URL (Uniform Resource Locator) address is a great way to locate resources available on the internet and navigate the web. Sharing links of files and webpages on the Internet is a quick way of sending important data to others.
While links are quite useful, some links can become long and difficult to share on different platforms. Not only are long links unattractive and difficult to understand, but they also cannot be shared on platforms like Twitter and MS Teams which have a character limit.
URL shortener tools and services can reduce these long links to a few characters with a single click. Short URL maker platforms also provide link management and analytics features, which are highly useful for social media management and other businesses.
As Google’s URL shortener was discontinued a few years back, users have switched to alternative short URL generators that offer the features they want. Some of these alternative URL shorteners are discussed in this blog that can be used both by individuals and teams.
URL shortener is a tool that can be used to create a short, simple, and unique URL for a website. The shortened link will ultimately redirect individuals clicking on it to the destination webpage.
Usually, the shortened URL will cut down the long text to have a few random letters as part of the address. Most short link generators provide the option to customize newly generated URLs after you pay a small fee.
There are several reasons to use a URL shortener tool.
Lengthy and random strings of characters as links are hard to remember. A short URL link is easy to understand and hence users can type it on web browser or print it on cards without any hassle.
Your website link should be relevant to your business and help in creating brand awareness among your customers. Free web hosting services usually do not provide personalization options. URL shorteners allow businesses to customize their link names so that they can keep their brand name as a part of a link.
Some platforms like Twitter allow users to enter only a limited number of characters. In such a case, you cannot share long links even if you try. In other cases, the link can be disrupted by line breaks and will be hard to understand.
Users are less likely to click on links that are lengthy. URLs often become lengthy because of the presence of UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters for tracking the traffic. If you want more users to click on your webpage link, create a neat and user-friendly URL with any short URL generator.
Short link generators also offer tracking metrics by combining UTM parameters with shortened links. This includes time, location, and other related metrics to understand the ROI of campaigns. You can improve your marketing strategy based on these metrics.
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You should use a URL shortener to create a short URL link in the following cases:
When you request a webpage by entering a URL address on your web browser, the server gets an HTTP request to fetch relevant files for displaying the desired webpage. URL shorteners create a short URL that uses HTTP function to redirect users to the original destination URL.
A shortening service may use any of the HTTP redirects available. 301 is the most preferred choice for HTTP response as it returns a permanent redirect without impacting the SEO ranking negatively.
However, remember that if the short URL generator provides services for a specific time, shortened URLs would not work beyond that. Hence, choosing a reliable URL shortener is essential.
Here are custom link shorteners that can help your business create short, customised links:
| URL Shortener | Pricing |
|---|---|
| Bit.ly | Free, pricing starts at INR 2210.46/ month |
| ShortURL | Free, pricing starts at INR 685.88/ month |
| Cuttly | Free, pricing starts at INR 1905.23/ month |
| Ow.ly | Free, pricing starts at INR 1915/ month after 30-day free trial of Hootsuite |
| T.co | Free as a part of Twitter |
| Tiny URL Generator | Free, annual pricing starts at INR 761.51/ month |
| Rebrandly | Free, pricing starts at INR 2211.16/ month. |
| Clkim | Annual pricing starts at INR 759.96/ month after 14-day free trial |
| Tiny.cc | Free, pricing starts at INR 380.79/ month after a 7-day free trial |
| Bit.Do | Free, pricing starts at INR 6475.85/ month |
| ClickMeter | Free signup, pricing starts at INR 2209.13/ month |
| Shorte.ST | Free |
Bit.ly is a custom link shortener that generates links without any time-based expiry. You can shorten multiple links at once and create tags for better organization of created links.
Bit.ly link shortener has an auto branding feature to ensure that your branding elements remain intact regardless of whatever tool is used to shorten the link. You can also create color QR codes and build campaigns with insights for every link.
Bitly Pricing: It has a free link shortener plan which limits URL shortening to 100 links/month. Paid plans of this link shortener include Basic, Premium, and Enterprise. Pricing starts at INR 2210.46/ month.
Bitly Compatible Platforms: Android, iOS, Web browser
ShortURL is a secure URL shortener that can be used with links of any length. If a link is spam or contains potential malware infections, it gets deleted. You can customize URL slugs and convert links to QR codes.
The shortened URL can be shared via email, websites, chat, etc. You can also check the number of clicks and other related metrics on the generated links.
ShortURL Pricing: The basic version of this link shortener is free. Pricing for Premium version starts at INR 685.88/ month.
ShortURL Compatible Platforms: iOS, Android, Web browser, Mac, Windows
Cutt.ly offers URL shortening, analytics, and other link management features. You can search for links through tags, save links to favourites list, generate QR code for shortened link, etc.
You can also combine multiple links into a single bulk link. The paid option of this short link generator enables exporting links to .CSV files and sharing them on social media platforms like Twitter.
Cuttly Pricing: Cutt.ly has a free URL shortener version that works for up to 3 branded domains. Paid version starts at INR 1905.23/ month for individuals.
Cuttly Compatible Platforms: Web browser (URL shortener online)
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Ow.ly is a URL shortening tool available as a part of Hootsuite social media management platform. The short link generator app enables Twitter users to create an aggregated tweets feed from their list for reading.
You can also check click metrics on the short URL link along with other social media analytics and create custom reports to get a holistic understanding of your growth.
Ow.ly Pricing: You can sign up for the free plan of Hootsuite to get unlimited access to Ow.ly free URL shortener. The paid plan of this tool is free for 30 days after which you have to pay INR 1915/ month.
Ow.ly Compatible Platforms: Android, iOS, Web browser
Tiny URL is a link shortening service that allows customization and setting up of expiration dates for the shortened URLs. Once added to browser toolbar, it can shorten the URL of any site you visit.
The dashboard serves as a centralized location that helps in handling domains and 404 redirects. You can track any number of links and be up to date with their metrics from any device.
Tiny URL shortener Pricing: There is a free link shortener plan of Tiny URL shortener with ads. It offers paid versions-Pro and Bulk 100K plans. Pricing starts at INR 761.51/ month when billed annually.
Tiny URL generator Compatible Platforms: Web browser
T.co is Twitter’s link shortener that automatically shortens links for users when they share them via post or direct messages. It prevents users from accessing malicious links by displaying an error message when they click on potentially harmful websites.
You can also check the interest of your audience with metrics like the number of clicks on a link.
T.co Pricing: This is a free link shortener and comes in-built as a part of Twitter.
T.co Compatible Platforms: Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, Web browser
Rebrandly short link generator enables users to create many branded links with auto-expire mode. You can track these shortened URLs and get custom reports with different metrics related to your clicks.
The paid options also include scaling and optimization tools. It can integrate with over 100 different apps including Slack, TweetBot, AWS S3, etc.
Rebrandly Pricing: It has a free plan for up to 500 branded links for individuals. Paid plans start at INR 2211.16/ month.
Rebrandly Compatible Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Web browser
Clkim URL shortener enables users to customize links and create QR codes that can be used both online and on printed items. You can create full page ads, manage multiple ads and monetize your traffic.
You can also get daily traffic reports via email with this custom link shortener. This helps you in retargeting by building lists of people who are interested in what you share.
Clkim Pricing: This custom URL shortener offers a 14-day free trial. Pricing starts at INR 759.96/ month for yearly subscription.
Clkim Compatible Platforms: Web browser
Tiny.cc is a URL shortening service that helps users in creating custom keyword rich short links and generating unique QR codes. In this Tiny URL maker, link metrics like user location can be used to display the content to users in their preferred language automatically.
With the social media dashboard, you can monitor the impact of your marketing campaigns with short UTM links.
Tiny.cc Pricing: You can shorten links with this short URL generator for free. There is a 7-day free trial for the paid versions of this link shortener. Pricing starts at INR 380.79/ month.
Tiny.cc Compatible Platforms: Web browser (URL shortener online)
Bit.Do is a URL shortening service that works with any link. You can create links in bulk and group them based on categories like projects, clients, etc.
You can also get detailed statistics like IP and click date for every shortened URL in real time. The access to URLs and statistics is restricted via password for data security.
Bit.Do Pricing: You can shorten the links for free with this custom URL shortener. Pricing of paid version with advanced link management features starts at INR 6475.85/ month.
Bit.Do Compatible Platforms: Web browser (URL shortener online)
ClickMeter changes destination URL to a shortened link which can be easily tagged for tracking views and clicks. Links can be created and imported in bulk as per the requirement.
You can track custom parameters and get detailed reports in six different languages covering browsers used, top keywords, popularity across cities, and more. The short link maker does not allow tracking malicious links.
ClickMeter Pricing: There is no signup fee for this free link shortener. Pricing starts at INR 2209.13 per month for a single branded domain.
ClickMeter Compatible Platforms: Web browser (URL shortener online)
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Shorte.ST is a URL shortening service popularly used by digital marketers. Apart from shortening, you can use the service to earn money based on the number of customers clicking on the intermediate ads before your page loads.
You can get in-depth statistics on the dashboard covering all relevant URL metrics and make strategy improvements accordingly.
Shorte.ST Pricing: You can shorten the URL with this free URL shortener and make money through the tool via ads. For Indian users, the highest payout rate for every 1000 ad views they garner from their customers is INR 121.12.
Shorte.ST Compatible Platforms: Web-browser (URL shortener online)
Conclusion
You can use any of the services listed here to shorten your URLs for free. But if you want management features for your short URL links, it is a good idea to choose a paid version of these free short link makers.
FAQs
URL shorteners are safe, but the generated URLs are more vulnerable to brute force attacks since they are easier to guess than actual URLs. Also, one cannot be sure that the redirection will not be to a malicious site.
URL shorteners generate short links that expire if you set them to. It depends on the Tiny URL maker service. You can set the URL to never expire given that the service keeps working.
The duration of links created through URL shorteners depends on the user and the options provided. Some URL shorteners have no expiration feature as long as the service is functioning. In other cases, the users can set the time limit.
URL shorteners can charge a fee for individuals and businesses who place ads on their links for monetization. They can also make money from advertisers in return for increasing traffic to their page.
LinkedIn automatically shortens links that are longer than 26 characters when they are shared in a post.
Google had a goo.gl short link maker which has been discontinued and replaced by Firebase Dynamic Links.
You can create a Tiny URL maker by writing relevant code to create frontend for URL input in JavaScript and backend for conversion in PHP and MySQL.
You can design a URL shortener based on your requirements. You must think about capacity estimates, key generation and encoding, database design, and other important factors before starting out.
Yes, Google URL shortener was a free service which was discontinued in 2019.
There are several URL shorteners that are reliable and work without impacting SEO ranking. Some of the best options available include Rebrandly, Bit.ly, and Tiny.cc.
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