What is a tracked link?
Your AI agent answers a question, and at the end it says "you can book here". The customer taps, or they do not. Without some way of counting, you have no idea whether those links are doing anything. A tracked link is the simple way of counting. This guide explains what it is, what it tells you and where to use one with care.
In one sentence
A tracked link is a short web link that stands in for a longer one, such as your booking or payment page, and counts how many people open it before sending them on to the real page. It lets you see how many customers your AI agent actually sent to book, pay or read your menu.
In more detail
Every time a link is opened, the browser has to ask a server where to go. A tracked link puts a small step in the middle of that. Instead of linking straight to your booking page, the agent sends a short link. When someone opens it, the short link adds one to its count and passes them straight on to the booking page. For the customer, it feels the same as tapping the normal link.
The count is the useful part. If your agent sent the booking link in forty conversations this week and it was opened twenty-six times, you know most people who asked about booking went to look. If it was opened twice, something is off: maybe the reply buries the link, maybe the link goes to the wrong page, or maybe customers want something the booking page does not offer.
A tracked link counts opens, which is not the same as bookings or payments. Someone can open the link, look at the page and leave. To know how many people finished, you still need your booking system or payment provider, because that is where the booking or payment actually happens.
Tracked links are best for the few links that lead somewhere that matters: the page where people book, pay, order or see your menu. There is little point tracking your home page or your social profiles. Pick one link for each important action and give it a name you will recognise later, such as "Booking page" or "Deposit payment".
Owners usually first notice the value of a tracked link when something changes. You change the wording of a reply, or move the link earlier, and the number of opens goes up or down. That is a small, honest signal you can act on. Here is how it looks in a real conversation. Names and details are examples.
An example
| Who | Message |
|---|---|
| Customer (Sam, on Messenger) | Hi, can I book a deep clean for a 2-bed flat next week? |
| AI agent | Hi Sam, yes. A deep clean for a 2-bed flat is £140 and takes about four hours. You can choose a day that suits you here: sp.example/clean |
| Customer | Perfect, thanks, booking now. |
| Owner (to the AI agent, on Friday) | How many people opened the booking link this week? |
| AI agent | The "Deep clean booking" link was opened 23 times this week, from 31 conversations where I sent it. |
Which links are worth tracking
| Link | Worth tracking? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Online booking page | Yes | It is usually the main action you want after a question |
| Deposit or payment link | Yes | It shows how many people got as far as paying |
| Menu or price list | Yes | It tells you whether people read before they ask more |
| Directions or map | Sometimes | Useful for a shop or venue that gets lots of "where are you?" |
| Home page | Rarely | Too general to tell you anything you can act on |
| Your social profiles | Rarely | People who message you are usually already there |
Three or four tracked links are plenty for most small businesses. More than that and the numbers get spread too thin to mean much.
What the numbers can and cannot tell you
- They can tell you whether people open the link the agent sends. A low number is a reason to look at how the reply is written.
- They can tell you whether a change helped, if you compare the week before with the week after.
- They cannot tell you who opened the link. The count is a number, not a list of customers.
- They cannot tell you whether someone booked or paid. Your booking system or payment provider holds that.
Treat the count as a rough gauge, not a sales report. It is good at showing you direction: more, fewer, about the same.
Where to be careful with links
Platforms are wary of links in messages, because spam is full of them. A link is perfectly normal in a reply to a customer who asked how to book. It is far less welcome in a first message to someone who never wrote to you.
- On WhatsApp, Spaces sends the first message to someone new as plain text, with no links, files or voice notes. Send the link in a reply once they have answered.
- Send a link when it answers what the customer asked, not at the end of every message.
- Say what the link is for in plain words before it, such as "you can choose a time here".
- Use one link per message where you can. Three links in one reply looks like an advert.
- Never send the same link-heavy message to many people. Spaces refuses the same cold message sent to many people anyway.
Before and after: a reply that buries the link
A low open count is often about the reply, not the link. Here is a reply that gets few taps, and the same reply rewritten. Names and details are examples.
| Version | Reply |
|---|---|
| Before | Hi! Thanks so much for your message. We have lots of options for deep cleans and end of tenancy cleans, and our team are all fully trained and insured. Prices depend on the size of the property and how much needs doing. Have a look at our website for more info: sp.example/clean |
| After | Hi Sam, a deep clean for a 2-bed flat is £140 and takes about four hours. You can pick a day here: sp.example/clean |
The second reply answers the question first, gives the price and then says exactly what the link does. When an owner makes a change like this, the tracked link is how they see whether it helped.
A note you can give your AI agent
Your agent will use tracked links well if you tell it when to send each one. Names and details are examples.
Links:
- When someone wants to book, send the "Booking page" tracked link once,
after you have answered their question.
- When someone asks for the menu, send the "Menu" tracked link.
- Never put a link in the first message to someone who has not written to us.
- Never send more than one link in a message.
Every Friday, tell me how many times each tracked link was opened this
week, and in how many conversations you sent it.Why it matters for your business
- It turns "I think the replies are working" into a number you can check each week.
- It shows you which replies lead somewhere, so you can copy what works.
- It warns you early when a link is broken or a page is putting people off.
- It costs your customers nothing: they tap a link and land where they expected.
- It keeps the focus on the few actions that pay the bills, such as bookings and deposits.
How Spaces handles it
Your AI agent can turn a booking, payment or menu link into a short tracked link through Spaces, and later list its short links with how many people opened each one. You ask in plain words, such as "make a tracked link for my booking page", and the agent creates it and uses it in replies.
Once your agent's tracked links have been opened at least once, the activity summary in your Spaces dashboard also shows how many people your agent sent to your links, alongside replies sent and conversations handled.
Spaces counts opens; it does not connect to your booking system, shop or payment provider, so it cannot see who booked or paid. A link is still a message, so it goes through the same pacing and limits as any other reply, and on WhatsApp the first message to someone new never carries a link.
In short
A tracked link is a short link that counts how many times it was opened before passing people on. Use one for each action that matters, send it when it answers the question, and read the count as a direction, not a final score.
FAQ
Does a tracked link tell me who opened it?
No. It tells you how many times it was opened. That keeps it simple for you and private for your customers.
Will customers notice the link is different?
They will see a short link instead of your long one. When they open it, they land on the same page they would have reached anyway. Saying what the link is for, right before it, helps people trust it.
Can a tracked link tell me how many people booked?
No. It counts opens. To see bookings or payments, look in your booking system or payment provider, because that is where they happen.
How many tracked links should I make?
Three or four is plenty for most small businesses: one for booking, one for payment or deposits, and one for your menu or price list. More than that spreads the numbers too thin.
Can I put a tracked link in a first message on WhatsApp?
No. Spaces sends the first message to someone new on WhatsApp as plain text, with no links. Send the link in a reply once the person has answered.
Do links make my account look like spam?
A link in a reply to a customer who asked how to book is normal. Many links, the same link-heavy message to lots of people, or links in unasked first messages are what look like spam. Keep links to replies and one per message.
What does a low number of opens mean?
Usually that the reply is not making the link look worth tapping, or that it is sent before the customer's question is answered. Try putting the answer first and saying what the link is for. If the count stays low, check the link still goes to the right page.
How do I see the numbers?
Ask your AI agent to list your tracked links and how many times each was opened. Once any link has been opened, your dashboard activity also shows how many people your agent sent to your links.