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Understanding Tracking Links in WhatsApp Templates

When you send a template with a header image and a CTA button, WhatsApp now displays the link URL below the image in the message thread.

Updated today

What it looks like:

Instead of just seeing the image and button, recipients will also see a link preview that shows: https://api.spurnow.com/s/2bb159b4?fbclid=1...

Why This Happens

This is Meta's doing, not Spur's.

When you add a CTA button with a link in your WhatsApp template, Spur uses a redirect URL with UTM tracking parameters. This allows you to:

  • Track click-through rates

  • Measure campaign performance

  • Attribute conversions to specific broadcasts

The flow:

  1. Customer clicks your button or image

  2. Spur's system logs the click

  3. They're immediately redirected to your actual destination URL (your website, product page, etc.)

This all happens in milliseconds, customers don't notice the redirect.

Why the Spur Link Shows Up

Because WhatsApp now exposes the link attached to your template, and that link is the tracking URL (not your final destination), it displays as api.spurnow.com instead of your brand's domain.

Important clarification:

We're not using YOUR marketing activities to promote Spur. This is simply how link tracking works. The exposed link is the redirect URL that sends customers to your destination.

Meta's platform is the one choosing to display this link—and this happens across every WhatsApp automation platform, not just Spur.

This Affects All WhatsApp Business Providers

If you were using Interakt, AiSensy, Wati, or any other WhatsApp Business API provider, you'd see the same behavior—their tracking domain would be exposed instead.

Why?

Because all platforms use redirect URLs to track clicks and measure campaign performance. Meta's decision to expose these links affects the entire industry.

Examples of what you'd see with other providers:

  • Interakt: link.interakt.ai/...

  • AiSensy: aisensy.com/...

  • Wati: wati.io/...

Bottom line: This isn't a Spur-specific issue. It's how WhatsApp now handles template links across all business messaging platforms.

Can This Be Removed or Hidden?

No. There's currently no way to hide the exposed link or use a direct URL while maintaining click tracking. This is a limitation imposed by how Meta displays template links, not something Spur (or any other platform) can control.

Why we can't just use your direct link:

If we used your website URL directly, you'd lose all ability to:

  • Track how many people clicked

  • Measure which broadcasts perform best

  • Attribute sales or conversions to specific campaigns

Click tracking is essential for understanding campaign ROI. The trade-off of losing that data isn't worth hiding a small gray link that most customers ignore anyway.

What this means for you:

  • ✅ You still get full click tracking and campaign analytics

  • ✅ Customers still click through to your site without friction

  • ✅ The exposed link doesn't meaningfully hurt conversions

What you should do:

  • Focus on creating compelling images and CTAs

  • Don't overthink the exposed link, customers barely notice it

  • If a customer asks about it, explain it's a tracking link (just like Bitly, Google UTM links, etc.)


⚠️ Note: This Affects iOS and Android Differently

Some users have reported that the exposed link behavior appears primarily on Android devices. On iOS, the link may not always be visible or may display differently.

What this means:

If you test on an iPhone and don't see the exposed link, don't assume it's fixed, Android users will still see it. Always test on both platforms before launching campaigns.

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