Are you looking for a way to shorten your WordPress website links so you can track clicks when sharing?
If you have long, unreadable URLs on your website, a URL shortener can reduce them to a few characters. This makes it easier to share them on any platform. You can also track the number of clicks on them and more.
What is a link shortener, and why should you use it on your site?
A URL shortener is a tool that helps convert long WordPress website links into short and shareable links. It simplifies complex URLs that are hard to read by reducing a few characters and turning them into tiny sausages.
Users are redirected to the correct page when clicking the shortened URL. They use a redirect that tells search engines that the link is permanent and won’t go anywhere. Using 301 does not affect your WordPress SEO.
Short URLs are handy for sharing content on social media. Some social media platforms like Twitter offer a limited number of characters you can use. If you have a long link, it can take up a lot of space.
Using a shortened URL helps save valuable character space that you can use to write compelling copy, get more clicks, and increase engagement.
You can also use link shorteners to convert affiliate links into more readable ones.
Affiliate links are usually long, hard to remember, and contain your affiliate ID or username. This complicates them and something like this:
https://www.site.com/products/?product_id=12345&affiliate=123345623456
You can turn them into shareable links using a URL shortener. Some tools even allow you to hide affiliate links and make them look more professional, such as:
https://site.com/refer/productname
The best part about URL shorteners is that they track the number of clicks. In this way, you can see which link has the most clicks.
However, look at some of the best URL shorteners for your WordPress website.
1. Pretty Links
The Pretty Links service is the first of the best link shorteners for WordPress.
Pretty Links plugin is the best WordPress link shortener and most popular affiliate link management tool. This helps to shorten long and complex links to shortened URLs with your brand name.
You can use this plugin for links outside your website. For example, you can hide affiliate links and convert them to readable URLs. This makes it an excellent tool for creating shareable links for various platforms, such as social media.
When shortening a link, Pretty Links offers several options for redirection. You can choose temporary 302 and 307 redirects, permanent 301 redirects, and more.
With Pretty Links, you can manage all your shortened URLs from your WordPress dashboard. The premium version has options to group links into categories and tags.
The plugin also offers other features, such as an auto-connect feature. You can add affiliate links for specific keywords, and the plugin will automatically insert them into the content.
Pretty Links also helps track the number of clicks for each shortened URL. It displays a report inside the WordPress dashboard that shows the browser, operating system, timestamp, host, URI, and other data for each link.
Apart from that, this plugin also integrates with MonsterInsights. You can track affiliate link clicks in Google Analytics and better understand your users’ behavior.
Pretty Links is the best tool for those seeking a complete link management solution for their WordPress site. You can easily manage affiliate links, hide and flag them, shorten any URL on your site, and track link clicks.
Advantages:
- Perfect plugin for beginners to create custom links
- Easily manage and organize your URLs from your WordPress dashboard
- Cloaks complex affiliate links
- Use the auto-link feature to add links to specific keywords automatically
- Provides social sharing buttons for easy sharing of short links
- Seamless integration with other plugins such as MonsterInsights
Disadvantages:
You can’t check if a link is broken before publishing
2. Bitly
Another one of the best link shorteners for WordPress is the Bitly plugin.
Bitly is one of the most popular link shorteners on the market. It helps you create short links, QR codes, and link pages in your bio. This tool is straightforward to use, and you get started for free.
To shorten a URL, enter the link, and Bitly will generate a shortened link for you. In the free version, you will get a URL with the domain name “bit.ly” that will look like this: https://bit.ly/TESTTEST.
If you upgrade to the premium version, add a custom domain and remove the Bitly branding from the links.
Bitly makes it very easy to track individual links and get analytics in your account dashboard. For example, this link clicks tool shows the technology used by your users to click on a short URL and where you get the most clicks from.
Bitly WordPress plugin also has suggestions. This free plugin allows you to shorten a link for selected post types. You can also see the number of clicks from your dashboard for each shortened URL.
Bitly is great for free users who want to try link shortening and companies who wish to try a robust link shortening and tracking tool. You can easily create short links and QR codes for your business. Plus, it provides detailed analytics and reports for link clicks, QR code scans, country-level data, and more.
Advantages:
- Create custom short links with a few clicks
- View link click reports from your Bitly account dashboard
- It offers a free WordPress plugin
- Allows you to create QR codes for links
- Provides link feature on bio page
- You can connect a custom domain with Bitly
Disadvantages:
- The free version has limited features
- Uses the Bitly brand in short links on the free plan
- You cannot program URLs or automatically link to keywords
3. ThirstyAffiliates
ThirstyAffiliates is the best link management plugin for WordPress that allows you to hide your affiliate links. You can turn long and unshareable affiliate links into beautiful, short URLs that are easy to read.
This plugin allows you to manage all your links from your WordPress dashboard. You can easily create branded links, add them to your content and hems, and organize their categories.
This plugin even tracks your links and displays reports in your WordPress admin performance and stop-performing your shortened links performance and the top-performing affiliate so ats.
ThirstyAffiliates also generates with MonsterInsights so that you can track them in Google Analytics. It tracks geographic location and shows which area you get the most clicks from.
Thirsto inserts affiliate links into content automatically. You can use it to automatically insert affiliate links into content, import links, check for links with 404 errors, schedule affiliate links, and more.
If you are an affiliate marketer or a blogger using WordPress, ThirstyAffiliates is for you. It is straightforward and can shorten any URL with just a few clicks. ThirstyAffiliates is also a great alternative to Pretty Links.
Advantages:
- Very easy to use and shorten URLs
- This allows you to choose a prefix for your links
- Easily manage all your links from one place
- Provides for automatic keyword linking
- Automatically checks links for 404 errors
Disadvantages:
- Dashboard reports are not that detailed
- It does not integrate with e-commerce plugins such as WooCommerce
- The free version is excellent but offers limited features
4. URL Shortener by MyThemeShop
URL Shortener by MyThemeShop is a free WordPress plugin that helps you create short links for your website. This plugin for beginners is lightweight and won’t slow down your website.
You can easily create a shortened version of your URLs and share them on social media. This plugin also helps to shorten long links to external resources. This makes your links more readable and shareable.
URL Shortener by MyThemeShop offers several types of redirects to choose from. Allows you to choose between 301, 302, and 307. You can manage all your short links from your WordPress admin panel and organize them into different categories.
The best part is that it also tracks all your URLs and shows the number of clicks. It is beneficial if you have affiliate links and want to see which affiliate gets the most clicks and generates revenue.
If you’ve just launched a new website and are looking for a free WordPress plugin to shorten URLs and track them, URL Shortener by MyThemeShop is the best choice. It lets you customize your short link, choose a redirect type, and offers several features for free.
Advantages:
- User-friendly and lightweight plugin
- It offers an auto-connect feature in a free plan
- Organize your links into categories
- Open short links in a new tab or window
- Add nofollow tags to your affiliate links
Disadvantages:
- The trace report shows limited information
- It does not integrate with analytics plugins like MonsterInsights
- You don’t get a link timer or broken link finder
5. URL Shortify
Another one of the best link shorteners for WordPress is the URL Shortify plugin.
URL Shortify plugin is another free WordPress URL shortener plugin and is an excellent alternative to URL Shortener by MyThemeShop and Bitly WordPress plugin.
You can easily create short links from your WordPress dashboard, choose the type of redirect and even group links into categories. This plugin also allows you to enable the option to add nofollow and sponsored tags to your links automatically.
During our testing, what set URL Shortify apart were its dashboard reports. It shows more details compared to other free options on your list.
For example, you’ll see click history, top locations, referrers, devices, browsers, platforms, and more. The report also details each click, so you know how your short URLs perform.
URL Shortify is an excellent free solution for affiliate marketers, bloggers, podcasters, and anyone looking to manage links on their WordPress site.
Advantages:
- Easily customize your short links using your branding
- Automatically generate short URLs for your posts and pages
- Manage and organize links from the WordPress dashboard
- Track link clicks and gets detailed analytical reports
- Integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads
Disadvantages:
- There is no broken link checker in the free version
- You cannot generate QR codes in the free plan
7. TinyURL
TinyURL is a URL shortener that you can use to create short links and QR codes. It’s a great alternative if you don’t want to use a WordPress or Bitly plugin and want to condense long URLs quickly.
The best part about the tool during our testing is that you can create unlimited short URLs in the free version. It is an affordable option for new websites and beginners.
Best URL shorteners for WordPress to track links 13 – Introducing the best link shorteners for WordPress
You must upgrade to the premium version to add your brand in links and access analytics. This unlocks reports where you can see URL click history, a dashboard report, a timeline of clicks over time, a map of where people click on your links, and more.
TinyURL is an affordable option for businesses looking for a premium link shortener. You can customize links using your domain or subdomain while tracking link clicks.
Advantages:
- Very easy to use and create short URLs
- Short links do not have an expiration date
- Easily manage your links from the TinyURL dashboard
- Affordable pricing plans
Disadvantages:
- The free version has limited features and functionality
- No integration with WordPress plugins or analytics tools
- You cannot auto-link, auto-cover, or schedule short links
- Analytical reports show basic information
What is the best Link Shortener for WordPress?
After reviewing several plugins and tools, we recommend Pretty Links as the best URL shortener for WordPress.
Its features help turn long and complex URLs into readable and shareable links. Setting up and using this plugin is very easy.
You can also choose from a handful of redirect types, use the auto-link feature to automatically add links to your content, and manage your short URLs from your WordPress dashboard.
In addition, Pretty Links helps track clicks on links. You can also integrate it with MonsterInsights to track clicks in Google Analytics.
Alternatively, if you are looking for an external tool that shortens links and offers a WordPress plugin, you can use Bitly.
Frequently asked questions about the best URL shortener
Here are some of the most common questions people ask about URL shorteners:
1. What is the best free link shortener?
We recommend Pretty Links and Bitly as the best free URL shorteners from our testing. Pretty Links is excellent for WordPress sites looking to manage and track their affiliate links. Bitly is perfect if you want to shorten a few URLs.
2. Are link shorteners good for SEO?
URL shorteners will not affect your WordPress SEO and website visibility if used wisely. Short links don’t completely cut through the link water, so you shouldn’t use them as the primary form of link building for your website.
3. Do short links expire?
Some short URLs expire, while others do not. It usually depends on the URL shortener you are using. For example, custom links created using TinyURL do not expire.
Another set of WordPress tutorials has been completed. We hope that this tutorial will be helpful for you to learn and know the best link shorteners for WordPress.