Using link shorteners, you can reduce long and difficult URLs to just a few characters with just one click. Anyone who deals with the Internet browser can use link shorteners, such as social media managers, small business owners, people on the tick, and you!
This tutorial will look at everything about how to use link shorteners and why they should be considered an essential part of social media.
What is a link shortener?
Link shorteners (URL) is a tool to create a unique short URL that makes links generally shorter and simpler.
For example, if the web address animalplanet.com/tv-shows/puppy-bowl/full-episodes/puppy-bowl-xvi is shortened with Ow.ly, the ow.ly/uK2f50AJDI6 URL will be created. Forty-eight characters have been removed from the link, but access to the link is still possible.
In some cases, you can even customize the shortened links.
Why use a link shortener?
There are many reasons to use a link shortener, especially if you want to share the link.
Long links look messy and suspicious.
If you are linking to a specific page in the depth and bottom layers of the website, or you are using UTM parameters to track site visitors, you should shorten these long URLs.
Long URLs look ugly everywhere, in social media posts, shared text, or emails.
But worst of all, long links also look very suspicious. Anything can happen when we click on it with all these letters, question marks, numbers, and parentheses! Everything!
A short link shows everything neat, good, and friendly.
Custom link shortener allows you to brand links.
If branding and promoting are part of your social media strategy, link shortening is one of the tools to help you.
With link shorteners, you can customize your short links, which creates a great opportunity for the brand. For example, you can create a short link with just a few clicks with the Hootsuite link shortener.
Especially if you use free hosting services, a custom link shortener can highlight the brand in the links.
It is possible to track performance with shorteners.
Most link shortening sites also provide tracking criteria. This information is about the people who clicked on the link, where, and when. Information that helps calculate ROI.
To easily track source traffic, create various short links using various UTM parameters. Combine it with other analytics tools like Google Analytics. This is one way to succeed in marketing…
Short links make you not worry about limiting the number of characters on social media.
Twitter has a limit of 280 characters, so it’s very important to keep posts short. Short links allow you to use other emojis and characters in your post.
Even in Facebook or Instagram posts where it is possible to write more characters, it is still better to keep everything short for readability and interaction. Short links prevent the TL; DR problem.
TL; DR stands for Too Long; Didn’t Read means “too long; It is not readable.
Another advantage of short links is for text messages or emails, where long links can be difficult to read or disrupt the structure of the text.
The short link stays more in mind.
In addition to all the functional benefits, short links are quicker and easier to remember.
docs.google.com/forms/d/1ezpZnYSA08L3nlsLzgjKToA76qKYgFpKzW5FMaKLoxI is a long link that is certainly very difficult or even impossible to remember, but a short link like bit.ly/submitRW is easier to remember.
If users can type the URL of the link in their browser with just a few keys, you will most likely get more traffic.
How does a link shortener work?
The link shortener works by creating a redirect to a long link.
Entering the URL in the browser sends an HTTP request to the server to populate a specific website. Both long and short URLs are different starting points for the browser to reach a destination.
There are several types of HTTP redirect codes, but look for those that use permanent 301 redirects: Other types may damage your SEO rankings.
13 top link shorteners
Google Link Shortener was disabled in the spring of 2019, but there are many alternatives.
How do you know which one to choose?
Tip: Look for services that offer link customization or have internal analytics.
Link Shortener No. 1: Ow.ly
Owly is built exactly on the Hootsuite platform and includes a variety of designs (including the free version).
You can see your short link metrics and other social analytics to explore brand performance fully.
Link Shortener No. 2: T.co
Twitter has a free internal link shortener that automatically reduces each long link to 23 characters, leaving plenty of room for the rest of the text.
Every link you share – even if it was shortened before! – Converts to t.co. So Twitter can enforce its standard rules and detect spam or dangerous sites.
Link Shortener No. 3: Bitly
Bitly is one of the most popular link shorteners known. One of the reasons is that there is no need to create an account. In addition, you can create as many short links as you want.
In its powerful dashboard, you can see the performance of each link with metrics such as statistical data, referral sources, and clicks.
Free account analysis and customization are possible on the free account, but Basic and Enterprise subscriptions are also available for brand labels, QR codes, more valuable data, and multi-user.
With Bitly, you can monitor link clicks, click locations, and even referrals. You can also integrate Bitly with Zapier and automate other tools supported by Zapier for easier marketing.
Any link created with Bitly is encrypted with HTTPS to protect against tampering. In other words, it is not possible to steal links and redirect them to other places.
Link Shortener No. 4: Tiny URL
The site’s design does not appeal to me, but who cares? It does everything you need to do: it creates a new short link and makes customization possible without logging in.
It has an interesting feature; TinyURL can be added to the browser toolbar, so you can create a short link to any site you visit.
Link Shortener No. 5: Rebrandly
With Rebrandly, you can even create a special short link with a custom domain with a free account.
When it comes to sharing links on social networks, the importance of the number of characters becomes even clearer. This program puts the brand in a short and specific link without using a large number of characters.
In addition, Rebrandly offers tools for tracking, optimizing, and scaling its various designs.
URL shortener number 6: Hyperlink
Using Hyperlink, you will receive a notification immediately after clicking on the links, and you can change the settings to hourly, daily, or weekly.
Details of each click are also provided: referral information, visitor device and location, and a live tracking dashboard.
This app (for iOS and Android) complements the Chrome plugin for those who need to share links quickly and in a hurry.3
Link Shortener No. 7: Tiny. CC
Tiny.CC has a simple user interface that allows you to track and manage links quickly.
Custom items are also available, and if you register, you can follow the statistics related to the shortened link.
Link Shortener No. 8: Bit.Do
Bit. Do is another simple and convenient option that includes everything you need: customization, traffic statistics, and even an automated QR code generator.
There are also brand shortcuts here, but the price is higher.
Link Shortener No. 9: ClickMeter
ClickMeter Dashboard has a nice visual dashboard where you can view links at a glance, track hits and clicks, and more.
Agencies and publishers favor it because of its strong service and the ability to shorten links easily.
Shortener No. 10: Short.io
With Short.io, you can create, customize and shorten links with your domain. Short.io contains a wonderful library of tutorials that will guide you through each part of the platform.
Here you can analyze and track links and features of each click, such as country, date, time, social network, browser, and more. The data is displayed in the “statistics” tab with graphs and tables.
You can add Short.io users to your application and assign team members roles such as owner, administrator, user, or just read. Depending on the role assigned, each team member is allowed to see and do certain tasks.
It is also possible to direct traffic to different site pages based on geographical location.
Free plan with limited features and paid plans with more services are available with an annual discount.
Link Shortener No. 11: JotURL
Journal is much more than a link shortening tool; and it is a cost-effective marketing tool with a complete set of features for those who want to optimize their marketing campaign links and increase their revenue.
Journal has over 100 features that optimize interactions with your audience by monitoring and tracking links to ensure they perform at their best.
Using the Social Opt-in CTA feature, you can improve links with a call message to share on social media.
Monitors links daily and weekly to ensure they are safe and accessible, so never worry about them crashing.
All analyzes are visible in a simple dashboard. You can sort and filter data by keywords, channels, resources, and تا to better understand how links work.
With the InstaURL feature, you can create social media pages optimized for phones. Works especially well on Instagram.
Link Shortener No. 12: Rebrandly
Rebrandly is a link shortener suitable for customization and URL creation to highlight a competitive business in the digital world.
This starts with helping set up the site domain name. But it has many features:
Link Management: Provides fast redirects, QR codes, expiration links, and custom links for the end-user experience. In addition, you can create links in bulk to save time.
Traffic Routing: Enjoy re-targeting links, emoji links, 301 SEO redirects, and deep mobile linking so people can access links effectively.
Analysis: It is possible to use UTM Builder, GDPR privacy, custom reports to improve campaigns, and even add logos to reports to expand your audience.
Manage domain names: You can add multiple domain names, encrypt links with HTTPS, and specify a primary domain redirect.
Teamwork: Add your team to the plan, enable two-factor authentication, track activity reports, and define user access.
There is a limit to accessing advanced features such as bulk link building, link re-targeting, and teamwork in free plans, and you must use paid plans.
Link Shortener No. 13: BL.INK
BL.INK is a complete link shortening tool that makes it easy to track link activity, especially for beginners, using a convenient dashboard.
You can track traffic by location, device type, language, and even referrer, and more easily identify where your target audience is and how they access your content. In addition, you can find out what time of day the clicks interact the most.
BL.INK allows you to create custom short links, and even in the beta version of Smart Link, it is possible to create word-based links that help generate targeted site traffic. You can easily enable user permissions to ensure team members have proper access to the link shortening tool.
BL.INK offers multi-layer designs, so you only pay for what you need. The free plan includes 1000 links and 1000 clicks on each link. It also has a custom domain, integration with Zapier, and brand links. For features such as multi-user, more links and clicks, priority support and device tracking, language, and location monetary schemes are also available.