With the growth of ecommerce, many companies and individuals are choosing to improve their online marketing strategies.
One of the main goals is to get as much visibility as possible, and to do that, it is very important to know how to shorten URLs, so that they are not only much easier to work with, but also more accessible to potential prospects and have a positive influence on the ranking of the content hosted on the website.
And we are not just talking about reducing the number of characters in the link, but also about being able to customize that link with the right words, so the content behind the link stands out even more.
That is why, and because you may not be familiar with this kind of tool yet, we want to offer you a complete guide to understanding the benefits of using a link shortener.
What does shortening a URL mean?
Before we start, let's explain what a URL is. A URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, is simply a string of characters whose purpose is to create and assign a custom address. This way, each resource, whether it is an image, a video, an audio file or a web page, has a unique link that gives access to its content. When URLs work correctly, they make browsing easier across the web and give you the chance to find the resources you want much faster and more precisely.
This way, you remove possible obstacles such as broken links and the attached message being read incorrectly because of the number of characters. This happens above all today, with the growing use of social networks like Twitter, where there is a maximum number of characters per post, and of mobile messaging.
Even so, many users are reluctant to click on a shortened URL when they come across one. Shortened URLs can lead to unwanted websites because they do not carry all the information that a full URL offers. That is why many link shorteners emphasize the option to customize the URL, to give users confidence. This way, users only need to hover over the link, without clicking on it, to get a preview of the attached website.
How do you shorten a URL?
To shorten a URL correctly, you need to use a link shortener. To do it, you only need to choose one of the shorteners available online so it carries out the process correctly.
All you need to do is copy the website's URL correctly to get what is called a URL alias. The URL alias, or short URL, is the one that will redirect to the original URL.
It is also important to know that using this kind of tool does not change the name of the domain itself. It only creates a shorter hyperlink that links to the destination website.
Why shorten a URL?
As we have already mentioned, it is much more practical to have a short URL that is easy to remember than one that is too long and full of random characters. That way, sharing the link online will be much more convenient and, along the way, you will be able to keep thorough track of the number of clicks the link has received.
This last point is what sets short URLs apart from long ones, because it lets digital marketing experts know the real impact of their work.
However, by the same token, shortening a URL also means masking that web address, so many potential prospects could mistake the short URL for some kind of hidden spam. Fortunately, most current browsers, such as Chrome, protect users from those potentially malicious links.
Benefits and drawbacks of shortening a URL
Before you choose to use a link shortener, it is very important to know all the benefits and drawbacks of shortening a URL.
As for its benefits, we want to highlight the following:
- Optimizing and saving characters for use on social networks and in mobile messaging.
- A better look for the link itself.
- The option to customize the URL to include keywords that improve the website's ranking.
However, there are also some drawbacks when it comes to shortening a URL:
- A short URL can be misleading, because you cannot clearly see where the hyperlink redirects. It can also end up being treated as spam in your email inbox.
- Depending on an external service could make the content of your website harder to see if that service goes down.
- Longer load times caused by redirecting the main link to the website. If the load time is too long for the user who needs the information, it can reduce the number of visits to the page.
What are link shorteners?
A link shortener, or URL shortener, is a service that some websites offer as an online tool to improve the visibility, functionality and ranking of a website. The URL you get after using it will be shorter and easier to handle for the company or individual. You only need to click on it to be taken to the original web page.
A good link shortener should let you customize the URL so that links are more visual and easier to remember without losing the connection with the website's brand. This way, the website's image is reinforced without losing personality in the effort to be much more accessible to the target audience.
They should also make full tracking possible, so you know the number of clicks and where they come from, and can focus your next marketing campaigns on boosting the number of visits across the different online channels.
Among other desirable features, we should highlight that the shortener is secure and protected against possible third-party access, so it can comply with the required security policies.
The 8 best link shorteners
Below, we are going to show you 8 link shorteners that may be of great interest to you. Take note!
TinyURL
The first free online URL shortener service was TinyURL, which has been running since no less than 2002. It is a very fast, easy and intuitive tool that creates short links that, on top of that, never expire.
It lets you customize the URL, or it suggests a short link itself if you do not specify anything. It is still one of the most popular tools and, despite being free, it does not collect or send any kind of information about the shortened links and the traffic they receive.
Bit.ly
When it comes not only to shortening links but also to branding and tracking them, many point to Bit.ly as the best option today, especially for large companies. You can use it anonymously and for free to shorten the occasional URL, as well as to keep track of click-through rate and referrals, but only for up to 1,000 unbranded links a month, a plan that may be enough for small businesses.
Where it really stands out, however, is in its basic and advanced plans, with a large number of high-quality custom services.
Ow.ly
The social media management platform Hootsuite has its own URL shortener, which is none other than Ow.ly. It is a very popular tool among Hootsuite users and one of the most used on social networks, and it lets you track metrics, clicks, location and referral sources.
It offers a free service, but to add a custom branded URL you need to upgrade to the paid plan.
Shorte.ST
There are URL shorteners that, instead of asking you to pay for their services, pay you to use them. Obviously, this is in exchange for using the data they collect for the benefit of companies and third parties.
Shorte.ST is one of the shorteners that pays its users the most, with the rate varying depending on the location of the audience in question. It also offers a statistics dashboard.
T.co
Whenever someone posts a link on Twitter, the platform automatically runs it through this URL shortener, which filters every link the social network collects, even those that are posted already shortened in another format. To use it, you need to have a Twitter account.
Tiny.cc
Tiny.cc is a special shortener, because it lets you turn the links you shorten with it into a QR code, which can be shared right away to be scanned with a smartphone or a reader. It also lets you customize shortened URLs, share them on Twitter and Facebook, and check some statistics even without signing up, although it contains ads.
Paypal.me
Just as Facebook did at the time, the online payment platform Paypal created its own URL shortening service to provide secure shortened URLs to the professionals who work with it to receive their payments. It lets you customize the link with the name of the individual or the company.
Smart URL
A very useful shortener to shorten URLs without any hassle, simply and very quickly, which also lets you customize them and adapt them to the web or smartphones. It provides data analysis based on clicks, and a complete tool for businesses.
