A short URL is a tidy link that sends people to your flow, so you can share it anywhere a QR code won't fit. Give each channel its own short URL to see which ones bring in the most visits.
User Permissions | Admins, and Editors with the Flow Editor additional role. |
Note: Available with Flowcode 2. If you don't see it, contact your Flowcode CSM.
Copy a flow's short URL
Every new flow starts with one QR code and one short URL, both named after the flow.
Go to Flows and open the flow.
At the top right, above Destination, click the menu. Under Short URLs, select the short URL.
Click Copy URL.
Add a short URL for each channel
Give each channel its own short URL to compare them in Analytics.
In the Flow Editor, in the entrypoints box on the canvas, click Short URLs.
Click Add. To create a batch from a CSV file, click the arrow next to it and select Many short URLs.
Enter a Name, such as "Newsletter footer". Analytics shows the short URL by this name, and renaming it later doesn't relabel past data.
(Optional) Enter a Description of up to 64 characters.
Click Add.
Your new short URL appears in the URL column with a copy icon and works right away, sending visitors wherever the flow goes.
Choose a custom slug
The slug is the part after the last slash, as in go.example.com/spring-sale. You can choose it only when the flow uses your organization's custom domain. On the default domain (flowsto.com), Flowcode assigns a random 9-character slug.
In the Add panel, click the slug after the slash in the link preview.
Enter your slug, then click outside the box.
Enter a Name and click Add.
Slugs can be up to 80 characters: letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores, and periods. They're case-sensitive, and they can't start with "privacy".
Note: The short URL a flow starts with always gets a random slug, even on a custom domain. Add a new short URL to choose the slug.
Why you can't edit a slug
A slug is fixed once you click Add. In a short URL's panel, you can change the Name and Description, but not the link, and renaming doesn't change the slug.
To use a different slug, add a new short URL with the slug you want and share that one. To take the old one off the list, follow these steps:
On the Short URLs tab, click ⋮ on its row.
Select Remove.
Click Yes, remove.
Note: A removed short URL keeps working, and its slug can't be used again.
Best practices
Share the short URL, not the address of the page it opens. Only scans and short URL clicks count as visits in Analytics.
Name each short URL for where you'll use it, and set the name before you share it, since names don't relabel past data.
Add a separate short URL for each channel so you can compare them in Analytics.
Troubleshooting
"There's no option to change the end of my link" or "My link shows the default domain."
The flow uses flowsto.com, where slugs are random. Custom slugs need a custom domain. See Custom domain - Set up a custom domain for your QR codes and short URLs.
"I renamed my short URL but the link stayed the same."
The name is only a label. Add a new short URL to get a new slug.
"I get 'This short URL is unavailable, please try another one'" or an error that mentions a duplicate key.
Another short URL on that domain already uses the slug, including removed ones. Choose a different slug.
"I get 'Customized slugs cannot start with 'privacy'.'" or "You've reached the max character count of 80."
Shorten the slug, or change its start.
"Clicking Add under Short URLs adds a QR code instead."
Flows migrated from Flowcode 1, and copies of them, can't hold short URLs. Create a new flow with the same destination and share its short URL.
FAQs
Can I edit a slug after I create the short URL?
No. Add a new short URL with the slug you want.
Can I reuse a slug from a short URL I removed?
No. The removed short URL still works. To list it again, click Archived on the Short URLs tab, click ⋮ on its row, and select Restore.
What happens if someone types my slug with different capitals?
It doesn't open your flow. Slugs are case-sensitive, and domains aren't.
What's the link to my hub page?
The flow's short URL. Copy it from the flow page or the Short URLs tab.
Can two short URLs in a flow have the same name?
No. You see "Short URL already exists" and can update the existing one instead.