URL Shortener - Short URLs & Custom Free Link

The Google service is by no means the only link shortener: there are dozens of url shortener services that allow you to create a shorter link. In many ways they are similar, but there are still some minor differences. We will consider the best services for shortening links, in which detailed statistics are available on the number of clicks on shortened links and many other additional features.

Google URL Shortener stopped working in 2018. Google cited the reason for closing the goo.gl service as its obsolescence and the introduction of a new tool that allows you to create not only short links, but also dynamic links. Dynamic Links is one of the features of the service Firebase from Google, which allows you to improve the performance of mobile applications. You can read more on the Google blog.

Why do you need short links?

We recommend URL shortening long links if there are character limitations on the number of characters in them, and also in other cases:

• in SMS newsletters. Considering the fact that one message contains only 140 characters in Latin or 70 in Cyrillic, it is advisable to use shortened links to save;
• In Instagram posts. Since Instagram posts do not have clickable links, it's better to use a short address rather than a long url, which will be easier for users to remember and enter;
• Flyers, posters, business cards. For printed advertising materials, it is also better not to insert a full link, but a QR-code, obtained in a generator of shortened url. Potential customers will find this more convenient than entering a long URL manually;
• To analyze the effectiveness of ads. To simplify the analytics of ad campaigns, you can use short links. In this case, you will not need to refer to the services of search engine analytics;

To mask affiliate indexers. In order not to make a visitor suspicious of the referral component in the URL, many experts recommend using a link shortener.

Top online link shortening services

Link shortening services work like this:

• The original link is inserted into the generator and saved by the online program.
• The original link is converted into a shortened unique key that is assigned a URL address
• This shortened address can then be shared with users who click on the link or type in the link themselves and arrive at the original URL. The transition is almost instantaneous with the help of an online generator that provides a redirect.

Conclusion

Despite the obvious usefulness of url shortener services, you should keep in mind that the redirect database is the property of this or that legal entity, termination of which will lead to deletion of the entire database, which will make all shortened links irrelevant (inoperable).

Therefore, if you are planning to work with cloud documents for a long time and there is a possibility, for example, to refer to them in a year or 5 years, then you should choose a reliable service provider, with positive reviews and a long history. And the most reliable option is to avoid redirects altogether.

If you still need to use backlinks, here is a review of a free tool from Serpstat.

Do you use shorteners?