# WhatsApp links in ads

> Use a wa.link as the destination of your ads, tell campaigns apart, route ad traffic by source or business hours and keep bots out of the count.

An ad that opens a WhatsApp chat skips the web form: the visitor taps and is already talking to you. A wa.link makes that work on any platform that takes a website link, and lets you see and steer the traffic once it arrives.

## Use a wa.link as the destination

Paste your wa.link where the ad asks for a website URL. A tap opens the chat with your pre-filled message, so write one that names the offer: `Hi, I saw your ad for the spring sale.`

On Facebook and Instagram, Meta also offers ads with a WhatsApp button that opens the chat directly, with results reported in Ads Manager. A wa.link covers every other place that takes a link, such as TikTok, Snapchat, Google or a newsletter, and puts the clicks from all of them in one report.

Ad platforms review destination links, and some have rules for links that redirect. Check the platform's ad policy before you launch.

## Tell campaigns apart

**Traffic Sources** groups clicks by the site or app that sent them, not by campaign. To compare campaigns, pick one of these:

- One link per campaign. Give each campaign its own [Premium Link](https://walink.com/docs/premium-links) and each gets its own analytics, at $9 a year per link.
- One message per ad. Put a [message variable](https://walink.com/docs/premium-links/message-variables) in a single Premium Link's message, such as `Hi, I saw your {{ad}} ad.`, and give each ad its own URL: `wa.link/tiendaluna?ad=spring`. The chat tells you which ad brought the visitor, while analytics counts every ad together.
- One destination per campaign. On a Smart Link in **Referral Source** mode, select **Custom** on a destination and enter your campaign tag, such as `spring-sale` for a link ending in `?utm_campaign=spring-sale`. **Clicks per Destination** then shows the split, and each destination greets the visitor with its own message.

## Route ad traffic

A [Smart Link](https://walink.com/docs/smart-links) sends each click to one of several WhatsApp accounts, using one routing mode:

- **Referral Source**: TikTok clicks to one person, Instagram clicks to another. A click doesn't always carry its source, so add `utm_source=tiktok`, `utm_source=instagram`, `utm_source=facebook` or `utm_source=snapchat` to each ad's URL. Walink reads those tags too.
- **Business Hours**: your ads run all night, your team doesn't. Clicks inside a destination's hours go to that person, in the time zone you set, and the rest go to the fallback destination, such as an account that replies first thing in the morning.
- **Location**: a campaign in several countries sends each visitor to the team for their country.

Every Smart Link includes its default destination, and each additional destination is $5 a month. [Routing](https://walink.com/docs/smart-links/routing) walks through each mode.

## TikTok and Snapchat

TikTok and Snapchat open links inside their own browser, where WhatsApp often can't open. A Premium Link with **Open in External Browser** on shows those visitors a short page with the steps to open the link in their phone's browser. From there WhatsApp opens as usual. When you switch it on, TikTok and Snapchat are already picked.

Smart Links don't have this setting, so point TikTok and Snapchat ads to a Premium Link. [In-app browsers](https://walink.com/docs/premium-links/in-app-browsers) has the details.

## Bots and link previews

Apps such as Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and services such as Google's, fetch links on their own to build previews or check them for safety. Walink leaves the automated visits it recognizes out of your numbers, including requests from Meta's and Google's own networks. There's nothing to set up. More in [Analytics](https://walink.com/docs/analytics).