A link shortener is an Internet service that allows you to transform long, cryptic URLs into short URLs . It does this by assigning a random grouping of characters and numbers, thereby reducing the original length of the electronic address.
But, ultimately, why is it so important to use a URL shortener in our digital strategy?
One of the main reasons for shortening a long URL is when it is posted on social networks such as Twitter. A long address takes up a lot of space, thus reducing the number of characters available to complete a message.
When we use a shortener, we considerably reduce the number of characters on a page so we can add more information to the message and make it more understandable.
Therefore, the use of shorteners improves the strategy and presence on social networks.
In addition, most tools allow you to obtain relevant metrics about access to the URL from each of the social networks, personalizing the address by including a specific keyword or call to action that triggers an action.
That said, it is clear that a link shortener is an essential tool for the development and efficiency of your online strategies .
As we know that this is a topic that generates many doubts improve click-through rate, we thought it appropriate to produce an article focused on the essence and usefulness of URL shorteners.
Read our content and learn more about these essential resources for successful digital actions!
What is a link shortener?
In general terms, we can say that a shortener is a fundamental tool for Digital Marketing strategies , as it allows you to reduce the number of characters in a URL, thus converting it into a shorter version.
By reducing the length of a URL, we can create social media posts that are more aesthetically pleasing to users , since the address no longer takes up multiple lines but requires the use of just a few characters.
Note that this is an extremely important point to improve the quality of posts on networks that have limitations regarding the use of characters per message, such as Twitter .
When we shorten the address, we save elements so we can use them to enrich the publication by adding other data, explaining more details about the central topic improve click-through rate, among other uses.
Remember that Instagram also limits the use of characters in bio descriptions, so using a link shortener is also essential to strengthen your strategy on this network.
Beyond shortening, a good part of the tools allow you to access metrics on the number of clicks on the link . By analyzing them, it is possible to discover a lot of relevant information about the audience such as geographic location, most active users and volume of visits.
And these details are extraordinarily important for scheduling updates!
In fact, many tools have this function, thus facilitating the structuring of publications.
Benefits of using a link shortener
Okay, after presenting the essence, importance and uses of a link shortener, it’s time to focus on its main benefits:
Provides analytical data
Most of these tools provide reliable data about the success of the links and, therefore, the relevance of the topic to your audience improve click-through rate.
In fact, these metrics are essential to understand which links yield the most clicks . This information is very valuable for analyzing the chinese thailand data performance of digital strategies and, consequently, developing actions that strengthen, modify or replace current digital strategies.
Statistics also provide a great way to identify and understand patterns in target audience behavior and discover their favorite topics.
Reduce the number of characters
With a link shortener it is entirely possible to insert a URL into a Twitter post, which has a length limit of 140 characters per message.
For example, with this tool, you can create a link with just 75 characters . We can use the rest of the elements to optimize the message, even using hashtags .
Facilitates content distribution
Shorter links encourage sharing. This is because it is more visually pleasing to share shorter content.
In addition, shorter links are usually easier to copy and paste, thus facilitating the distribution of URLs by the audience.
Again, there is an issue of aesthetics. Because people are used to seeing a shortened URL, they are more likely to click on URLs with this feature improve click-through rate.
Indeed, we must emphasize that modifying the length of a URL is the simplest measure that can be developed in a publishing strategy to increase the click rate. But it is undoubtedly a very important action.
Especially if we consider that many people consider an excessively long URL as an unprofessional trait and perhaps dangerous in terms of data security.
Why should you know about the different shorteners that exist?
As you have confirmed in this post, link shorteners are fundamentally relevant to boost digital strategies, since publishing shorter links improves the appearance of publications.
In addition:
- avoid wasting characters on useless elements and sharing multiple lines of just one URL;
- allow for improved monitoring of statistics improve click-through rate;
- make it possible to analyze the competition that uses these tools.
Knowing the basics of the best URL shorteners is very important to understand how each solution contributes to the efficiency and achievement of excellence in digital actions and, above all, to discover the most efficient alternative to the peculiarities of the business.
It is worth emphasizing that, in addition tocdid we manage to do it over the weekend? considering the solution, we must verify the suitability and commitment of the supplier. To do this, it is advisable to carry out market research not only by consulting references in search engines, but also by communicating with their customers.
If you don’t know how to find them, here’s a tip : go to the social proofs that some providers include on their sites , select the testimonials you think are appropriate and contact those companies. This way, you’ll have reliable sources about the quality and efficiency of the tools.
If there is no such section on the sites of the solutions you wish to research, conduct a more detailed study of the image and reputation of the brands by checking on social networks. Check comments, impressions, testimonials, and other content that provide an indication of the reliability of both the products and the suppliers.
Get to know the 12 best URL shorteners
We’ve rounded up 12 of the best URL shorteners on the market and are going to give you an overview of each option.
By understanding the key aspects of the different alternatives improve click-through rate, you will be able to select the most appropriate tool given the needs and objectives of your business.
And if you feel that several of them solve your problem satisfactorily, do a quick test and see which one has the best user experience, both for you and for the other people working alongside you.
Without further ado, here is the analysis:
1. Bitly
Bitly is one of the most popular URL shorteners in the world.
This recognition probably reflects the importance and popularity of the free plan . Very generous and extremely useful, the features of this plan easily meet the needs of a small business, so it is worth getting to know it better.
Free account features include:
- customization of shortened URLs;
- click tracking;
- disclosure of the top people sharing the links;
- geographic data of people who click on the links .
The free plan allows you to use the features mentioned above to work with up to 500 custom links or 10,000 non-custom links. Interesting, don’t you think?
If you don’t want any of these features, you can also use the shortener directly on the Bitly homepage, without registering.
As for the cons, we have not found any really negative points , however, like any freemium tool , it has its limitations such as access to more advanced functions and the limit of links that can be shortened using a free plan.
2. TinyURL
This tool is for those who don’t want any resources other than URL shortening. To give you an idea, TinyURL is a web application so simple that it doesn’t require registration .
In fact, until recently this was also its weak point. Due to the simplicity of the tool, it did not help much for those who wanted to shorten links and find out relevant data about link performance .
Fortunately, this scenario has changed and the tool has advanced. So much so that today it offers paid plan options with different types of benefits ranging from unlimited link tracking to mass URL shortening.
In other words, it has become a very good alternative for Marketing teams that need to work with many URLs.
However, if you don’t need to adopt very advanced features and want the basics without the headache, this tool is worth a try. To do so, you just have to go to the site and paste the link you want to shorten. You can even customize some of the links quickly and easily.
3. URL Shortener by Zapier
Zapier is an amazing automation tool and extremely versatileso you can use it in many ways in your marketing strategy.
And those responsible for the system have created a specific tool to shorten links automatically. How?
Imagine that after posting a photo on Facebook you want to create a link to that photo and save it in a Google spreadsheet. With this tool, it is possible to do this process automatically and quickly obtain a shorter link.
Amazing, isn’t it? We know that not all jpb directory users need to perform this type of action, however, we thought it would be interesting to point it out because it reflects the level of effectiveness and quality of the tool.
As for Zapier ‘s reliability , we corroborate its excellence by accessing the website and checking its main clients. On the list, we see big companies like Grupo Meta, Shopify, Dropbox, and Asana.