URL Shortening is a service that allows you to take a long link and turn it into a manageable link that almost never exceeds 20 characters.
URL shorteners are not new, TinyURL has existed since 2002 for example.
But their popularity skyrocketed with the rise of Twitter, which allows only a few characters in any message.
THE Short URLs allow Internet users to use URLS that were previously difficult to share as they wish.
What is a URL shortener?
A URL shortener is an application that converts a website URL (usually long) into a condensed URL.
THE Short URLs are generally 10 to 20 characters long.
Advantages of shortening URLs
URL shorteners enable more shares
Let’s say, for example, you share a link to your blog. If you’ve done your SEO correctly, there’s probably a long-tail keyword included in the blog’s URL. This means the URL is probably a bit long.
With a shortened URL, the link becomes more presentable and attractive. Additionally, short links are more likely to be shared on social media than long links.
Link reducers allow you to retrieve more information
Applications that allow you to shorten a link, like bit.ly, provide a lot of tracking data on your links. Understanding the number of link clicks and gaining insight into who is clicking on them will help you create more valuable content in the future.
Using a URL Shortener Generates a Unique Branding Opportunity
If you want, you can use a URL shortener to create custom URLs, which are related to your brand.
For example, The New York Times uses “nyti.ms” in articles they share on social media. When you click on a link that contains “nyti.ms,” you know you will be taken to the New York Times website.
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Top 6 best link reducers
URL shortener #1: PixelMe
PixelMe is an all-in-one marketing platform to shorten, track and analyze the performance of your links.
The main advantage with this platform is the possibility to add a retargeting pixel on each link/campaign.
Therefore, you will be able to retarget on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or Google Ads, everyone who clicked on your links ????.
Among the key features:
- URL shortener
- UTM builder
- Creating hyper-personalized audiences
- Conversion tracking
- Allocation of revenue to campaigns
PixelMe is also one of the best solutions for analyzing the return on investment of your campaigns thanks to tracking and attribution features.
Test PixelMe for free for 7 days.
URL Shortener #2: Bitly
Bitly is one of the best-known link shorteners in the world of short URLs.
This is one of the most used options on the market, and you will often find it integrated with many other services as well as third-party applications like TweetDeck and TwitterFeed.
With Bitly, you can track the number of clicks your shortened links receive, plus bookmark and organize your links on your own personalized Bitly dashboard.
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URL Shortener #3: TinyURL.com
TinyURL was one of the best shortcut choices in the past, and people still use it a lot today, but it includes a few more characters compared to others like Bit.ly and Goo.gl.
With TinyURL, you can customize optional letters and numbers.
For example, a shortened link can be: http://tinyurl.com/ledigitalizeur. This is an additional feature if the branding is important for you or if you want to make your link easier to remember.
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URL Shortener #4: Is.gd
Is.gd provides one of the simplest URL shortening experiences by giving you nothing more than a field to enter your link so you can instantly turn it into a shorter link.
There aren’t really any extra features or services, so it’s a good choice if you just want to get the job done as quickly and as easily as possible without all the extra stuff like logging in and CAPTCHAs and stuff.
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Link Reducer #5: Buff.ly
Have you heard of Buffer?
It’s just one of the most popular social media management tools out there today! Take a look at our review of this fantastic tool to see how it works.
Every time you paste a link into the buffer to be scheduled for posting later, it automatically shortens the link for you.
You can also log into your Buffer account on the web or by downloading the mobile app to track your analytics and see how many clicks your links got.
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Link shortener #6: AdF.ly
Adf.ly takes an interesting approach to shorten links by offering its users the opportunity to earn money using its service.
The more clicks you get on your AdF.ly links, the more money you make.
Although the earnings are small, it can definitely add up if you can attract a lot of clicks.
You will also get detailed statistics for each link when you sign up for an account, and you get paid via PayPal for payments starting from €5.
Nothing could be simpler, register for free to one of the link reduction software such as PixelMe or Bitly.
Then insert the URL you want to shorten and get your new shortened URL.
In addition to that, you will be able to track the number of clicks on it!
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