Imagine scrolling through a blog or social feed and encountering this link:
It’s long, messy, and takes up a lot of space. You’re not likely to click on it.
Contrast it with this link:
That’s much cleaner, more professional, and likelier to get that click. You can take any oversized link and shrink it down with a URL shortener (also known as a link shortener). With a URL shortener, you can generate smaller links that fit better into social media posts and other marketing collateral.
Many URL shorteners also offer toolkits for tracking links, so you can see how many people clicked on a given link and where those users are in the world. You can use them to improve your marketing efforts and provide better experiences for your customers and followers on social media.
In this article, you'll learn all about URL shorteners, including which ones are ideal for your specific needs.
What exactly is a "URL"?
URL is short for uniform resource locator, and it specifies where a resource resides on a computer network, while also telling you how to retrieve it. While it’s informally called a web address, a URL is also not the same as a domain name. A domain name is just one part of a URL. The image below shows the difference:
What is a URL shortener?
A URL shortener is a digital tool that enables you to take a long link and create a new, shorter one that takes people to the same location.
These tools work by storing your original web address in their database with a unique identifier. When someone clicks your condensed link, the service finds the full address and directs visitors to the correct page within seconds.
These days, most link shorteners allow you to track your link metrics.
However, if you just need a shorter link, using a free URL shortener couldn't be easier.
How to shorten a link
Let's take a quick look at how to shorten a URL using a tool like Bit.ly.
- Copy your long link to your clipboard.
- Go to Bit.ly.
- Paste or write your link into the box provided.
4. Click "Shorten.”
5. Copy your new short link to your clipboard to paste elsewhere.
To make shortening links possible, many URL shorteners have short domain names themselves, such as Bit.ly and IS.GD.
Many also allow you to create short links with your own customized URL. We'll cover these in more detail below.
Why should you use a URL shortener?
URL shorteners make it easier to share and manage long URLs that clutter marketing and social media channels. They can help you avoid excessively long and confusing web addresses.
What's more, you can use a custom URL shortener to create a memorable, branded URL.
Advanced shortening tools also give you the ability to schedule links to activate or expire on specific dates. This proves useful for time-sensitive promotions or campaigns where you want to control when people can access certain content.
Benefits of having a shortened URL
Shortened links are much easier to read, memorize, and type. This makes them particularly useful when sharing URLs in any form of print advertising, such as posters, flyers, magazines, or business cards.
Plus, branded short links receive up to 39% more clicks compared to generic short URLs.
These branded short links also have another key benefit. Unfortunately, URL shorteners are often used by spammers to hide the URL destination, leading unsuspecting people to click on links they shouldn’t.
By branding your short URLs, you can avoid being perceived as a spammer.
For example, Condé Nast Traveler uses Rebrandly to create its own custom short links with the domain "cntrvler.co," as seen in the image below.
The lesson here is that as long as your custom short URL relates to your brand and is used regularly, people will be more likely to trust your links.
Another key benefit of using URL shorteners is the ability to track how your audience engages with your links. Many URL shorteners provide access to a host of metrics and insights marketers can use to review and improve their campaigns.
Some sophisticated link management platforms can even connect with CRM systems to monitor what happens after users click through to your site. This lets you see the complete customer journey from initial click to final purchase.
For instance, Bitly's Enterprise dashboard provides numerous metrics, including:
- Total clicks
- Bitlinks created
- Total unique clicks
- Clicks per unique
- Bitly network clicks
- Bitly network links
- Top Bitlinks
- Bitly network top content
- Top referrers
- Top locations
10 best URL shorteners to use
There are tons of great URL shorteners out there, each with a wide range of features. Here's a quick overview of the most popular link shorteners.
1. Bitly
Best for: Businesses of all sizes.
Bitly is considered the best URL shortener because of its ease of use.
As shown above, anyone can use Bitly anonymously to create as many short links as they like.
The free account allows you to create up to 10 bit.ly URLs per month. Plus, it lets you create a Bitly-branded link-in-bio page, where you can showcase all of your most important links.
Paid plans are available and start from around $8 per month. These allow you to create as many short links as you like and access detailed analytics reports.
Bitly also integrates with many other services, such as Zapier and TweetDeck.
2. Rebrandly
Best for: Small businesses focused on branding.
Rebrandly is a URL shortener that focuses on helping businesses generate custom URL slugs.
They help you to set up a new domain to use for short URLs in minutes. Alternatively, they can help you to set up your current website domain name to use with your short URLs.
Their free plan allows you to create and track up to 25 branded links, using one custom domain. For additional link management features, premium accounts are available from $13 per month.
Rebrandly also integrates with many other services, such as Buffer and Zapier.
3. Pretty Links
Best for: Affiliate marketers, bloggers, and influencers.
Pretty Links makes it easy to manage your affiliate and social links.
Once installed, it provides easy access to all your links, right from your website's admin area.
Plus, you can create custom branded URLs as well as search, group, and track clicks for your links.
For these reasons, Pretty Links is the ideal choice for affiliate marketers and bloggers looking to improve the customer experience.
Pretty Links' plans start at $8.29 per month, billed annually.
4. TinyURL
Best for: Casual users in need of a quick and easy-to-use URL shortener.
TinyURL was one of the first to offer link shortening. Over the years, this tool has been updated to include features like link management, URL customization, and custom domains.
TinyURL is simple to use. Once you've created an account, you can manage your shortened URLs from the TinyURL dashboard. Premium users can also see their link history and measure how their short URLs build their brand awareness.
TinyURL offers a free basic version of its tool that lets you shorten, customize, and track links. Pro plans start at $9.99 per month, billed annually.
5. Polr
Best for: Creating and hosting your own URL shortener.
Polr is an open-source project that allows anyone with the technical know-how to create and host their own link shortener.
You can use Polr as it is, or customize it to your individual needs. The tool was written in PHP and Lumen, using MySQL. If that last sentence is inscrutable, then other URL shorteners may be safer bets for you.
6. Is.gd
Best for: Casual users in need of a quick and easy-to-use URL shortener.
Is.gd is another handy tool for creating a shortened link for your website, social media page, or YouTube channel. This is definitely one of the fastest URL shorteners out there, and it’s free to use. All you have to do is enter the URL in the given space, click the Shorten button, and you're done.
You can also check your link's statistics by using the preview feature. Links are permanent once they've been created, so you don't have to worry about them disappearing. Another plus is that you can customize the links at the end to make them unique to represent your brand or identity.
As well as helping you shorten your links, this tool has the ability to create a QR code. Since many smartphones have the ability to read QR codes, they can be added to your business cards or advertisements so those interested can get to your links that way as well.
7. Ow.ly
Best for: Hootsuite users and businesses looking for a feature-packed social media management tool.
Ow.ly is a popular URL shortener that works as part of Hootsuite's social media management application. The tool lets you track URL metrics, such as referral sources, number of clicks, and location.
You can use Hootsuite and Ow.ly's free plan to manage your social media and create short links using the Ow.ly domain. To add a custom-branded URL, you'll need to upgrade to the team plan for $249 per month.
8. Link Squeeze
Best for: Companies serious about revenue optimization.
Link Squeeze functions as a comprehensive link engagement platform providing condensed URLs, QR codes, and link retargeting capabilities. You can distribute shortened addresses across marketing channels while adding tracking pixels to re-engage and retarget visitors through personalized campaigns.
For businesses wanting to maximize return on investment, Link Squeeze includes trackable discount functionality and comprehensive analytics. Notable features encompass link retargeting, UTM creation tools, and detailed dashboards.
The platform offers a free option or professional access for $9.99 monthly. Both plans include unlimited short links, though the professional tier provides enhanced analytics including revenue monitoring.
9. SnipIt
Best for: Consolidating URLs across multiple platforms.
SnipIt delivers premium functionality through a free service accessible directly from your Shopify admin panel. The application automatically imports all pages from your ecommerce store to simplify URL shortening as needed.
Integration with Bitly and TinyURL allows you to view all condensed links in one central location. You can personalize and modify URLs while accessing daily tracking to monitor link performance in real time.
Key features include automatic product and page imports, integration with Bitly and TinyURL, plus comprehensive dashboards and daily analytics. The service is completely free.
How to create customized branded short links
Now that you have all the basics covered, let's take a closer look at how to set up and create custom branded short links using Rebrandly.
Step 1: Setup a custom domain name
To start, head to Rebrandly's website and click Sign Up Now.
Then, select the free plan and create an account. You'll need to confirm your email address before you can access the dashboard.
Next, click "Add a branded domain."
If you don't already have a website with your own URL, Rebrandly will help you to set one up.
Just type in desired domain names to see if they're available. When you find one you like, follow Rebrandly's instructions.
Many domain registrars take a few days to register a new domain, but Rebrandly is fast. It allows you to purchase a new domain name and connect it, and within 15 minutes share links using the URL.
If you already have a website and a domain name you want to use, there are a few extra steps you need to take.
First, click "Setup DNS."
Then, type in your website domain name.
Next, Rebrandly will ask you if your domain name is "spare," meaning that it's not being used for your blog or website.
If you're using your domain name already, you'll need to create a new subdomain name by adding a prefix, such as "go."
Once you've done this, you'll need to log in to your domain registrar dashboard. This will be whoever you bought your domain from (i.e., GoDaddy, HostGator, Register, Bluehost, etc.).
Then, you'll need to configure your DNS records to add your new subdomain and connect it with Rebrandly.
Unfortunately, registering an existing domain can take up to 24 hours. Rebrandly will email you when it's done so you can add your domain to your Rebrandly workspaces.
If you need any help along the way, simply follow these instructions.
Step 2: Create a custom branded URL
Once you've set up your domain name, it's easy to create a new short link. Just click New Link and paste in the link you want to shorten.
On the left, you can use the "Branded domain" drop-down menu to select your custom domain, or just use the rebrand.ly domain for now.
You can also customize the URL slash-tag to avoid a jumble of random letters and numbers.
Then, click "Create link."
Best URL shorteners FAQ
What are the best link shorteners?
- Bitly: Best for businesses of all sizes.
- Rebrandly: Best for small businesses focused on branding.
- Pretty Links: Best for affiliate marketers, bloggers, and influencers.
- TinyURL: Best for casual users in need of a quick and easy-to-use URL shortener.
- Polr: Best for creating and hosting your own link shortener.
- Is.gd: Best for casual users in need of a quick and easy-to-use URL shortener.
- Ow.ly: Best for Hootsuite users and businesses looking for a feature-packed social media management tool.
- Link Squeeze: Best for companies that are serious about revenue optimization.
- SnipIt: Best for consolidating URLs across multiple platforms.
Why do marketers use URL shorteners?
URL shorteners allow marketers to remove clutter from social media posts and other marketing materials, while also tracking links and creating custom branded URLs. Branded URLs generate more trust and receive high click-through rates. Plus, they prevent users from thinking your links may be spam.
What are the benefits of using a URL shortener?
Here are some of the main benefits of using a URL shortener:
- URL shorteners make your links visually appealing. A shorter link looks cleaner and more trustworthy than a longer one, especially when the links are customized.
- They also help you track your performance. Most link shorteners give you data that will help you understand the success of your links. By knowing this, you can understand better what your audience is engaging with, and adjust your marketing strategies accordingly.
- When you have character limits, a link shortener can help you squeeze in the URL you want to share, without burdening yourself with extra characters.
- On social media platforms people are more familiar with shortened links. They trust shorter links more, and are more likely to click on a shorter link. Simply by changing your long links to shorter ones, you could be improving the effectiveness of your social media strategy.
- Whether you’re adding them to an email or a personal message, it's so much easier to share a short link than a long one.