Create keywords customers can text to join your SMS list, set the auto-reply they receive, and track the subscribers, orders, and revenue each keyword brings in.
What are keywords?
Keywords are words your customers text to your TxtCart number to join your SMS list. For example, if you create the keyword JOIN, anyone who texts JOIN to your number is subscribed, gets an automatic reply confirming their signup, and can be added to a list and tagged automatically.
Keywords are a great way to grow your list outside your storefront, like on packaging, in-store signage, social media posts, or printed QR codes.
To find keywords, go to List Growth > Keywords in the main navigation.
Default keywords
Every account comes with three built-in keywords: START, SUBSCRIBE, and UNSTOP. They're marked with a Default label and a lock icon in the Status column.
Default keywords work right away, so customers can text any of them to subscribe. The words themselves can't be changed, and default keywords can't be archived, but you can still edit how they behave the same way you edit any other keyword. The List column shows a dash (-) for default keywords, which means subscribers who join through them aren't added to a specific list.
How keywords work
When a customer texts one of your keywords to your number, TxtCart subscribes them to your SMS list and sends them the keyword's auto-reply right away. If you selected a list or tags for that keyword, the subscriber is added to that list and tagged automatically.
Keywords aren't case sensitive, so JOIN, Join, and join all work the same way. If someone who's already subscribed texts a keyword, they're still added to the keyword's list and tagged.
Keywords work on every type of sending number TxtCart offers. When a customer texts a keyword, TxtCart detects which country the text comes from and replies from your sending number for that region. If you don't have a sending number for that region, or the country can't be detected, your fallback number is used instead.
From that point on, TxtCart tracks the orders and revenue attributed to subscribers who joined through each keyword, so you can see which keywords are actually driving sales.
Keyword performance
The three cards at the top of the Keywords page show your combined keyword results for the period selected in the date filter (All Time by default).
Card | What it shows |
New Subscribers | Subscribers who opted in through a keyword. |
Revenue Generated | Revenue from orders attributed to subscribers who joined through a keyword in the selected period. |
Orders | Orders attributed to subscribers who joined through a keyword in the selected period. |
Below the cards, the keywords table breaks results down by keyword. You can search for a keyword by name using the search bar, or filter the table by status using the All statuses dropdown.
Column | What it shows |
Keyword | The keyword customers text, and when it was last updated. |
Status | Whether the keyword is a Default keyword, Active, or Paused. |
List | The list subscribers join when they text the keyword. A dash (-) means no list is selected. |
QR code | The QR code connected to the keyword, or an Add QR code button if it doesn't have one yet. |
Joins | The number of subscribers who joined through the keyword. |
Orders | Orders attributed to subscribers who joined through the keyword. |
Revenue | Revenue attributed to subscribers who joined through the keyword. |
Translations
If you sell in more than one country, you can add translations of your auto-reply so subscribers in other regions get the confirmation message in their own language. You can add a translation for every supported country.
When you choose a region, countries where your account doesn't have an active sending number are marked with a No Sender label. The Subscriber Preview on the right also changes to show how the message looks for the selected country.
Note: You can still save a translation for a country marked No Sender, but it won't be sent until your account has an active number in that region.
Attribution
Each keyword has an Attribution setting that controls which orders the keyword can claim credit for. By default, keywords follow your account's attribution setting, which you'll find in Settings > Attribution & Tracking. A keyword's setting can match your account default or be more restrictive, but not less.
Option | What it does |
Use account default | Follows the keyword attribution setting of your account. The dropdown shows which setting that is, for example (All Conversions). |
All Conversions | Attributes all purchases made after receiving a message. |
Discount / Link Clicked | Only attributes purchases where the customer used a discount code or clicked a link. |
None | Doesn't attribute any purchases to the keyword. |
The Attribution field appears when you edit an existing keyword. See Changing a keyword's attribution below.
How to create a keyword
Go to List Growth > Keywords and click Add Keyword in the top right corner.
In the Keyword field, enter the word customers will text to join. Keywords must be one word made up of letters and digits, between 2 and 20 characters long. Keywords aren't case sensitive, so you don't need to create separate versions in uppercase and lowercase.
Some words can't be used as keywords because carriers and TxtCart reserve them for opting out, opting back in, help requests, and confirmations. The blocked words are: STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, UNSUB, UNSUBSCRIBEME, OPTOUT, OPTEDOUT, REVOKE, REVOKED, CEASE, DESIST, CEASEANDDESIST, DISCONTINUE, TERMINATE, WITHDRAW, REMOVE, REMOVEME, DELETE, DELETEME, EXIT, HALT, BLOCK, BLOCKED, STOPMESSAGES, STOPTEXTS, STOPMESSAGING, STOPTEXTING, NOTEXTS, NOMORETEXTS, NOMOREMESSAGES, NOMAS, STOPTHETEXTS, DONTWANTANYMORE, DONTTEXTME, ENOUGH, GOAWAY, LEAVEMEALONE, CANCELME, TAKEMEOFF, LOSEMYNUMBER, START, SUBSCRIBE, UNSTOP, RESUBSCRIBE, RESTART, HELP, INFO, Y, YES, N, NO, and CONFIRM.
In the Auto-reply field, review the message subscribers receive as soon as they text your keyword. The default message already includes your store name, message frequency, rates disclosure, and HELP and STOP instructions. You can edit it, and use the icons below the text box to add an emoji, a variable, or a discount code. If you leave the field empty, no auto-reply is sent.
Important: If you edit the auto-reply, keep your store name, the message frequency, the "Msg & data rates may apply" disclosure, and the HELP and STOP instructions. Carriers require this information in opt-in confirmation messages, and removing it can put your sending number at risk of being filtered or suspended.
In the List dropdown, choose the list subscribers should join when they text this keyword, or leave it on No list.
In the Tags field, search for and select any tags you want applied to every subscriber who texts this keyword. You can select more than one tag, and your selected tags show above the Tags field.
Check the Subscriber Preview on the right to see how the conversation will look, then click Add Keyword. The button becomes clickable once you've entered a keyword. Your new keyword appears in the keywords table with an Active status.
Tip: Pick a keyword that's short, easy to spell, and easy to remember, like JOIN or VIP. Customers are more likely to text a word they can type without thinking twice.
Adding a translation
While creating or editing a keyword, click Add translation below the Auto-reply field. In the Translate this message for dropdown, choose a region, then write the auto-reply in that region's language. To remove a translation, click the X next to the region dropdown.
How to manage a keyword
To manage a keyword, go to List Growth > Keywords and click the ... button at the end of the keyword's row. You'll see three options:
Edit: Opens the keyword so you can update its auto-reply, translations, list, tags, and attribution. Click Save when you're done.
Pause: Stops the keyword from subscribing anyone. While a keyword is paused, customers who text it won't be subscribed.
Archive: Archives the keyword. Default keywords can't be archived.
Changing a keyword's attribution
Click the ... button on the keyword's row and select Edit. Scroll down to the Attribution dropdown, choose the option you want, and click Save.
Adding a QR code to a keyword
You can connect a QR code to a keyword so customers can scan it instead of typing the keyword. When a customer scans the code on their phone, their messaging app opens with your keyword ready to send.
To add one, go to List Growth > Keywords and click Add QR code in the QR code column of the keyword's row. In the window that opens, give the code a name, confirm the keyword it uses, choose what happens when someone scans it from a device that isn't a phone, and set your code and background colours. Click Add QR Code to finish. The QR code's name then appears in the QR code column for that keyword.
For a full walkthrough of every QR code setting, see the QR Codes article.
💡 Have any questions?
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