Pause or delete a link when a client leaves: what changes

What is the difference between pausing and deleting a link?

A paused link keeps working for the visitor. When someone clicks a button that uses it, they are still taken to the WhatsApp chat with the number on the link. The only change is that the click is no longer counted in the panel.

A deleted link stops working. Anyone who clicks a button with that address will not reach the chat. That is the biggest difference, and it is why you must replace the address on the site before you delete anything.

• Paused: the person still reaches WhatsApp, clicks are not counted
• Deleted: the address stops working, so the button is broken
• Both: the history you already collected is something you should export before acting

Which option should you pick when a client leaves?

It depends on who keeps controlling the site. If the client keeps using the buttons that point to your links, pausing is safer, because the buttons continue to work. If the client replaces the buttons with their own addresses, or the site is going offline, deleting is cleaner.

The worst option is deleting without telling the client. They may still have a button in the footer, a QR code on a flyer or an old ad pointing to the address. Nothing warns you, and customers find a dead link.

If you are not sure, pause first. You can delete later once you have confirmed that no button, ad or printed material still uses the address.

What is a safe handover process?

Treat the end of a contract as a small project with a clear date. Agree on what will happen to the links and write it in an e-mail so both sides remember it.

1. Export the click history as CSV and save the printable report as PDF for your records and for the client.
2. Decide who will own the data from now on. If the client has their own login, the panel is already theirs.
3. List every place that uses the links: site, bio, ads, e-mail signature, QR codes.
4. Give the client time to replace the addresses with their own, or agree to keep the links active for a set period.
5. After that date, pause the links and watch for a few days that nothing breaks.
6. Delete only when you are sure nothing points to them.

What should you tell the client in writing?

Send a short message before you touch anything. Say which links exist, which number each one opens, which of them you plan to pause and on what date, and what the client must do to keep their buttons working. Ask for a reply, even a simple yes.

This protects both sides. If a customer later says the button did not work, you can point to the date and the agreement. It also gives the client a clear moment to move the links to their own account, replace the addresses on the site, or ask you to keep things running for a while longer.

• Names of the links and the number each one opens
• The date you will pause and, later, delete
• Where the exported CSV and PDF report are saved
• Who to contact if a button stops working

Can the client keep the links working without you?

Yes, if the links live in the client's own account. That is one of the reasons many agencies use one login per client. The client keeps access to the panel, keeps the history, and can edit the number, the message or the status of each link.

If the links live in your account, the client depends on you to keep them alive. In that case, decide if you will keep them running for a fee, hand over the details by exporting the data, or help the client build new links on their own account before you delete yours.

What changes in the numbers after you pause?

The Summary stops showing new clicks for that link, and the day-by-day chart flattens. If you use the filter by link, the line simply ends. Remember that the alert about a link with no clicks for 24 hours may appear, which is expected after a pause and not a problem.

For a deleted link, assume its history goes with it, so export first. Keep the CSV in a folder named after the client and the date, in case the client asks questions months later.

Never delete a link just to tidy the list. A link that is used in an old ad or a printed flyer can still bring customers to your former client.