It’s almost as terrible as a door-to-door financial services salesperson trying to get customers to click on a long, confusing link.
You may expect your audience to do the equivalent of slamming the door in your face if they see what they consider to be a spammy link in one of your social media postings.
When you have a legitimate link to share but don’t want to come across as spammy or sloppy, use one of the link shorteners on our recommended list to transform your relations into uniform, easy-to-follow URLs.
URL Shortener
By using a link shortener, lengthy URLs can be shortened to something more manageable. For example, a link like “example.com/acirmWb2-welcome-my-name-is-blogwi” would become “bit.ly/blogwi.” In addition, when you trim a URL, you can sometimes choose to have it redirect to a custom domain. For example, ‘hubs.ly/url-shorteners’ is one possible branded link for this article.
Why should one use a link shortener, and what are its advantages?
Shortening a link becomes more manageable for sharing, and you can see how effective it is. They’re great for anyone who has to share links online but wants to keep things simple. This includes business owners, marketers, and regular folks.
There are many advantages to using a URL shortener for your company:
An additional benefit of using a shortened link is that it’s easier on the reader’s eyes.
Long links posted on social media platforms can be spammy or cause people to be wary of clicking on an unfamiliar link. Adding tracking attributes (such as UTM codes) to your links might make some unattractive and difficult-to-understand URLs. Utilizing a link shortener is a great way to clean up spammy links and make them more user-friendly.
The metrics of your links can be followed.
Using most link shorteners’ analytics and tracking features, you may learn more about which content performs well on different platforms. For example, you can usually tell how many people clicked the link and from where once a certain length of time has passed.
In social media posts, you can use shortened URLs.
Character counts for posts are capped across all social media platforms. So, for example, you can use a link shortener to fit a link or an extra hashtag into a post on Twitter or LinkedIn, with the shortest character limits (280 and 700 characters, respectively).
If you’re using a shortened link, you won’t need any anchor text.
The term “anchor text” describes the clickable text within a hyperlink. To improve a link’s performance, marketers often alter the anchor text to describe the linked-to content more accurately. You can shorten the link and still include the term in the slug if you’re placing it somewhere you can’t use anchor text, like a social media post or bio.
Backlinks from shortened URLs are SEO gold.
Since abbreviated URLs function similarly to 301 redirects, they can be counted as inbound links. Therefore, link shortening services boost SEO by increasing the number of outbound links to your website by allowing you to shorten links.
Convinced? With the research of the Blogwi website, we will see which is the best URL shortener. Now, let’s have a look at the best link shorteners available.
Best URL Shorteners
- Bitly for both personal and professional purposes
- BL.INK is ideal for large corporations.
- Linktree for Instagram users
- Ow.ly for current Hootsuite users
- TinyURL for hobbyists
- Tiny.CC for one-off link shortening
- Rebrandly for businesses with a smaller following
Bitly
Bitly (or Bit.ly) is a link shortener platform with a detailed dashboard that shows how your links perform in terms of click-through rates and channel statistics. You can also see the locations of your link clickers.
Branded links and integrations with social media management tools (like HubSpot) are also available through this service, allowing for the efficient dissemination of shortened links across various social media profiles.
Bitly’s free plan is great for startups because it allows you to create up to 1,000 links without branding and provides link analytics for 30 days. The enterprise plan offers monthly branding of over 10,000 connections, along with the mentioned statistics and KPIs. Large companies who want to brand and track each link in their marketing campaigns should sign up for this service tier.
Optimal for –
People on their own and businesses of various sizes. As a bonus, it’s free and can have your slugs added to it, making it great for personal and professional use.
Pros
- The option to create short connections without having to create an account
- Available as a free version with 1,000 shortened URLs.
- Availability of 50 custom slugs every month, with no additional fees for the subscription.
- An excellent option for newcomers to the world of link shorteners
Cons
- Once you sign up, and only then will you be able to change the slug.
Pricing options include free, $29/month (basic), $199/month (premium), and personalized (Enterprise)
Bl.INK
Bl.INK, one of the more powerful link shorteners, provides keyword-rich branded URLs.
Clicks can be analyzed in various ways, including by time and day, language and referrer, device, and geographic location. In addition, the software can communicate with other online analytics platforms like Adobe and Google Analytics.
There are five different Bl.INK membership plans are available. Its monthly plans start at $48 and increase in price based on how many links you need to build and monitor.
Optimal for –
Large corporations have a tried and true method of link shortening. Because of this, you may start making use of its many advantages right away.
Pros –
- A comprehensive set of options, perfect for regular URL shortening users
- The cheapest plan includes ten thousand links, or three times as many as Bitly’s most affordable plan.
- Ability to edit links in bulk
Cons –
- There is no URL shortening option unless users sign up.
- A limited number of clicks are recorded (starting at 7,500)
Costs range from $48/month for “Expert+” to $99/month for “SMB” to $299/month for “Team” to $599/month for “Business” to “Custom” (Enterprise)
Linktree
Linktree isn’t limited to only shortening URLs. Instead, it’s a platform that allows users to compile a linked list within their profiles (like this one). Add the links you wish to share on social media to your Linktree. To complete your social profiles, add your Linktree URL.
Having just one link on your profile makes a network like Instagram perfect for this tool. The best thing about Linktree is that it has a URL structure that looks and feels like a shortened link (for example, linktr.ee/yourname). So you won’t have to clutter your Instagram profile with a long and spammy-looking URL.
It also provides analytics to monitor your links’ popularity and the number of visitors to your profile.
Superior to in –
Fans of Instagram prefer a centralized hub for all their shared connections. It also gives analytics, so you may potentially utilize it for business and marketing purposes.
Pros
- Allows you to keep infinite links in one spot
- The short and user-friendly profile link is easy to remember
- Best pick for Instagram users
Cons
- Disappointing if you just want to shorten a few links here and there.
- The free version doesn’t allow you to see extensive analytics
- It wouldn’t be considered an inbound link like a regular shortened link.
Free, $6/month (Pro), and $90/hour (Custom) (Enterprise)
Ow.ly
Every free Hootsuite account comes with access to Ow.ly, a link shortener created by Hootsuite. All links posted to your social media profiles may be shortened using Ow.ly before being distributed, and their performance data can be viewed without leaving the Hootsuite platform. So anybody happy with Hootsuite as their social media management software might consider switching to Ow.ly.
The tool’s only drawback is the lack of information about Ow.ly’s features, such as the number of tracked clicks. The system features an integrated UTM creator.
Optimal for –
Those who are familiar with Hootsuite or who are considering signing up for it to manage their social media profiles. If you’re just starting with Hootsuite, this is an excellent option because it is inexpensive.
Pros
- Hootsuite-natively integrated
- Possibility of viewing link analytics in conjunction with other social metrics
- Configured UTM creator is accessible through the preferences.
- An obvious pick for Hootsuite users.
Cons
- There is no URL shortening option unless users sign up.
- You are not recommended if you aren’t already using Hootsuite because there are better alternatives.
- There is no cost associated with using this service.
TinyURL
TinyURL is a free service for people who occasionally need to shorten links.
TinyURL is easy to use. Going to TinyURL.com and doing as instructed is all that’s required. Simply enter the full URL you want to shorten and give it a unique alias. A link to the form “tinyurl.com/alias” is generated if nobody else has used your alias. After submitting the URL form, you can make changes and distribute the updated link.
Don’t let the tool’s seeming simplicity fool you; once you’ve signed up for a free account, you’ll have access to a wealth of analytical data regarding your links. In addition, the tool’s ease of use and comprehensive reporting make it worthwhile even for one-time use. However, you can only have one active TinyURL at a time unless you pay for a premium account.
Optimal for –
People who just need to shorten URLs sometimes, such as link hobbyists. It’s most suited for you if you only need to trim a single link at a time and will be using the service for a limited period, as its primary feature is a plug-and-play link shortener.
Pros –
- It focuses on its simple plug-and-play interface among the simplest link shorteners.
- All the necessary metrics are included if you wish to monitor traffic and conversions.
- It allows you to set a custom slug from the get-go, unlike Bitly, which requires registration before you can do so.
Cons –
- TinyURL’s free version only allows one active TinyURL at a time.
The monthly costs range from free to $99. (Bulk 100K)
Tiny.CC
Paste your long URL into the text box on Tiny.CC and click the Shorten button to generate a temporary short link. The slug can be modified in the same way that TinyURL can.
Links that don’t expire and can be updated at any time are only available to registered users or those who pay for a subscription. As a free user, you can’t change the link after it’s been created, which will ultimately expire. As a result, it has the fewest features and is the simplest to operate.
The fact that its domain name is so succinct is a plus. When comparing “TinyURL.com/example” to “Tiny.CC/example,” keep in mind the difference in length. Tiny.abbreviated CC’s URL is more concise and less bulky, even if the character count is about the same.
Supreme In –
Converting a long URL into a small one is a breeze. Tiny.CC offers premium subscriptions with more capabilities if you need them.
Pros
- This one is the simplest to implement among these link shorteners: just plug it in and go.
- Option to change the slug without requiring a login
- Paid plans begin at a more reasonable $5 compared to $29 for Rebrandly, for instance.
- A simple alternative for shortening links in a pinch
Cons
- The program’s free version has fewer options and capabilities than paid alternatives.
Free, $5/month (Basic), $25/month (Business), $44/month (Pro), and Custom (Enterprise)
Rebrandly
Rebrandly is a link shortener platform trusted by over 250,000 users. It allows you to add personalized branding to links, monitors their effectiveness, and interfaces with over 50 services.
Rebrandly provides link shortening services for startups with significant development potential, with three individual and two team plans. For example, the basic package includes 5,000 monitored clicks, 500 branded links, and five custom domain names, while the premium plan costs $499 per month and includes 1,500,000 tracked clicks, 150,000 branded links, 20 custom domain names, and more.
But remember that some platforms, like Bitly, allow you to track an unlimited number of clicks. So use such services instead if you anticipate a high volume of clicks.
Is Optimal When Used To –
For novice link shortening strategies, small enterprises. Rebrandly’s base plan is inexpensive and has features that are on par with or even better than those of the market leaders.
Pros
- No-signup-required link shortening
- Unlike Bitly and BLINK, the free edition includes a UTM builder.
- The free edition even lets you create unique URL slugs for your links.
Cons
- There is a limit of 100 recorded clicks per day.
Pricing options include free, $29/year (Starter), $69/year (Pro), $499/year (Premium), and customizable plans (Enterprise)
Using URL Shortening Service Navigation
There’s no harm in shortening a few enormous URLs if you have to share them, as doing so takes little time and effort. In addition to making online content more aesthetically pleasing, shortened links can be used in situations where complete URLs would be inappropriate, such as print ads, physical signage, or social media posts.
You may find a few link shortening services online, some of which are free or provide discounted rates. However, you may be confused about which option is best for you. Here are some quick pointers that we hope you’ll find helpful to assist you.
- An alternative to expensive web analytics software is a link shortener that provides you with simple metrics like the number of page views and clicks to help you gauge the success of your marketing campaigns.
- Get a shortener that lets you change the slugs of your links if you want to personalize them. Even if possible, with any of the provided solutions, some, like Bitly, require you to create an account before you can start using their service.
- Branded shortened links are more professional-looking and effective than their unbranded counterparts. So when it comes to customizing your shortened links, Rebrandly and Bitly are two of your most excellent bets.
- When you need to shorten a link quickly, use a service like Tiny.CC or TinyURL. They don’t make you create an account before letting you change the slug.
- Changing from one link shortener to another is impossible, so pick carefully.
- Are you looking for the least expensive premium service? Consider TinyCC. To use Tiny.CC, you’ll need to set aside $5 monthly.
Editor’s Note: There are many Best URL Shorteners to Make Money. Link shortening is a way to make money.
Increase your referral traffic by using a URL shortener.
Shortening a link is useful when you need to share it in a forum that has a character limit. In addition, a URL shortener is a great way to increase referral traffic and the number of leads generated from your marketing activities because your site will be accessible from every platform you use.