptors affect an app’s ranking in app store searches?

Updating the Social Media descriptors will only change the Image and description associated with the link, will not have any impact on the app's search ranking.

These values will be updated next time the link is scrapped by the respective platform.

Does Branch over-write UTM parameters if they are already detected in a link?

When you use Branch links for redirecting users to a web URL, Branch automatically passes through any values from the following Branch link analytics tags as UTM parameters [~campaign -> utm_campaign, ~channel -> utm_source, ~feature -> utm_medium]. However, If these UTM parameters are already detected on the URLs being redirected to, Branch will not overwrite them unless you have disabled the 'Analytics mapping with UTM' setting on your Branch dashboard, which is already enabled by default

To view this setting, navigate to Configuration > Advanced Settings in Branch.

How long does it take for new images to appear on social media preview once updated?

Branch will update the link 'og' parameters immediately after it is updated. However how the social media descriptors show up on a platform are controlled by the platform. Different platforms handle these links in different ways, the platform might scrape the link everytime it is shared and the image might get refreshed immediately. However in most cases the link is not scraped regularly hence you might see a time lag before the image is updated for the link. If you are sharing on Facebook owned platforms you can manually scrape the link by visiting https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/

Please note that the $og_image_url social preview feature is reserved for paid Branch accounts with a dedicated contract. If you do not have a paid Branch account, you will not see this feature in Branch.

Why am I unable to find my link in the Short Links Section?

Branch only shows you the last 500 Short Links created. You can access the next 500 Short Links by clicking on Load More at the end of the list.

Alternatively you can directly open the Short Link by navigating to the Short Link appended by the following parameters on a browser where you are signed in to Branch.

To edit the link append ?edit=1
To view stats append ?stats=1
To debug the link append ?debug=1

For example, if you want to edit https://example.app.link/testlink, try opening https://example.app.link/testlink?edit=1.

How are Short Links different from Ad Links?

Functionality

Functionally, Short Links and Ad Links work the same -- they both attribute in the same fashion (outside of the iOS ATT restrictions -- Short Links are “owned” links so these can still attribute downstream data) and route users in the same way to the destinations set up on the links.

Ad Links are primarily designed for working with ad partners, so they’ll include a $3p value that designates the specific ad partner, and for integrated partners, they’ll include a much longer URL string that includes macros for the partner to pass through dynamic values like campaign name, etc. Additionally, Ad Links will automatically implement ATT-compliant behavior on iOS. This is not the case for Short Links.

Short Links are for “owned” placements (non-paid-ads use cases in general) and cases where the link may be visible, and Ad Links are designed for paid ads where users aren’t expected to see the link itself as well as where dynamic data is expected to be passed.

For a list of what Branch Link to use for a specific use case, see below:

Branch Link	Use Cases
Short Link	Quick QR Code generator (via Branch Dashboard). Custom Vanity/Alias Link. ex. `branchster.app.link/discount2022df`
Ad Link	Ad Partner Campaign. ex. Facebook Ad Link: `https://branchster.app.link/J9g9yuoTPqb?%243p=a_facebook&%24deeplink_no_attribution=true`

Access

Branch Ad Link creation is included in our Performance Essentials product tier, while access to the Short Links API is limited to Engagement Pro customers.