Online Marketing Tips and Tricks for Blogger's, Youtuber's, Affiliates and eCommerce Store Owners
Link Shorteners and Your Own Domain: How to Come Up with a Branded Link
How you can create branded links with Pixelfy
How branded links are typically structured
Generic link shorteners are quick and easy to use, but they don’t let you use your own domain. If you want to use a custom domain or subdomain with a...
Generic link shorteners are quick and easy to use, but they don’t let you use your own domain. If you want to use a custom domain or subdomain with a shortened link, you have to employ the use of a custom or branded link shortener. They allow you to connect your own domain so that it can be utilized to create custom shortened links. Quick Summary In this post, we will shed light upon: What a branded link is How branded links are typically structured How you can create branded links with Pixelfy And much more. So without further ado, let’s get into it. What is a Branded Link? A branded link, also known as a custom shortened link, is created with the help of a custom domain or subdomain. It does not bear the branding of the URL shortener tool, but rather, it bears the custom branding that is according to the user’s needs. The basic fundamentals of how the branded links work are the same as generic URL shorteners, i.e., through URL redirection. Branded links are extremely important for promotional content, and most brands never use generic shortened links when URL shortening. This is because they want their own brand’s image on everything that they post. If their shortened links were to have the URL shortener tool’s branding, it would dilute their image and promote the tool rather than their brand. Branded link generators are usually not free. This is why most brands need to allocate a certain part of their budget so that they can opt for a paid plan from a custom URL shortener tool such as Pixelfy. How a Branded Link is Structured? Remember that a branded link is also a shortened link, so, of course, it’ll be short. The first part of the branded link will be the custom domain or subdomain that the user adds to the URL shortener tool. In most cases, this custom domain or subdomain is used to represent your brand. It’ll usually either be the full name of your brand or some kind of abbreviation that clearly and uniquely identifies your brand. That’s how they help with digital marketing. For example, if you have a brand that sells golf clubs and it’s called “Fox Clubs & Co.”, then your custom domain could be something like “foxclubs.co”. The second part of a branded link is the part that comes after the forward-slash. This second part is usually used to communicate to the reader what the web page is about. The first type is generic URL shorteners. They provide you with a shortened URL that typically consists of the URL. Let’s run with the example from above and say that you want to create a shortened link for a web page on Fox Clubs & Co. that features all the putters you have to offer. Then, your branded link could be something like “foxclubs.co/putters”. It’s short and sweet. Plus, it tells the user all they need to know about where this branded link will take them to. branding. Some may allow you to modify the second part of the shortened URL but not the first part. How to Create a Branded Link with Pixelfy? To create a branded link with Pixelfy, you must first connect a domain or subdomain to it. It’s important to note that before you can connect a domain or subdomain to Pixelfy, it’s important that you have that domain registered with a domain name registrar. Furthermore, the domain should also be live with the help of a web hosting service. Only then will it successfully connect to Pixelfy and be utilized to create branded links. Here’s how you connect a domain or subdomain to Pixelfy: Step 1: Select “Custom domains” from the dashboard page. Step 2: Enter your custom domain and hit “Next”. Step 3: Once you enter the domain, you’ll get a popup box that asks whether or not anything has already been published onto the domain such as a website, social media, blog, etc. Step 4: If nothing is published, you’re good to go. Select “No” and click “Next”. Step 5: Click on “Add Domain” and now, your custom domain will be ready to use for branded links on Pixelfy. Step 6: If the content is already published on your domain, then you’ll be asked to use a subdomain. Step 7: Click on “Add subdomain” and enter an appropriate subdomain into the new page that appears and click “Next”. Now, your subdomain will be ready to use within Pixelfy. Here’s how you create a branded link with Pixelfy using one of your connected domains or subdomains: Step 1: Log into Pixelfy and go to the left-hand side toolbar. Step 2: Click on “All tools” and then, select the URL Shortener. Step 3: Enter the destination URL and link title and click “Generate”. You’ll get a shortened URL but as you may notice, it’ll be a generic shortened URL that has Pixelfy branding. Step 4: To turn it into a branded link, go to Advanced options. Step 5: Click on Domain and slug. Since you’ve already connected a domain or subdomain, that particular domain or subdomain will be available for you to use. It’ll be in the drop-down menu that shows up once you click on Domain and slug. Step 6: After it has been selected, you are free to add whatever you want to the latter part of the branded link. As we explained earlier, the latter part should do a good job of telling the user what the web page is about. Step 7: Take a look at any other settings that you may want to change or adjust. Once you’re satisfied, click on “Generate”. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) How do I Use a Link Shortener? It’s super easy to use a generic link shortener. All you have to do is input your long URL and the tool will provide you with a generic shortened link that leads to the same web page. If you’d like to create a custom URL, you must connect your domain or subdomain first before you can actually generate it. This is because that domain or subdomain will be used to generate the shortened link. Where do People Share Shortened Links? Shortened links can be shared through a variety of channels. Here are some places where brands use shortened links: Social media posts Social media bios Videos Email newsletters Print media And more. What is a Vanity URL? A vanity URL is just another name for a branded URL or custom URL. It’s called a vanity URL because it bears the name of your brand or your own individual name, etc. What does URL stand for? URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. Why Should I Use a Custom URL Shortener? There are many advantages to using a custom URL shortener, especially if you’re a brand. It makes no sense to use generic shortened links because you’d be promoting the URL shortener tool, not your brand. A custom URL promotes your brand image, cements it into the user’s mind and also helps with brand cohesion. When you want to advertise your brand, all of your content should reflect it. Shortened links that you share within your content are not exceptions. Conclusion If you want to use shortened links that will be shared with an audience with whom you want to build a presence, then it’s essential to use branded links. They advertise your brand, increase user trust, have higher click-through rates and just look neater. The only time you should use generic link shorteners is if you need to shorten links for personal use. If the links are to be used for any type of promotional purpose, then you should always opt for branded URLs. Do let us know what you think in the comments below.
URL Short Link Generators on Shopify: Are They Worth It?
Why are There So Many Short Link Generators on Shopify?
Is it Worth it to Buy a Short Link Generator from Shopify?
Alternatives to short link generators on Shopify
You can find many URL short link generators on Shopify that can easily provide you with quick, neat links. However, do they really hold up to the vast features offered...
You can find many URL short link generators on Shopify that can easily provide you with quick, neat links. However, do they really hold up to the vast features offered by dedicated URL shortener services available online? This post dives into short link generators on Shopify, how they work and whether or not you should use them for your brand. Quick Summary In this post, we will discuss: What short link generators are The prevalence of short link generators on Shopify Whether you should buy a short link generator from Shopify Alternatives to short link generators on Shopify And much more. So without further ado, let’s get into it. What are Short Link Generators? A short link generator or a URL shortener is a tool that takes a long URL as an input and provides you with a shortened version of it. The shortened version leads to the same web page as the original URL. The shortened URL is essentially a redirect link that redirects the user to the web page of the original URL. Since the end result is the same, users can utilize the shortened URL since it looks a lot more neat and tidy. But there’s more… Certain URL shorteners allow you to use your own custom domains or subdomains. This means you can use domains that represent your brand in conjunction with these URL shortener tools. This allows your shortened links to represent your brand and thus, strengthen your brand image among consumers. URL shorteners are an extremely powerful and essential tool that many brands utilize today to maintain and boost their relevance online. Why are There So Many Short Link Generators on Shopify? Shopify is an all-in-one e-commerce platform that is utilized to sell all sorts of physical as well as digital goods. Hence, there are many vendors on the platform that have published their own URL shorteners or short link generators onto the platform. There are numerous short link generators on Shopify. If you browse Shopify for URL shorteners, you’ll surely find many of them. Some of them might be free, whereas others may be a one-time purchase or have paid subscriptions. Is it Worth it to Buy a Short Link Generator from Shopify? When looking at URL shorteners on Shopify, it can be tempting to opt for one of them. This is because many of them are free or still cheaper than most other conventional URL shortener tools available online. Hence, you may feel that they’re a better option for your brand’s budget. This is especially true if you’re just starting out and don’t have a lot of money to work with. However, it’s not worth it. The fact of the matter is that most URL shorteners available online will not be able to provide you with all of the features you need as a brand. A brand does not just need a URL shortener that can produce generic shortened links. Firstly, it needs a custom URL shortener that can allow them to have custom domains to represent their brand. Only then will they be able to consistently maintain their image with their consumers. Next, brands also need tracking and analytics for the links that they shorten. Of course, you want to track your performance and a perfect way to do this is to keep track of your shortened links. This is something that most conventional URL shorteners online such as Pixelfy can do for you. Most Shopify URL Shorteners are Pretty Barebones If you take a look at the features that most URL shorteners on Shopify have to offer, you’ll find that most of them don’t have a ton of them. At most, you may be able to find a custom URL shortener that can provide some basic link tracking and fundamental analysis reports. However, the tools you’ll need to grow as a brand are something that you won’t find. Dynamic tracking, customizable reports and retargeting features are often missing. Thus, your best bet is to opt for a dedicated URL shortener tool that’s commercially available online rather than opting for a URL shortener on Shopify. What are Some Alternatives? Instead of using a basic URL shortener on Shopify, you can opt for Pixelfy, which comes with all the tools necessary to boost your brand image. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png" alt="target market marketing messages online advertising offline advertising target market" class="wp-image-652" width="234" height="234" srcset="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png 935w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-300x300.png 300w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-150x150.png 150w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-768x768.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" /> SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL Not only is Pixelfy bursting with features, but the majority of these features are also all available in its cheapest plan (The Professional plan costs $19.99 per month). You can connect custom domains and subdomains. It also provides you with several other features such as: Mobile deep linking Link retargeting Link rotation Link swapping Tracking and analytics Fast shortener tool Any URL shortener tool Link tags And a whole lot more. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What is Shopify? Shopify is an e-commerce platform that people use to run their online businesses and sell physical or digital goods to paying customers. It’s a great platform if you’d like to run a business online. Why Should I Shorten Links? There are a number of reasons why someone may want to shorten a link. Firstly, they are much neater and thus, look better when they’re included in posts on social media, email newsletters, etc. Secondly, they are much easier to remember. Thus, they can be a good way to include links in print media as well. How to Make a Long Link Shorter? There are many different URL shorteners available online that can do that for you. All you have to do is go to a URL shortener tool of your choice, input the long URL and you will receive a shortened URL that you can use instead. How do URL Shorteners Work? URL shorteners take a long URL as input. Once they get the input, they generate a much shorter link. This shorter link is a redirect link that also points to the same web page that your input URL points to. You are provided with the shorter link and thus, you can now use that instead of your older, long URL. How do Custom URL Shorteners Work? Custom URL shorteners work the same way as generic URL shorteners do. The only difference is that they allow you to connect a custom domain or subdomain first. Then, when a shortened link is generated, it’s generated using that connected domain or subdomain. Thus, you get a customized link that bears your domain or subdomain name rather than the name of the URL shortener tool that you used. Conclusion In conclusion, URL shorteners on Shopify are typically not worth your time. The free ones are good if you’d like a shortened URL quickly. However, if you want all the features necessary to: Boost your brand image Maintain and improve marketing campaigns Increase discoverability Then, you’ll be much better off with a URL shortener like Pixelfy.
Link Shortener Services: All You Need to Know with FAQs
Whether or not you need a link shortener service
What link shortener services are and how they work
The different types of link shortener services
Other features you need in a link shortener tool
If you’re a brand that wants to have neat links within its marketing content, you’ll need a link shortener service. There are many different URL shorteners available online, but you...
If you’re a brand that wants to have neat links within its marketing content, you’ll need a link shortener service. There are many different URL shorteners available online, but you must choose one that fulfills your brand’s particular needs. This post aims to explore what link shortener services are and how you can assess your needs to choose the most suitable one for yourself. Quick Summary In this post, we will shed light upon: What link shortener services are and how they work Whether or not you need a link shortener service The different types of link shortener services Other features you need in a link shortener tool And more. So without further ado, let’s get into it. What is a Link Shortener Service and How Does it Work? A link shortener service allows you to input a long URL and get a short URL in return. This short URL is a redirect link that also leads to the same web page that the original input URL leads to. You can use this smaller link instead of the original URL since it’s neater and much easier to remember. The concept behind how URL shorteners work is fairly simple to understand, even if you’re not very tech-savvy. Most simplistic and free URL shorteners will only provide you with generic shortened links. However, you can also opt for more sophisticated tools such as Pixelfy. With such tools, you’ll get additional features such as link tracking, analytics, mobile deep linking, link rotation and a whole lot more. We’ll talk about these additional features and why they’re important for brands later on in the post. Link Shorteners Have Many Names Please note that link shorteners can be called a variety of different names on the internet. Here are some examples: URL shortener Link shrinker Link compressor URL compressor URL condenser Link condenser If you see any of these terms, just know that they mean the same thing and refer to the link shortener services that we are talking about in this post. Smaller Brands Fail to See the Potential of Link Shorteners Large conglomerates with experienced marketing teams use URL shorteners regularly. On the other hand, we’ve noticed that they’re not as popular among smaller brand owners and other individuals who could benefit from them. It’s unfortunate since these smaller brands have a lot to gain from link shorteners. Studies have shown that the use of branded links can increase the click-through rate by up to 34%. We’ll discuss what branded links are in the next section. Essentially, they are a type of shortened link. What are Custom or Branded Link Shortener Services? A custom or branded URL shortener works in almost exactly the same way as a regular URL shortener. That’s because it also turns long, ugly links into smaller, manageable ones. The difference is you also have control over what the shortened link will look like. This is achieved by connecting a custom domain or subdomain to the link shortener service. Then, that domain or subdomain is utilized to generate the shortened links. This can have many uses, such as branding, since the link can bear your brand’s name or an abbreviation that uniquely identifies it. That’ll be the first part of the link. The second part of the link is also free for you to customize. Brands use the second part to communicate to the reader what the link will lead to. For example, if a link leads to a new product that you just released, the branded link can look something like: [BrandName].com/[ProductName] This will tell the user exactly who the link is from and where it leads to. Branded URLs are much more effective than generic URLs, which is why successful brands use them all the time. Some advantages include: Increased click-through rate Increased brand awareness Increased customer trust Please note that branded URLs are also sometimes called vanity URLs. You’ll often notice many custom URL shorteners out there market themselves as vanity URL shorteners. You should always strive to ensure that your branded links give the user as much information about your brand as possible. You can communicate several aspects such as: Your brand name Your relevant industry or niche (e.g., news, media, sports, etc.) What the specific web page is about Do I Need a Link Shortener Service? As we briefly touched upon earlier, many enterprising individuals and brands don’t even consider link shorteners initially. Others don’t invest in them at all throughout their entrepreneurial journey. As a result, you get marketing content with long and ugly URLs that you simply don’t want to click. If you intend to market anything to an audience, you need a link shortener service. Here are a few ways through which link shorteners can benefit your brand: They Help Increase Brand Awareness and Recognition When a URL shortener is utilized to create custom links, it can help with brand awareness. If you have branded links that look similar to each other and all of them represent your brand, it does wonders for better customer recognition. When customers always see your brand’s name as part of the shortened links throughout all of your marketing content, it will stick in their minds. Studies have proven that 82% of consumers choose brands they are familiar with when they shop online for particular products. A stronger brand identity leads to better recognition which then results in increased sales and revenue. Hence, if you intend to conduct email marketing campaigns, social media marketing campaigns or any other types of digital marketing campaigns, make sure you use branded links. They Improve Consumer Trust In addition to improving customer recognition, branded URLs also ensure that you establish trust and legitimacy among the target market as well. Long ugly URLs look seedy and can definitely place distrust in potential customers that come across them. Such types of long URLs often get a lot fewer clicks because readers have no way to tell where that link will lead them. On the other hand, with branded links, you can customize them the way you want to ensure customers know exactly what they’ll be redirected to. They Streamline the User’s Experience This is fairly obvious, but shorter links are, of course, much easier to write, easier to read, and thus, easier to memorize. In most cases, a person will simply click on your link so this won’t really have much of an impact. However, if a user needs to type your URL for whatever reason, they won’t have a lot of trouble remembering it. This makes them especially useful if you’d like to include them in some sort of print advertising. Shortened links have a much lower margin for error since they’re easier to remember. If it were a long URL, many users would not even try to type it since it’d simply be too much work. Either that or they may type the long URL incorrectly and then give up. Hence, you’ll lose out on a significant amount of potential customers. They Help With Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Another great thing about shortened URLs is the fact that they are great for search engine optimization by search engines such as Google. You may come across several claims online that (wrongfully) state that link shortening can hurt your website’s SEO. In reality, the opposite is true, as has been confirmed by Google as well as other SEO experts such as Matt Cutts. Hence, not only are shortened URLs good for you but they are also good for your website’s SEO and, thus, your overall online discoverability. What Other Services Can They Provide Besides Link Shortening? Contrary to popular belief, link shortener services are often used for a whole lot more than just link shortening. This is another reason why they’re so popular among brands: They offer tools that can be invaluable to them. Some of these features are: Link Masking Custom URL shorteners allow you to adjust your shortened link in any way you want. Hence, you can utilize this freedom to beautify your short links, have them represent your brand, and communicate a message to your readers. For example, let’s say that you just launched a marketing campaign that you want to tell your audience about. The short link for such a campaign could be something like [brandname].com/offer, where “[brandname]” denotes your brand name. Hence, users will know exactly what the shortened link is. Link Rotation You can also perform link rotation with a URL shortener. This allows one short link to lead to different web pages or, maybe, two different versions of the same web page. Link rotators can have a number of uses but most brands mainly use them for A/B testing. For example, if you don’t know what version of your landing page will work best with your target audience, you can set up a link rotator. This will cause your shortened link to lead 50% of clicks to version A and 50% of clicks to version B. Then, you can measure the performance of both web pages in terms of conversions or any other metric that you feel would be appropriate. Whichever version performs better can then be chosen as the one that you’ll use 100% of the time in the future. Link Tracking and Analysis Link tracking and analytics are important features that most brands value a lot in link shorteners after custom links. Analytics has a variety of applications. Firstly, you can use them to track the progress of your campaigns and make changes on the fly if you feel they’re not performing as expected. Secondly, you can also use the customer data gathered from these analytics to create detailed customer personas and identify key target demographics. This organized information can then be utilized to compose better and more well-targeted marketing campaigns in the future. Link Retargeting Lastly, you have retargeting pixels which are something that not all link shortener services provide their users with. Retargeting pixels allow you to “tag” the visitors that click on your shortened links. Once tagged, they can be served ads related to your brand at a later stage. Since they’ve already interacted with your brand in the past, they’ll have a much higher chance of interacting with the retargeted ad as well. This can often lead to a conversion and thus, they can help you increase sales and revenue with ease. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) How Do Link Shorteners Work? Link shorteners work by taking an input URL which is typically fairly long. Then, a short URL is created which is a redirect link to the same input URL that you entered. Since the short link also leads to the same web page, you can use that instead of the long URL. Do I Need a Branded Link Shortener? It depends on who you are. If you are an individual that does not want to market themselves and simply wants shorter URLs for ease of use, then you can get away with a generic link shortener. However, if you want to use shortened URLs within marketing content, then a branded link shortener is essential. What is a Vanity URL? A vanity URL is simply another name for a custom URL or a branded URL. What Does URL Stand For? URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. Are Shortened Links Permanent? Yes, shortened links are permanent by default when you create them with the help of a link shortener service. However, some link shortener services do allow you to set expiration dates and times for the short links that you generate. This can sometimes be useful if you want them to become obsolete after a certain time, e.g., after the end of a particular marketing campaign. Conclusion There are many different link shortener services out there but it’s important to assess your needs and budget before you choose one. Free link shorteners can be tempting but they often lack the features that a brand needs to truly understand its core audience and develop campaigns effectively. When you’re considering a link shortener service, make sure that you go over the features that it provides and cross-check them with your requirements. Through this method, you’ll be able to identify the link shortener service that suits you best. Do let us know about your experience in the comments section below.
URL Shorteners & Google Analytics: Do They Hurt SEO?
How to track the performance of a shortened URL with Google Analytics
For people who use Google Analytics to track links, URL shorteners can be difficult to opt for. This is because many digital marketers, brands and entrepreneurs feel that you can’t...
For people who use Google Analytics to track links, URL shorteners can be difficult to opt for. This is because many digital marketers, brands and entrepreneurs feel that you can’t use Google Analytics with link shorteners. However, this is entirely a misconception and you should not be discouraged from using URL shorteners if you want to use Google Analytics. Quick Summary In this post, we will discuss: How to track the performance of a shortened URL with Google Analytics How to add UTM tags with Pixelfy Whether or not URL shorteners hurt SEO And a whole lot more. So without further ado, let’s get started. How to Track the Performance of a Shortened URL with Google Analytics? To understand tracking with Google Analytics, you must familiarize yourself with UTM tracking. UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Modules. These are unique codes that you add to your link to identify certain aspects of the traffic on that particular link. This adds a whole lot more specificity to your visitor data and it can be tracked with tools like Google Analytics. The number of different types of UTM codes you can add to a link are endless. However, the common UTM codes that most brands use are: Utm_source: Tracks which platform the traffic came from, e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Utm_medium: Identifies what type of traffic it is, e.g., organic, paid, referral, etc. Utm_campaign: Identifies which specific marketing campaign efforts of yours resulted in the traffic on the link. While these are just some basic examples, we mentioned earlier how there’s really no limit to the UTM codes you can use to identify specific characteristics. How to Build UTMs? Naturally, it would take a lot of time and effort to build all of these UTM tags manually. That’s why we have UTM builders widely available online such as utm.io. Services such as these allow you to easily generate UTM parameters that you can then use within your links. All you must do is enter the relevant parameter that you’d like to track and the UTM builder will do the rest. UTMs can be one-offs or long-term. Long-term UTM tags are designed to track the performance of particular campaigns. They often allow you to monitor if things are not going according to plan. This allows you to correct your approach on the fly so that your marketing campaign does not fail. Can You Use UTM Tags with URL Shorteners? This is the age-old question that has scared away many enterprising individuals from URL shorteners. Many people still refuse to use URL shorteners for this very reason. It’s surprising because the truth is that you can easily use UTM tags with URL shorteners. In fact, most mainstream URL shorteners, such as Pixelfy, even have integration and customization options for your UTM parameters. All you have to do is build your UTM parameters as usual and add them to your original URL. Once that’s done, you can go ahead and use a URL shortener to shorten the URL. You can now use the shortened URL and the UTM tags will still work. You can still track its performance with tools such as Google Analytics. How to Add UTM Tags with Pixelfy? We mentioned earlier how URL shorteners such as Pixelfy can actually allow you to add UTM tags to the original URL. Then, after you get the shortened URL, those UTM tags will still be active. Thus, you can still utilize tools like Google Analytics to look up performance metrics for the shortened link. Follow the steps below to add UTM tags with Pixelfy: Step 1: Log into your account on Pixelfy and look to the left-hand side toolbar. Step 2: Click on “All tools” in the toolbar and then, select URL Shortener. Step 3: To add a UTM tag to your shortened link, of course, you need to have the shortened link first. Thus, add the original URL into the URL shortener and provide it with a link title as well. Step 4: After you have your shortened link, go to Advanced options and turn UTM tags on as shown below. Once you enable UTM tags, you can add certain UTM parameters. The three that are essential are the ones that we discussed above as well: UTM Source UTM Medium UTM Campaign You also have two other options for UTM tags: UTM Campaign Term and UTM Campaign Content. These two UTM tags are optional. Step 5: Once you add these UTM tags, you can look at the generated long URL. It will have all the UTM parameters that you described added into it as shown: Once this is done, you can continue to use the shortened URL within all of your marketing content or wherever it is you want to use it. You can monitor the traffic and sort it neatly using the Google Analytics dashboard. Do URL Shorteners Hurt SEO? This is actually a misconception that became extremely popular when URL shorteners were bursting onto the digital scene. Here’s the logic behind why people thought URL shorteners hurt SEO: URL shorteners work by essentially creating shorter links which are 301 redirects to the original URL. Many people thought that the use of such shortened URL redirects would hurt their website’s SEO. The reason they gave for this was that search engines would not index them properly. Thus, any traffic that is brought to your website as a result of these shortened links would not count towards its overall popularity or authority. While this was the widely held belief in the late 2000s and early 2010s, it has since been debunked by SEO experts such as Matt Cutts and Google itself. Matt Cutts explicitly stated that when Google runs into a 301 redirect (which could be a shortened URL), it will pass PageRank (Google’s algorithm). Thus, Google will crawl through the web page that that link leads to. Hence, it has been conclusively proven by experts that URL shorteners do not hurt SEO. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) How to Make URL Links Shorter? You can make URL links shorter by using a URL shortener. There are many free and paid URL shorteners available online such as Pixelfy that you can use to shorten links. Why Should I Use a URL Shortener? There are a number of different reasons why one would want to use a URL shortener. Most obviously, shorter links look much neater and tidier. Thus, this also makes them much easier to remember. If you use custom URL shorteners, you can choose what the shortened URL looks like. This gives you the opportunity to include your branding within your shortened links. Thus, it’s a great way to strengthen your brand image. What is a Tracking URL? A tracking URL allows users to identify where traffic is coming from. Thus, it’s a powerful tool utilized by brands to understand what types of audiences are interested in them. You can use the data gathered from such tracking URLs to create unique customer personas. Next, you can use these personas to make personalized ad campaigns that resonate better with those particular demographics. How do URL Shorteners Work? URL shorteners create a much shorter link that is essentially a 301 redirect link. What does it redirect to? Well, it redirects to the same website that you entered as an input URL. How do I Use Google Analytics to Improve SEO? Google Analytics, when combined with UTM parameters, can provide you with very specific data regarding your website’s visitors. You can use this data to: Identify key target demographics Identify their interests Track visitor bounce rates and when most of them occur Build customer personas Craft more personalized marketing campaigns that target said demographics Set SEO-relevant goals with the Google Analytics dashboard And a whole lot more. Conclusion Google Analytics has always been a very important tool for any individual or brand that wants to be easily discoverable online. It’s good to know that you can still utilize the power of URL shorteners without having to forgo the use of Google Analytics. As explored throughout this post, you can easily use URL shorteners without worrying about Google Analytics not working properly. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Free Custom URL Shorteners: Are They Worth Using? Full Analysis
How much you should typically pay for a paid custom URL shortener tool
The benefits of a custom URL shortener and why you need one
Free custom URL shorteners and how they work
Free custom URL shorteners are hard to come by as most tools require you to pay before you can connect a custom domain. If you do find a free custom...
Free custom URL shorteners are hard to come by as most tools require you to pay before you can connect a custom domain. If you do find a free custom URL shortener, there’s a high chance it may be lacking in other features that you may also need. In this post, we will assess whether or not free custom URL shorteners are worth it and whether or not you should opt for paid alternatives. Quick Summary In this post, we will shed light upon: What a custom URL shortener is Free custom URL shorteners and how they work The benefits of a custom URL shortener and why you need one How much you should typically pay for a paid custom URL shortener tool And more. So without further ado, let’s get started. What’s a Custom URL Shortener? A Custom URL shortener is a shortener that allows you to tinker with the shortened URL you receive and customize it in any way you want. For the first part of the link to be what you want, you must connect a domain or subdomain to the URL shortener tool. Naturally, this domain or subdomain will represent your brand and will usually be your brand’s name or some abbreviation of it. Thus, when you connect it to the URL shortener tool, it will provide you with a shortened URL that contains your connected domain or subdomain. That’s the first part of your shortened link. As for the second part, you’re free to customize it in any way you want. Most brands typically utilize this second part to communicate to the reader what the web page is about. For example, if the shortened link leads to a landing page that’s about your newest product. The second part of the link can simply be the name of that product. Can I Use a Free Custom URL Shortener? Yes. There are many free custom URL shorteners available online that you can search for and try out. However, it should be noted that free services typically come with a lot of restrictions. If you want to use a custom URL shortener, there’s a high chance that you’re a brand or a person that wants to promote themselves online. In this case, you’ll need other features from your URL shortener as well, such as tracking, analytics, retargeting, and more. A free custom URL shortener might be able to provide you with a custom shortened link but it may not be able to provide you with everything else you need. Thus, when you opt for free custom URL shortening, it’s extremely important that you look through the set of features thoroughly. Will you get everything that you need from the free URL shortener to engage your audience and set up effective marketing campaigns? This is the question you must ask yourself before you use a free custom URL shortener to create branded links. Do I Really Need a Custom URL Shortener? If you want to shorten a URL simply for personal use or for use within your employees, you can get away with using a generic URL shortener. These types of URL shorteners are usually free and have the URL shortener tool’s branding rather than your own. This doesn’t really matter since you’re using it for your own personal purposes. However, if you’re a brand or any entity that wants to engage an audience and introduce them to your products, services or content, then you need a URL shortener. Why? Well, because as a brand, every part of your content and your pitch should include your brand image and identity. Your shortened links are not exempt from this. This is especially true if you intend to share them on social media or any other digital space. When your shortened links represent your brand as well, this leads to much better brand cohesion and, thus, better brand recognition. How Much Should I Pay for a Custom URL Shortener? So we’ve concluded that while free custom URL shorteners exist, they typically lack all the features that a brand needs to grow. That’s why you’re better off with a paid URL shortener which will most likely have everything you need. However, it’s important to note that most URL shortener services have multiple plans to choose from. To determine which plan is best for you, you must assess what your needs are and what the scale of your company is. Only then will you be able to use them effectively to drive web traffic to your website. Most URL shorteners have a “popular” or “basic” plan that is usually their most opted-for plan by its user base. Usually, this plan has everything that most mid-level brands require to generate branded links and track performance effectively. In most cases, most URL shortener tools typically charge between $15 to $30 per month for these basic plans. Hence, that’s the amount you should expect to pay if you want a URL shortener to boost the relevance and awareness of your brand. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What is a Branded URL Shortener? A branded URL shortener is the same as a custom URL shortener. It allows you to connect a custom domain or subdomain that represents your brand. Then, you can use that custom domain or subdomain to create branded links that you can use within your marketing content. What is a Vanity URL? A vanity URL is just another name for a custom or branded shortened URL. It’s called a vanity URL since it represents the identity of your brand. How do Custom URL Shorteners Work? Custom URL shorteners work by allowing you to connect a domain or subdomain that represents your brand. Once it’s connected, the shortened links that are generated use the domain or subdomain that you connected with the URL shortener. The working of the shortened URL itself is the same as a generic URL shortener. This means that the shortened URL is a redirect link that leads to the original destination URL. Should I Use a Free Custom URL Shortener? You can definitely use a free custom URL shortener if you’re just starting your brand and don’t have the budget to allocate funds to a paid URL shortener plan. However, you should be aware that you may not be able to reap all the benefits that a paid URL shortener has to offer, such as tracking, analytics, retargeting and more. Can I Add UTM Parameters to Shortened Links? Yes. All you have to do is add the UTM parameters to the original destination URL and then shorten it. You can then use the shortened link anywhere you’d like. The UTM parameters will work and you can track performance with Google Analytics. Conclusion Free custom URL shorteners are definitely available online, but they aren’t as good as they seem. Sure, you might be able to get branded links for free, but those branded links won’t be trackable. You probably won’t be able to perform retargeting, deep linking or any other features that a brand requires for constant growth. Hence, if you have no other choice, then go for a free option. Otherwise, it’s always better to opt for a paid URL shortener. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Custom URL Shorteners: Should You Buy One? Full Breakdown
Custom URL Shorteners vs Generic URL Shorteners
Is it Worth it to Buy a Custom URL Shortener?
URL shorteners that can generate custom URLs are essential for brands who want to boost and maintain their relevance. They allow you to include your branding within your shortened links...
URL shorteners that can generate custom URLs are essential for brands who want to boost and maintain their relevance. They allow you to include your branding within your shortened links and, thus, increase brand cohesion within your content. This post will take a look at custom URL shorteners in-depth and determine whether or not they’re worth it for your brand. Quick Summary In this post, we will discuss: What a custom URL shortener is How they differ from generic URL shorteners What other features custom URL shorteners should have Whether or not it’s worth it to pay for a custom URL shortener And more. So without further ado, let’s get into it. What’s a Custom URL Shortener? A custom URL shortener allows you to customize your shortened link so that you can use it to represent your brand. This is accomplished by connecting a custom domain or subdomain to the custom URL shortener service. That custom domain or subdomain is then utilized to create custom links. It should be noted that in order to use the custom domain, it should be registered and published online first. They are super important for brands that want to utilize URL shortening. Since brands want every part of their content to represent them, it only makes sense that the shortened links they share should represent them as well. This is why all shortened links from companies that you see typically have their name or some abbreviation of it as the domain. Most URL shortener services that you’ll see online will have a custom URL shortener component. In most cases, you’ll have to opt for a paid plan for a URL shortener service if you want to generate custom links. Custom URL Shorteners vs Generic URL Shorteners This section is going to be a short comparison between custom and generic URL shorteners. We’ll also provide instances where you should use one or the other. Let’s get started… Custom URL Shorteners Custom URL shorteners tend to have a lot more features than generic ones. Since you can use them to customize the entirety of your shortened link, they can be useful to increase customer trust. This is because, as opposed to a generic link, you can edit your custom link to make sure that readers know exactly where the link will lead them to. You can do this by communicating what the link is about in the latter part of it (after the forward slash). The domain represents your brand, the latter part represents the web page. Since your target audience will know exactly who the link is from and what it leads to, simply by reading the custom link itself, they’ll be much more likely to click it. They’re perfect for social media posts, social media bios, email newsletters, blogs and more. Generic URL Shorteners Generic URL shorteners don’t really have a lot of depth, as they generate a simple shortened URL when you give them a destination URL as an input. The generic URL that’s created will most likely have branding for the URL shortener service that you use. The latter part of the generic shortened link will just be a string of random letters and numbers. Brands should not use generic URL shorteners. Firstly, they bear the URL shortener tool’s branding and not your own. This confuses the reader and advertises the tool rather than your brand. Furthermore, a reader does not know anything about where a generic shortened link will lead them to. Hence, they are much less likely to click it. The upside of generic URL shorteners is that they are free in most cases and super simple to use. You can use them if you just want shortened links for personal use. Other Features of Custom URL Shorteners If you want to opt for a custom URL shortener, there’s a high chance you’re a brand or someone who wants to promote themselves online. If that’s the case, you’ll need many more features from your URL shortener other than just custom links. Some other features that you should look for in a custom URL shortener include: Tracking and Analytics First and foremost, as a brand, it’s super important that you are able to gauge your performance and the popularity of the branded links that you share online. If you have no idea how your links are performing, how do you decide what your next move is? Hence, always opt for a custom URL shortener that has extensive tracking and performance-measuring capabilities. Certain metrics that a URL shortener should be able to track include: Number of impressions Number of clicks Number of shares And more. Some of the more sophisticated URL shorteners out there can also provide you with a lot of data about the people who click on the links. You can use this data to generate customer personas and target key demographics. URL Rotator A URL rotator is something that can be extremely useful for a brand to run A/B tests. Essentially, a URL rotator allows you to have a link that can lead to multiple different web pages or different versions of the same web page. You can adjust the weightage to 50%-50%, 75%-25%, or anything else that you want. It can be a great way to run tests and determine which approach works better for discoverability and customer engagement with certain target audiences. Is it Worth it to Buy a Custom URL Shortener? There’s no real answer for this since it really depends on how much you’re paying for your custom URL shortener. If you intend to pay for a custom URL shortener, it’s very important that it has other features that can support you as a brand as well. These are the features that we talked about in the section above. Assess your needs before you buy a custom URL shortener. As a brand, you must first know what your needs are. Do you need to perform A/B tests with different key demographics? Are you having trouble identifying your target market? Are you having trouble with branding? These are all questions you must ask yourself and then find a URL shortener that has all the features you require to succeed. When it comes to the pricing, we feel that if you pay upwards of $40 per month for a custom URL shortener, it’s not worth it. Typically, a well-priced custom URL shortener will be somewhere between $20 to $40 per month. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What Happens When You Shorten a URL? When you enter a long URL into a URL shortener as an input, the tool generates a much shorter link. This shorter link is essentially a 301 redirect link that leads to the original URL that you entered as an input. Is it Safe to Use Shortened URLs? Yes, it’s absolutely safe to use URL shorteners online to generate shortened URLs. However, since they’re super easy to make, anybody can create a phony website that could be malicious. When you shorten URLs, make sure that you do so with the help of a reputable and publicly known URL shortener. Can I Customize a Shortened URL? Yes, as long as you use a custom URL shortener, it can allow you to customize every facet of the shortened URL itself. The first part is customized with the help of a custom domain or subdomain. This is something that you connect with the URL shortener tool so that it can be used to generate the custom link. The latter part of the custom URL is free for you to customize. You can edit it to be anything that you want. Typically, brands utilize this second part to tell readers what the web page is about. Do Shortened URLs Expire? No. Typically, shortened URLs remain in existence forever. However, some URL shorteners such as Pixelfy do allow you to set a link expiration date so that it stops working at that date. This can be useful if you intend to only use a certain URL for a specific period of time (such as for a limited-time marketing campaign). Who Uses URL Shorteners? URL shorteners are used by a wide variety of individuals and organizations. Anybody that wants to promote anything online will use URL shorteners. This includes influencers, digital marketers, entrepreneurs, brands, organizations, Youtubers, bloggers, and more. Conclusion Custom shortened URLs are extremely powerful and a great tool for brands to get their name out there. Not only that, but they are proven to have much better click-through rates than generic URLs. Hence, it goes without saying that you should invest in a custom URL shortener if you intend to raise awareness for your brand. They’re a tool used by digital marketing and influencer marketing agencies, and for good reason: they are proven to drive customer engagement. Do let us know what you think in the comments below.
How to Create a Custom URL Link: The Ultimate Guide with FAQs
Why custom links are preferred over generic links
This post provides step-by-step instructions on how to create a custom URL link. Custom URLs are extremely important for brand awareness and they’re the only option if you intend to...
This post provides step-by-step instructions on how to create a custom URL link. Custom URLs are extremely important for brand awareness and they’re the only option if you intend to use shortened links for marketing purposes. If you’re a brand that uses generic shortened links, you might be seriously hurting your bottom line and the number of customers you can engage. Quick Summary In this post, we will shed light upon: What a custom link is and why you need it as a brand How to create custom links with Pixelfy Why custom links are preferred over generic links And much more. So without further ado, let’s get started. What is a Custom Link and Why is it Needed? A custom link (also known as a branded link or a vanity URL) is a shortened link that the user can customize. Typically, brands utilize custom links and customize them so that they bear their branding. The custom link is made by first connecting a custom domain or subdomain to the URL shortener service. The URL shortener service then uses this custom domain or subdomain to create the shortened links. Naturally, when you have a shortened link that represents your brand, it plays a huge role in representing it. In contrast, if you have a generic shortened link, it’ll represent the URL shortener’s brand rather than yours. Not only that, but they help your discoverability. They’re tools used by digital marketing and influencer marketing agencies, entrepreneurs, and brands. That’s why custom links are essential for brands that utilize URL shortening. There are many custom URL shorteners available online that are both paid as well as free. However, you’ll see very few free custom URL shorteners. Even the ones that are free often don’t have other features that a brand might need to grow. How to Create a Custom Link using Pixelfy (Step-by-Step Guide) Pixelfy’s Any URL Shortener is an all-in-one tool with many advanced options. One of these advanced options is to create custom links for your brand. As we mentioned earlier, it’s important to note that you must first connect a domain or subdomain to Pixelfy before you can generate custom links. Important note: You can’t just think of a custom domain on the spot and connect it to a URL shortener service. You must think of a custom domain first and then, get it registered with a domain name registrar. Once that’s done, you must also make the domain live with the help of any web hosting service. Once the domain name is registered and live, you can then connect it with Pixelfy to generate branded links. Connect a Domain or Subdomain to Pixelfy Follow these steps to connect a custom domain or subdomain to Pixelfy: Step 1: Log into Pixelfy and in the left-hand side toolbar, click on “Custom domains” as shown below: Step 2: You’ll see a brief introduction to the custom domains feature if that’s something you have not explored within Pixelfy before. Step 3: Next, you’ll be asked to enter the custom domain. As mentioned earlier, the domain you enter must be registered with a domain name registrar and should also be live with the help of a web hosting service. Step 4: After you enter the custom domain and click “Next”, you’ll be asked whether or not the domain has any content published on it, such as a website, blog, social media, etc. Step 5: If you do have something already published on the domain, skip to step 7. On the other hand, if you don’t have anything published on the domain, then select “No, this is an unused domain”, and click “Next”. Step 6: Go ahead and click on “Add domain” and your custom domain will now be ready to use within Pixelfy. Step 7: If you already have content published on the domain, then you won’t be able to use the custom domain. Instead, you’ll have to use a subdomain. Step 8: Click on “Use subdomain” and then, a new page will appear where you’ll be prompted to enter the subdomain. Think of an appropriate subdomain that will work for your brand and then, enter it into the text box. Finally, click on “Next”. In either case, you’ll now have either a domain or subdomain that can be used to generate branded links. Generate Branded Links with a Connected Custom Domain or Subdomain with Pixelfy Now, to create a custom shortened link with the domain or subdomain you just connected, follow the steps below: Step 1: On the dashboard page, look to the left-hand side toolbar. Step 2: Click on the Any URL Shortener. It’ll be shown as just “URL shortener” in the left-hand side toolbar as shown below: Step 3: When you first start to generate the link, the URL shortener will ask you for the destination URL and a title for the link. The destination URL is obviously, the original long URL that you’d like to shorten. As for the title, you can title it whatever you want in order to identify it. You can also add link tags to the link to differentiate it from other links that you may have generated in the past. Link tags can be used to sort links by campaign, demographic, time, etc. Step 4: As you may already be able to tell after you enter the title and destination URL, if you just click “Generate” right then and there, it’ll give you a generic link. To turn this generic link into a custom link, click on “Show advanced options” as shown below: Step 5: Click on “Domain and Slug” and then, click on “Select domain”. Since you’ve already connected your custom domain or subdomain to Pixelfy, it should be available from the drop-down menu. Go ahead and select the custom domain or subdomain that you’d like to use for the branded link. Step 6: After you select it, naturally, the first part will be the custom domain or subdomain. As for the latter part, you are free to customize it in any way you want. Most people use the latter part to communicate what the web page is actually about to the reader. Step 7: Apart from custom links, Pixelfy’s Any URL shortener also has several other features that you can take advantage of such as: Adjust your social sharing thumbnail. Create and add a tracking code to your branded link. Add a link expiration date and time. Add UTM tags or parameters to keep track of links through Google Analytics. Activate or deactivate the mobile deep linking option. Activate and adjust the geo-targeting settings. Activate link cloaking. Activate Android and iOS targeting. Make the shortened link part of one of your Campaigns. You can create a new campaign to add it to or simply add it to an existing campaign that you created within Pixelfy. Step 8: After you are satisfied with all of the settings, click “Generate” and your custom link will be ready for you to use. Why are Custom Links Preferred Over Generic Links? There are many different reasons why brands prefer custom links over generic shortened links. Some of these reasons are: Brand Awareness This is the most obvious reason. When you are sharing content to promote your brand, every aspect of it needs to reflect your brand image. The shortened links that you include within your content are also part of that. Hence, they need to reflect your branding as well and that’s where branded links and custom URL shorteners come in. If you use generic links to promote your brand, it will confuse the reader and dilute your brand image. You won’t stick in the consumer’s mind and as a result, there’s a high percentage of people that might not engage with your brand. Consumer Trust Consumers tend to trust branded links a whole lot more since they give them a lot more information on where it will lead. Think about it. A generic link tells a user nothing. It’s just the name of the URL shortener tool and a bunch of random letters and numbers in the latter part. On the other hand, a branded link shows them what brand it’s from and the latter part also tells them about where the web page leads. Hence, consumers tend to trust branded links a whole lot more than generic links. Click-Through Rate Since consumers trust branded links more than generic links, they are much more likely to click on them and engage with your brand. This leads to a much higher click-through rate for branded links as compared to generic shortened links. Of course, a higher click-through rate can mean many great things. It means that a larger number of customers will engage with your brand, and thus, you’ll most likely generate a lot more sales. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Can I Get a Custom URL Shortener for Free? Yes. There do exist many free custom URL shorteners online. However, it should be noted that while they can allow you to create custom URLs, many of them lack other features you may need as a brand. This includes features like tracking, analytics, reporting, link rotation and more. How Much Should I Pay for a Custom URL Shortener? More often than not, if you want to get the most out of a custom URL shortener, you’ll have to opt for a paid plan. In most cases, you should expect to pay somewhere between $20 to $40 per month for a custom URL shortener. How Do Custom URL Shorteners Work? Custom URL shorteners allow you to connect a custom domain or subdomain to them. Then, when you generate a shortened link, that custom domain or subdomain is utilized to create the shortened link. This link is, of course, also a redirect link that leads to the destination URL that you entered. Can I Use Generic URL Shorteners? If you want to shorten links for personal use, then generic URL shorteners are fine to use. However, if you want to shorten links so that they can be served to a target audience or for any sort of marketing purposes, then you need a custom URL shortener. Are Generic URL Shorteners Free? Yes. Most generic URL shorteners that don’t allow you to customize the link are often free and are readily available online. Conclusion As you can see, it’s super simple to create a custom link once you have a custom domain registered and published. After the initial connection with the URL shortener service is made, custom links become super easy to generate. You can use them for a variety of purposes, such as in social media posts, social media bios, email newsletters, blogs, and much more. Let us know of your experience in the comments below.
Free URL Branded Shorteners: Are They Worth it? – Full Breakdown
Why most branded URL shorteners have paid plans
Whether or not you need a branded URL shortener
Whether or not free branded URL shorteners are worth it
You can definitely find free URL branded shorteners online if you look for them hard enough. However, are these free custom shorteners worth it, or would you be better off...
You can definitely find free URL branded shorteners online if you look for them hard enough. However, are these free custom shorteners worth it, or would you be better off paying for such a service? This post hopes to explore the possibility of utilizing free custom shorteners to increase brand awareness through branded links. Quick Summary In this post, we will discuss: What branded URL shorteners are Why most branded URL shorteners have paid plans Whether or not you need a branded URL shortener Whether or not free branded URL shorteners are worth it And more. So without further ado, let’s get started. What’s a Branded URL Shortener? A branded URL shortener allows you to connect a custom domain or subdomain to it. Then, you can use that domain or subdomain to generate shortened links. This allows for custom links since you can adjust the latter part of the shortened link (after the forward-slash) as well. Custom links allow you to represent your brand through the URL shortening process. This is because the custom domain or subdomain that you’ll connect with will often be the name of your brand or some type of abbreviation of it. Thus, you’re able to add a touch of your brand to your shortened links rather than them bearing the URL shortener tool’s name. You don’t want to use generic shortened links for your promotional content because that would advertise the URL shortener tool, not your brand. Do I Need a Branded URL Shortener? If you want to shorten links simply for personal use or even just for use within your company, you can get away with using a generic URL shortener. However, if you intend to shorten links so that they can be shared with potential customers and your target market, then you absolutely need a branded URL shortener. Why? Well, when you’re a brand that wants to increase its awareness and recognition, you must ensure that every part of your content represents you. This is especially true in today’s age of digital marketing, especially on social media. This includes the images, text, videos, and anything else that you share; It’s not surprising then that your shortened links need to represent your brand properly as well. This leads to increased brand cohesion and a clear representation of your brand through your shortened links. Not only that but branded links also increase customer trust since they’ll know who the link is from and where it leads to. Hence, they’ll be much more likely to click it and interact with your brand’s content. This obviously results in a much higher click-through rate as well. Can I Find Free Branded URL Shorteners, and Is it Worth it? Since branded URL shorteners allow brands to represent themselves, they are typically only available in paid plans. This is why most of the free URL shorteners that you’ll see online will only allow you to generate generic shortened links. These links, of course, bear the branding of the URL shortener tool rather than your brand’s. In most cases, the paid plans that allow you to generate branded links usually cost somewhere in the range of $20 to $40 per month. So, what about the few branded URL shorteners that are free to use? Well, it may seem like a good deal but the truth of the matter is that if you’re a brand looking for a branded link generator, custom links aren’t the only thing you’ll need. As a brand, you need several other features from your URL shortener too such as: Link tracking Detailed analytics and history Link retargeting The issue with such free branded URL shorteners is that while they do provide you with custom links, they won’t provide you with these other features. Even if they do, they’ll be in a very limited capacity. For example, Rebrandly offers you five custom domains for free. However, you can only track up to 5,000 clicks per month and you do not get custom reports per month. Hence, while you’ll be able to generate custom links, you won’t have the means to track them properly. You also won’t get adequate statistics about your target audience. Naturally, all of these factors will hurt your discoverability and hinder your growth. Why Do You Need Link Tracking? Link tracking is absolutely essential for any brand that needs to construct effective marketing campaigns based on a certain target demographic or demographics. You can’t construct effective campaigns if you don’t know who your target market is. That’s where link tracking comes in. Link tracking allows you to identify certain traits about the individuals that click on your shortened links. Thus, you can use this information to build customer personas. Once those customer personas are built, they can be utilized to create more personalized and specific marketing campaigns. Naturally, since they’re more personalized, they’ll have a much higher chance of grabbing the attention of that particular demographic. Why Do You Need Detailed Analytics? Any brand that wants to learn from its past mistakes needs to have access to its entire history of analytics. This includes the performance of the shortened links that they generate and share across all of their marketing content. Not only do you need to keep track of the history, but you must also keep track of their performance in real-time as well. That’s the great thing about marketing in the digital age. You can monitor your performance in real time and then make changes on the fly accordingly. This approach can save failing campaigns and really ensure that you’re reaching the highest amount of likely customers possible. Why Do You Need Link Retargeting? Link retargeting is a super powerful tool that many paid URL shorteners have. In most cases, you will not find these features as part of a free plan for any URL shortener, even the free branded ones. Link retargeting allows you to track visitors. These are the people that clicked on your branded links. Then, once they’re tracked, you can use this information to serve ads to them at a later time. Since they’ve already interacted with your brand, they’ll have a much higher chance of interacting with the ads they’re served. This sophisticated approach leads to a lot more user engagement and, eventually, an increase in sales and revenue. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Why Should I Use a URL Shortener? There are several reasons why one would need a URL shortener. They fulfill a ton of needs for individuals as well as brands. For individuals, smaller URLs are much easier to memorize and, thus, a whole lot easier to manage. For brands, they can be a way to promote themselves through branded links. Furthermore, they increase consumer trust and brands also use them to keep track of their key metrics as well as target audiences. How is a URL Different from an Email Address? A URL is used to refer to a resource on the internet. When you enter it into a browser, it takes you to that resource, e.g., a website, a blog, etc. An email address is an address to an account on a mail server. It is used to identify a person’s email account that can be used to send and receive emails. Email addresses have the “@” symbol, whereas URLs do not. How Do URL Shorteners Work? URL shorteners work by receiving a long URL as input. Then, they generate a much smaller URL that is essentially a redirect link that leads to the same web page that the URL you entered as input leads to. Since the shorter URL leads to the same web page, you can use that instead of the original long URL that you input into the URL shortener tool. How Does Link Redirection Work? A redirect link is essentially a different link that leads to the same web page as a certain other link. Multiple links can lead to the same web page and URL shorteners work on the basis of redirects. Since the shorter URL is a redirect link that also leads to the same web page as the long URL, you can use the shorter link instead. Which URL Shortener is the Best? Pixelfy comes with a cheap $20 per month plan that has everything a brand needs to grow with shortened links. This includes features we mentioned above such as: Custom links Link retargeting Link tracking Detailed analytics As well as other useful features we didn’t mention such as: Mobile deep linking Link rotation Link swapping And a whole lot more. Conclusion While URL shorteners that are branded and also free are available, they often don’t have other necessary features that a brand needs. If you are considering opting for a free branded URL shortener, make sure that you take a look at everything it offers. You don’t want to be stuck with a service that does not have all the tools you need to succeed as a brand. Do let us know what you think in the comments below.
Link Shorteners for Branded URLs: How They Work and Why You Need One
What are custom or branded URL shorteners
Why should you use branded URL shorteners
Custom URL Shorteners Offer Link Swapping
Generic Links Promote the Shortener Tool’s Brand
Link shorteners for branded URLs allow you to create customized shortened links that can represent your brand. If you don’t use such links for your branding, it can really hurt...
Link shorteners for branded URLs allow you to create customized shortened links that can represent your brand. If you don’t use such links for your branding, it can really hurt your bottom line as well as your brand image. That’s why it’s important to get a preferred link shortener service that can generate branded URLs so you can utilize them regularly. Quick Summary In this post, we’ll shed light on: What are custom or branded URL shorteners Why should you use branded URL shorteners And more. So without further ado, let’s get into it. What are Custom or Branded URL Shorteners? A custom or branded URL shortener is one that allows you to create shortened links that you can customize. This is done by connecting a custom domain to the URL shortener service which will then be used to generate the shortened URLs. Note that you need to register a custom domain beforehand with a web domain registrar and also, make it live via a web hosting service. Only then will you be able to use it with a custom URL shortener. The custom domain that you should register is usually the name of your brand or some type of abbreviation that represents it. That’ll be the first part of the shortened link, and as for the second part, it’s up to you what you’d like to put in there. Typically, brands use the second part of such links to describe what the web page is about. This could be a product, a service, a limited-time offer, or something else. Branded URL shorteners are crucial to the success of your brand as they help with brand cohesion, and brand awareness and have a much higher CTR rate. If you have a brand that you’d like to promote on social media, through email newsletters, blogs, etc., you will definitely need a branded URL shortener. Don’t use generic shortened links within branded content that’ll be shared with a target audience. It makes your company look inexperienced and incompetent. Not only that but having generic URL shortening within your content leads to the dilution of your brand image within your messaging. This happens because generic shortened links contain the branding of the URL shortener tool that you used to generate them. Why Should You Use Branded URL Shorteners? Certain digital marketers still believe that they can get away with using generic shortened URLs. However, most experts feel that they’re a thing of the past and that all brands and marketers should use branded links to promote their content. There are a number of reasons why branded links are objectively better for brand engagement when compared with generic links: Generic Links Don’t Have Private Statistics Many digital marketers, brands, and influencers don’t realize this, but when they use generic links, anybody can see their stats whenever they want. For example, if you utilize a platform such as Bit.ly to create a generic shortened link, all you have to do is add a “+” to the end of the link to get its stats. Not only can you see these stats, but anybody else can as well. Thus, if you use generic links, they can be used by your competitors to spy on your performance and web traffic. Custom URL Shorteners Offer Link Swapping Link swapping refers to when you change the destination URL of a shortened link. This feature can be extremely useful if you make a mistake or if the web page that a certain shortened link used to point to is not active anymore. In this case, just imagine if you shared that particular link across several different channels and platforms. It’d be a pain to change them all. If you use a generic link, you’d have to go one-by-one to change the link across all the channels you posted it on. This would be extremely time-consuming and a major waste of resources. On the other hand, if you use a branded link, you can simply change the destination URL for it. Thus, with one change, all of the instances where you shared that link will be modified and they’ll lead to a new web page that you provided. Generic Links Promote the Shortener Tool’s Brand, Not Yours We all know that when you use generic links, the URL shortener’s brand is what comes up as the branding for it. Thus, when you use such links within your branding content, customers will see the shortener tool’s name in the link and not yours. This will obviously lead to a promotion of the shortener’s brand and your brand won’t be anywhere in the picture. Generic links seriously dilute your brand’s messaging. They will confuse the reader and hurt your brand consistency. This can cost you many potential sales and can hurt your discoverability. Check out our post on how to use Pixelfy to generate branded links for a quick rundown on how to get them for your marketing content. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) How Long Do URL Shortened Links Last? Shortened links don’t really have an expiration date unless you set it yourself. Some URL shortener services allow you to set the expiration date for your shortened links. This can be useful in certain cases. For example, if you intend to use a shortened link only for the duration of a certain marketing campaign. Can You Customize a Shortened URL? Yes. All you need is a custom or branded URL shortener as well as a custom domain that is live via a web hosting service. This will allow you to generate customizable shortened links that are represented by that particular custom domain. Is it Safe to Use URL Shorteners? Yes. As long as you use a URL shortener service that is reputable and well-established, you won’t have to worry about safety. How do Shortened Links Work? Shortened links are essentially redirect links. They are generated to be much shorter than the destination URL, but they redirect users to the same web page that the destination URL points to. Do Shortened Links Hurt SEO? Branded links do not hurt SEO since they contain your branding as well as information on what the web page is about. This can actually help SEO and boost your brand’s discoverability. Generic links can definitely hurt SEO since you cannot edit them. All they contain are the URL shortener’s name and a string of letters and numbers in the latter section. Conclusion If you intend to use a URL shortener simply because you want short URLs that you can remember and type easily for personal use, then generic links are the way to go. The service is free in most cases and super simple to use. However, if you intend to use shortened links to promote your brand, then it’s very important that you invest in a custom URL shortener. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
URL Shortener Tutorial: How to Create Generic and Branded Links
The difference between generic and branded links
How to generate generic links with Pixelfy’s Fast Shortener tool
How to generate generic links with Pixelfy’s Chrome Extension
How to generate branded links with Pixelfy’s Chrome Extension
How to generate branded links with Pixelfy’s Any URL Shortener
In this URL shortener, we’ll provide all the details you need to generate both generic and branded shortened links. Branded links can be difficult to customize at first and it’s...
In this URL shortener, we’ll provide all the details you need to generate both generic and branded shortened links. Branded links can be difficult to customize at first and it’s important to learn how to track them properly as well. We’ll also cover the differences between generic and branded links, and where they should be used respectively. Quick Summary In this tutorial post, we will discuss: The difference between generic and branded links How to generate generic links with Pixelfy’s Fast Shortener tool How to generate generic links with Pixelfy’s Chrome Extension How to generate branded links with Pixelfy’s Chrome Extension How to generate branded links with Pixelfy’s Any URL Shortener And more. So without further ado, let’s get into it. The Difference Between Generic and Branded Links Before we get into how to use URL shorteners, it’s important for you to know that there are two types of shortened URLs that you can generate and use. These two types are: Generic links Branded or custom links Generic Links Generic links are easier to obtain and most generic URL shorteners are free to use. When you create generic links, they contain the branding of whatever URL shortener tool you used to generate them. All generic links generated by the same URL shortener tool look very similar since they have the same domain. This is why they’re referred to as generic links. As you can probably imagine, generic links have quickly fallen out of favor with digital marketers, brand owners and anyone who wants to promote something. This is because they advertise the URL shortener’s brand rather than your own. Branded Links Branded links or custom links can be customized to contain your branding rather than the branding of the URL shortener tool that you use. This can give flair to your shortened links, and they can do a great job of representing your brand within your marketing content. Branded links require a bit more work and planning to generate, and most URL shorteners require you to pay before you can generate them. Although, there do exist some services out there that allow you to generate branded links free of cost. Custom URL shorteners work by connecting a custom domain. This custom domain will be used to generate your customized shortened links. It’s important to note that you must register this custom domain with a web domain registrar first and make it live with the help of a web hosting service. Once these two steps are done, you can connect the custom domain to the URL shortener service of your choice. Now, you can generate branded links that can be used within all of your promotional content. The name of your custom domain should be either the name of your brand or some type of abbreviation that best represents it. The latter part of the customized link (the part after the forward slash) will usually have a word or two that will represent what the link is about. Such branded links could have a number of purposes, such as in social media posts or videos on any online video platform. For example, if a branded link leads to a new product that you’ve released, you can name the latter part of the customized link after that particular product. How to Generate Generic Links with Pixelfy’s Fast Shortener Tool? It should be noted that before you can use any of Pixelfy’s tools, you’ll need to register an account and log in. Follow these steps to generate a generic shortened link within seconds: Step 1: Once you log in, you’ll be greeted with Pixelfy’s dashboard page. From here, you have access to all of the tools and features that Pixelfy has to offer. If you’d like to see all of them, you can click on “All tools” in the left-hand side toolbar. For now, turn your attention to the Fast Shortener box present at the top of the dashboard page. Step 2: To generate a shortened generic link, you must first copy your destination URL. This is the original long URL that you’d like to shorten. Paste it into the Fast Shortener box. As soon as you paste it, the page should load and direct you to another one. If you don’t get redirected, click on the Shorten button to redirect yourself manually. Step 3: The next page will provide you with the shortened generic link that you can make use of. Please note that we do not recommend that you use such generic links for marketing purposes. The purpose of the Fast shortener is to provide you with quick generic links for immediate personal use or use for employees within your brand. You should also note that you get a QR code for the shortened link as well. You can get it by clicking on Download QR code. Pixelfy automatically generates QR codes for all the links that it shortens. How to Generate Generic Links with Pixelfy’s Chrome Extension? Naturally, to use the Chrome extension for Pixelfy to generate a shortened link, you must first download it from the Chrome Web Store. Go ahead and search for “Pixelfy,” and you should see the Pixelfy Chrome extension. Step 1: After you download it, make sure that it is enabled within your Google Chrome browser. You can check this by looking at the right of your URL address bar at the top. If you see Pixelfy’s icon, that means it’s enabled. Step 2: If you don’t see it, that means the extension is not enabled. You can enable it by going to your extension settings and turning it on. To go to your extension settings, simply type “chrome://extensions” in your URL address bar and press Enter. Step 2: After that, once the extension is enabled, use your Chrome browser to navigate to the destination URL you’d like to shorten. Step 3: After navigating to the page, click on the Pixelfy Chrome extension icon on the right-hand side of the URL address bar. Step 4: You’ll get the option to shorten the link as well as some other options such as titling it and adding link tags so you can easily identify it. You can also make it part of a running marketing campaign that you may have established within your Pixelfy account. Step 5: After you are satisfied with the settings, click on the Save changes and then, click on Shorten. You will receive the shortened URL that you can copy and utilize anywhere you want. How to Generate Branded Links with Pixelfy’s Chrome Extension? To generate branded links with the Pixelfy Chrome extension, you must first have a custom domain linked to your Pixelfy account. Follow the instructions below to connect a custom domain to your Pixelfy account: Step 1: Navigate to the dashboard page and click “Custom domains” from the left-hand side toolbar. Step 2: If this is your first time connecting a custom domain to Pixelfy, you’ll be greeted with a brief introduction to them. Step 3: Next, you’ll be prompted to enter the custom domain. Please note that you must’ve registered said domain with a web domain registrar and that it should also be live with the help of a web hosting service. Only then can you connect it with Pixelfy or any other URL shortener. Step 4: Once you enter your custom domain and click “Next”, you’ll be asked whether or not the domain already has content published on it or not. Step 5: If you have not published anything on the custom domain yet, go ahead and select “No”. Step 6: After that, all you need to do is click on “Add Domain” and your custom domain will now be available for use to create branded links with Pixelfy. Step 7: On the other hand, if you do have content published on the domain, you can click “Yes”. In this case, you’ll be met with a warning message that states you cannot use this as a custom domain since it has content published on it. In this case, you’ll have to add a subdomain. Step 8: In this case, click on “Add subdomain” and you’ll be prompted to enter the subdomain you want to connect. Go ahead and type it accordingly and click on “Submit”. Once that’s done, your domain or subdomain will be ready to use to generate branded links. You can use these in many different parts of Pixelfy such as the Chrome extension as well as the Any URL Shortener. When it comes to generating branded links with the Pixelfy Chrome extension, the steps are pretty much the same as for generic ones. However, when you are tinkering with the settings, you can choose the links to have a custom domain. Naturally, you’ll be given the options from the custom domains that you have connected. As long as you have connected the appropriate domain or subdomain, it will be available for you to use within these settings. How to Generate Branded Links with Pixelfy’s Any URL Shortener? So far, we’ve provided you with the uses for the Fast Shortener and Chrome extension tools for Pixelfy. While they are useful and quick, they don’t offer the entirety of customization and features that Pixelfy has to offer. To get the full scale of features, you must use the Any URL Shortener tool within Pixelfy. The branded URLs that you will generate with this tool can be used for a variety of purposes such as: Redirecting click-through traffic Email newsletters Social media posts Blogs Print media Meta descriptions And much more. Here’s how to use the Any URL Shortener to generate branded links: Step 1: On the dashboard page for Pixelfy, click on “All tools” on the left-hand side toolbar. Step 2: After that, click on URL Shortener. Step 3: Once you navigate to the Any URL Shortener’s page, you can immediately see that it has a lot more options for customization compared to the Fast Shortener tool and the Chrome extension. Even though the Any URL Shortener is a lot more thorough, you can still also use it in the same way as you would the Fast Shortener tool. If you’d like to quickly generate a shortened generic link, you can do so by entering the destination URL and the link title. Click on “Generate” and this will produce a shortened generic link within seconds. You can also go back to links you created in the past and tinker with their settings according to your needs. Step 4: Generic links are all fine but we’re here for the good stuff: branded links. Not only can you create branded links but you can also use the Any URL Shortener’s link tags to easily identify them as well. This can help you organize and sort different branded links according to different categories. Step 5: Please note that in order to use your custom domain or subdomain, you must still have it connected to Pixelfy first. The steps to connect a custom domain or subdomain are provided in the “How to Generate Branded Links with Pixelfy’s Chrome Extension” section above. Click on “Show advanced options”. Step 6: You’ll see a drop-down menu and if you’ve successfully connected a domain or subdomain, this will be available here for you to choose. Go ahead and select the domain or subdomain that you’d like to use. Step 7: Once it’s selected, you’ll have your branded link. The first section will be the domain or subdomain. As for the second section, it’s up to you how you want to customize it and what you want to add to it. Most brands typically use the second part of a branded link to communicate to readers what the link is about. If your shortened link is about a certain service, go ahead and add that service’s name to the latter part of the branded link. Step 8: If you’d like to adjust any other settings, you can do so in Advanced Options. Once you’re satisfied, go ahead and click on “Generate”. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) How Does a URL Shortener Service work? A URL shortener service works by taking a destination URL as an input. It generates a shortened link that is essentially a redirect link to the destination URL. Since that shortened link is much neater and leads to the same web page, it can now be used instead of the original destination URL. Why Do We Need URL Shorteners? URL shorteners are useful for a variety of reasons. Most obviously, shorter links look neater and are easier to memorize. Furthermore, brands use them for branding and they can also be used to track performance and serve retargeted ads to potential customers. What Does URL Stand for? URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. What is Link Swapping? Link swapping refers to changing the destination URL for a shortened link. This is useful if you’ve posted a shortened link to many different channels but now, you’d like to change what web page that shortened link leads to. What is Deep Linking? Deep linking refers to when a user clicks on your link, they are taken dynamically to an in-app page rather than a page in their web browser. This allows for a more streamlined user experience. Conclusion URL shorteners may seem daunting to use at first but it really doesn’t take too long to get used to them. Once you understand how they work, you can begin to explore how they can help you push your brand forward through link tracking, retargeting, rotation, and more. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out in the comments below.
The Best URL Shorteners According to Reddit – An Overview, Alternatives & More
Are URL Shorteners Necessary for Brands?
This post details the best URL shorteners as discussed by the users of Reddit. We tried these link shorteners out to see what they had to offer and ...
In this post, we’ll list the best URL shorteners according to Reddit. Reddit’s often the place people go to for unbiased opinions on everything. We were curious as to how correct Reddit users were when it comes to the effectiveness of certain URL shorteners. Hence, we tested out the URL shorteners suggested by Redditors to see which ones are worth your time and money. Let’s get started. Bit.ly First up is Bit.ly which was recommended the most by Redditors. It’s not surprising since Bitly is definitely the most widely used and also, one of the oldest URL shorteners currently available. You can go to the website and instantly shorten URLs if you just want generic links. On the other hand, you can also create an account and opt for a paid plan if you want more of what Bitly has to offer such as: Link tracking and customizable reporting Custom URLs Deep linking Link rotation And much more. The basic plan for Bitly costs $29 per month. But, why is Bitly not a good URL shortener? Bitly does not provide custom URLs within all of its paid plans. Hence, be careful when choosing a plan if you want custom URLs. Don’t accidentally opt for a paid plan that doesn’t provide you with custom URLs. Rebrandly Next, we have Rebrandly, which is widely known for how great it is to produce branded or custom links. You can get up to five custom domains connected to it for use with its free plan. That’s more than a lot of URL shorteners you’ll see online. Most require you to pay before you can connect even one custom domain to it. Hence, it’s a great option if you have several different brands that you’d like to create branded links for. Not only that, but its tracking features work great as well. You can analyze how popular your shortened links are and also check where the visitors are clicking from. This can help you develop customer personas and detailed target demographics. The pro plan, which most people go for, costs $89 per month. But, why is Rebrandly not a good URL shortener? While it’s true that Rebrandly does provide you with five custom domains for free, it’s important to note that you don’t get much else in the free plan. You don’t get access to monthly custom reports, which are essential to analyze those shortened links properly. Furthermore, you can only track up to 5,000 clicks per month which is a very small sample size. This is especially true if you’re utilizing all of the five custom domains that you get with Rebrandly. Hence, you’ll have to get one of their paid plans if you intend to use Rebrandly for URL shortening and marketing purposes. Cutt.ly Similar to Rebrandly, Cutt.ly also allows you to get up to 3 branded domains for free when you use it. However, as we learnt with Rebrandly, just because you get branded domains for free does not mean you have everything you need. When it comes to the interface, Cutt.ly is pretty straightforward and simple to use. Furthermore, they have a great customer support team that is extremely responsive and can help you out with any issues you may encounter. But, why is Cuttly not a good URL shortener? Similar to Rebrandly, it’s important not to get enticed by the 3 free branded domains. You do get those but it’s important to note that you only get tracking analytics for the past month. Only one month of tracking history is simply not enough to keep proper track of your marketing campaigns. Hence, you’ll definitely have to opt for its paid plan. The most basic one costs $25 per month. Snip.ly Lastly, we have Snip.ly, which is not just a URL shortener but rather, it’s a full-fledged marketing tool. It allows you to create dynamic CTAs (Calls-to-Action) that can be utilized to grab the reader’s attention. You get 1 brand profile for free that you can easily use if you only have one brand that you need to promote. This’ll also be used to generate branded links that can be utilized with your CTAs. Naturally, since it’s a marketing tool, it also has powerful tools to help you track the performance of your links. These can be immensely useful when you develop future marketing campaigns and build customer personas. But, why is Sniply not a good URL shortener? While you do get 1 branded domain for free, it’s important to note that you only get 20 links per month if you opt for the free plan. Naturally, this is not nearly enough if you want to properly market your brand with shortened links. Hence, you’ll most likely have to opt for a paid plan. Snip.ly’s most popular plan is their Pro plan which costs $79 per month. Please note that while all of the URL shorteners above provide you with enticing features such as free custom domains, their free plans lack in other features. If you are to succeed as a brand, you’ll need tools such as link tracking, rotation, retargeting and more. Hence, in any case, you’ll have to pay for their paid plans which can get fairly expensive. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png" alt="target market marketing messages online advertising offline advertising target market" class="wp-image-652" width="234" height="234" srcset="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png 935w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-300x300.png 300w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-150x150.png 150w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-768x768.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" /> SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL Pixelfy’s cheapest plan costs $19.99 per month and it gets you: Custom domains Link retargeting Link tracking and analytics Link rotation Link swapping And much more. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What is a URL Shortener? A URL shortener is a tool that takes a long URL and turns it into a much shorter and neat-looking URL. Are URL Shorteners Necessary for Brands? You can choose not to use URL shorteners if you want as a brand. However, this will almost always hurt your bottom line and cause you to lose potential customers. They help with brand awareness, SEO and streamline the user experience. What is Deep Linking? Deep linking refers to when users click on a link, they are taken to an in-app page where they can interact with the content dynamically. This is in contrast to regular links that just take you to a website on your phone’s web browser. What is URL Retargeting and Can it be Done by URL Shorteners? URL retargeting refers to serving ads to individuals at a later time after they clicked on a certain link. Certain URL shorteners allow you to add a retargeting pixel to the shortened link so that it can be used for retargeting potential customers. What does URL Stand for? URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. Final Verdict Overall, Reddit really seems to love Bit.ly, which makes sense since it’s one of the URL shorteners that has been around for the longest time. Ultimately, you must look at your needs and check the pricing plans for different URL shorteners to see which ones can fulfill all of them for the cheapest price. Only then will you be able to find one that has the most budget-friendly pricing but also, has everything you need. Which URL shortener do you think is the best? Let us know in the comments section below.
Best URL Shortener – Top 3 Picks of 2022, Buyers’ Guide, FAQs & More
The Community’s Thoughts on URL Shortener Pricing
This post will discuss the best URL shorteners you can use to grow your brand. Additionally, we'll discuss some factors to keep in mind when...
It’s important to conduct thorough research to find the best URL shortener for your particular needs. As a brand, you want a URL shortener that can not only shorten URLs but also track them and provide you with insightful visitor data. In this post, we will discuss the factors you must look for in a URL shortener and analyze our top 3 picks that you can choose from. Recommended URL Shortener Pixelfy <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png" alt="small business marketing strategy facebook ads manager potential customers small business marketing" class="wp-image-652" width="234" height="234" srcset="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png 935w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-300x300.png 300w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-150x150.png 150w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-768x768.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" /> Pixelfy is an all-rounder when it comes to features that a URL shortener service should have. It’s quick and simple, but at the same time, it has tracking, deep linking, and other features that make it a great choice for digital marketers. Beginners and veterans can both get a lot of use out of it. SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL What Makes a Great URL Shortener? In this section, we will discuss how you can assess what your needs are and then analyze URL shortener tools to identify the best one for yourself. Most importantly: We will compare the top three URL shorteners to help you make an informed choice: Pixelfy Bitly Rebrandly You need to conduct thorough research to determine which tool would be best for your particular needs. You don’t want to spend money on a URL shortener tool that does not have all the features that you need for a successful marketing campaign. Hence, make sure to consider all the factors provided below before you opt for a certain URL shortener. Pricing First things first, you must determine the budget of your brand and how much you can realistically allocate per month for a URL shortener plan. As we discussed above, you have several options to choose from in terms of URL shortener services and the plans that they have to offer. Hence, you must first assess your budget and then look for a URL shortener plan that fits well within that budget. Quick tip: When you’re first starting out as a small brand, you can get away with using a free plan for a URL shortener service. They don’t have a lot of features to offer, but they are often enough for you to get your feet off the ground. Then, once you start to generate some revenue, you can set some funds aside every month for a paid URL shortener plan. This is exactly how you will slowly scale your business up to include a larger audience and hopefully, you’ll see a steady increase in sales. The Community’s Thoughts on URL Shortener Pricing When it comes to the community and what it thinks of the pricing of URL shorteners, many of them feel that the basic service should be free. Indeed, most generic URL shorteners out there are free. However, if a URL shortener offers a paid service, most consumers expect it to have well-defined features and tools that do a lot more than just URL shortening. This would include features such as: Analytics Tracking Reporting Retargeting And much more. Only then do consumers feel that the paid plans and pricing structures of URL shorteners are warranted. Our Thoughts on URL Shortener Pricing We definitely concur with the feelings of the community when it says that a simple generic URL shortener is not worth paying for. If you intend to charge people monthly for your URL shortener service, you better have some more in-depth features to justify it. Ultimately, a paid URL shortener service should have all the features needed to compose and successfully run digital marketing campaigns. Hence, features such as link tracking and analytics are an absolute must for paid URL shorteners. Additionally, of course, custom domains are something that all paid URL shorteners should have as well. If you’re paying for a URL shortener service and you’re having trouble managing your marketing campaigns due to its limited features, you need to change services. The Best URL Shortener in Terms of Pricing Naturally, all major URL shortener services out there have a variety of paid plans for you to choose from. Pixelfy’s price plans range from $19.99 per month to $99.99 per month. Bitly’s price plans go up to $199 per month. Rebrandly’s price plans go up to $499 per month. It’s important to note while the latter two have free plans, those free plans are typically not enough for brands. This is because they do not come with the analytics and tracking features that we discussed above. You can’t get away with free plans if you intend to use URL shorteners for your brand. Hence, you have to opt for at least the standard or basic plan that is offered by a URL shortener service. When it comes to the standard plans: Pixelfy’s costs $19.99 per month Bitly’s costs $29 per month Rebrandly’s costs $89 per month <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png" alt="small business marketing strategy facebook ads manager potential customers small business marketing" class="wp-image-652" width="234" height="234" srcset="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png 935w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-300x300.png 300w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-150x150.png 150w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-768x768.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" /> SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL When we look at this list, we can clearly tell that Pixelfy is the cheapest. Not only is it the cheapest but it has the best value too since you get the highest number of features compared to the other two services. This is something we will explore further as we look at other features offered (and not offered) by these URL shorteners. Customizability As a brand or a person that wants to promote a service or product, it’s highly important that the URL shortener service you go for can create custom shortened URLs. Custom shortened URLs are also sometimes known as branded URLs. These are shortened URLs that you can customize and are linked with custom domains. These custom domains often denote the name of your brand or some type of abbreviation of it. Your shortened links must reflect your brand’s identity. Thus, any URL shortener tool that you opt for should have extensive customizability options when it comes to shortened links. You should be able to link it with your custom domain, and then you should be able to customize the latter section of the shortened link as well. This allows you to create links that are memorable and invoke consumer trust. The truth is: Such links tend to have higher click-through rates and are also good for SEO. Thus, they are extremely desirable for brands, digital marketers, and influencers. The Community’s Thoughts on URL Shortener Customizability Naturally, the ability to customize your shortened links so they can represent your branding is highly desirable. It’s something that every brand needs so that they’re not advertising the URL shortener service rather than their own brand with their shortened links. Not only does the community want easy access to custom domains but they also want it at a reasonable price. Most URL shorteners out there do not allow you to connect custom domains for free. For that, you’ll most likely have to opt for a paid plan. However, customers expect that paid plan to not be too expensive. Most URL shorteners are favored where one or more custom domains are allowed to be connected with the basic or standard plan. Our Thoughts on URL Shortener Customizability The ability to customize your shortened links and connect custom domains is absolutely essential for brands utilizing URL shorteners. The point of connecting a custom domain is so that that particular domain can be used for your shortened links rather than the URL shortener tool’s domain. The custom domain you connect usually represents your brand in some way. Not only is it important that you are able to connect a custom domain but a URL shortener tool should also give you the freedom to customize it completely. This means that the latter part of the link should also be customizable and subject to change. The ideal URL shortener tool gives the user complete control over a branded link. This allows brands to easily tailor their branded links to build trust among consumers and enhance their brand image. The Best URL Shortener in Terms of Customizability The best URL shortener in terms of customizability is Pixelfy since it allows you to change your custom URLs in many different ways. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png" alt="small business marketing strategy facebook ads manager potential customers small business marketing" class="wp-image-652" width="234" height="234" srcset="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png 935w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-300x300.png 300w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-150x150.png 150w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-768x768.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" /> SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL You can: Connect a custom domain or subdomain for a customized shortened URL. Customize your Social Sharing Thumbnail. Add a Tracking Code to your shortened link. Add and/or adjust settings for Link Expiration. Add UTM tags or parameters to your shortened link where required. Activate or Deactivate the Deep Linking option. Activate the Geolocational Targeting setting. Activate the Link Cloaking setting. Activate the Android and iOS Targeting setting. Make the shortened link part of one of your Campaigns. You can add it to an existing campaign or create a whole new campaign that the shortened link can be a part of. And a whole lot more. Furthermore, all this customization is available in the cheapest Professional plan. Tracking and Reporting Features When you’re a brand looking to promote a service or product, it’s important that you’re able to track the performance of your links through software. Traditionally, this can be done by adding UTM parameters to your long URL and then studying analytics through Google Analytics. However, URL shortener services these days come with built-in analytics that can be studied without adding UTM parameters. It’s essential to track performance to ensure the growth of your brand. Not only do such URL shortener services provide you with basic metrics such as the number of clicks but they also offer other metadata related to the visitors. This includes their geographic location and other metrics such as age, gender, etc. Such data can be crucial when it comes to identifying target audiences and determining what type of content resonates most with what type of person. This helps to drive sales and increase brand awareness. The Community’s Thoughts on URL Shortener Tracking and Analytics Tracking and analytics still remain features of URL shorteners that only veterans know the true potential of. The brands that have analytics and tracking features figured out take full advantage of them. Experienced brands ensure that the URL shortener services they use have adequate tracking features. This allows them to adjust their campaigns according to analytics and even plan better campaigns in the future. Furthermore, such analytics also allow you to identify broken links or when your shortened links are blocked on certain websites. This can help you adjust your approach so it doesn’t happen again in the future. It’s something that the community values highly. Our Thoughts on URL Shortener Tracking and Analytics In our opinion, tracking and analytics are arguably the most important asset that URL shorteners have to offer to their users. These are extremely powerful tools that can allow you to conduct thorough audience research. You can find out a wide variety of things about your audience if you study your analytics properly such as: The number of clicks The number of impressions The number of shares The locations of visitors Age demographics Gender demographics And a whole lot more. All this data that URL shorteners are able to accumulate can be smartly used by brands to refine their marketing approach. Thus, securing a much more substantial section of their target market. The Best URL Shortener in Terms of Tracking and Analytics Pixelfy has the best tracking and analytics reporting tools out there. Not only can you track shortened link performance with ease but you can generate reports with all sorts of key data to help you make smart decisions. These can be decisions related to whether or not you want to continue a certain marketing campaign as is or if you want to make changes to it. That’s not all. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png" alt="small business marketing strategy facebook ads manager potential customers small business marketing" class="wp-image-652" width="234" height="234" srcset="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png 935w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-300x300.png 300w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-150x150.png 150w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-768x768.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" /> SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL You also get access to user data and the visitors you get on your website through your shortened links. This data can then be used to create more personalized ads and campaigns that have a much higher chance of resonating with your target audience. Link Rotation and Swapping Capabilities These features are not essential, but they can be extremely useful and are definitely desirable in any URL shortener service you choose. Link rotation allows you to have a shortened link that can lead to two or more different web pages (or different versions of the same web page). This feature can be useful for performing A/B testing as well as for running giveaways or competitions. Link swapping allows you to change the destination URL of a certain shortened link that you created in the past. This is extremely useful if a destination URL gets changed or no longer exists. You can change it to something else to prevent the shortened link from leading to a broken web page. The Community’s Thoughts on Link Rotation and Swapping When it comes to link swapping, that’s something that the community expects all URL shorteners to have. Not even just the paid URL shorteners but even the free ones as well. People expect that if they’d like to go and change the destination URL of a previously shortened link, they should be able to do so. If a URL shortener does not provide users with this feature, it’s definitely looked down upon. On the other hand, link rotation is not something that many common users expect and that’s why many mainstream URL shorteners don’t have it. At least not in their standard plans. Our Thoughts on Link Rotation and Swapping In our opinion, both link swapping as well as link rotation are features that should be present in the base version of your URL shortener tool. By this, we mean that both features should be available in the standard plan for a URL shortener. This is because link rotation is necessary to perform effective A/B testing. This is something that’s crucial for brands to run effective tests so that they can identify the content that best resonates with their target audience. It’s an essential marketing tool and we feel that URL shorteners should strive to be the ultimate marketing helper for brands. The Best URL Shortener in Terms of Link Rotation and Swapping When it comes to link swapping, you can change the destination URL for your previously shortened links with all 3 of the URL shorteners mentioned. Hence, they’re pretty much equal when it comes to link swapping since you can do it with all three of them. However, when we look at link rotation, we’ll see that a very clear winner rises up. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png" alt="small business marketing strategy facebook ads manager potential customers small business marketing" class="wp-image-652" width="234" height="234" srcset="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png 935w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-300x300.png 300w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-150x150.png 150w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-768x768.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" /> SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL Pixelfy allows link rotation in its cheapest Professional ($19.99) plan. On the other hand, the other two URL shortener services do not have link rotation capabilities at all. If you really want to use them for link rotation, then you can look up their APIs and build a link rotator yourself. However, as you can probably tell, that’ll take a lot of time and effort. It’s most likely that you won’t have that if you’re busy trying to market your brand. Deep Linking Capabilities Deep linking greatly enhances the user’s experience and it’s something that you should always choose to have when it comes to shortened links. It’s something that’s important for influencer marketing, call-to-action marketing and similar forms of digital marketing. Essentially, what deep linking means is that when a user clicks on your shortened link, it opens in-app rather than in a web browser. This leads to a much more streamlined and less frustrating user experience. The smoother the user’s experience, the higher the chances that they’ll interact with your content. Thus, this is something that is highly desirable in any URL shortener that you choose. The Community’s Thoughts on Mobile Deep Linking Mobile deep linking is just one of those things that users never think about whereas it’s something that’s highly cherished by brands and developers. Users don’t think about it because that’s exactly the point of mobile deep linking: To streamline the user’s experience. When the experience is smooth and simple, the user does not even think about it and focuses on the brand. On the other hand, if mobile deep linking is not present, the user may be annoyed and may not even bother checking out your content. Our Thoughts on Mobile Deep Linking Once again, many digital marketers, brand owners, influencers and entrepreneurs fail to understand the importance of mobile deep linking. It allows for a much smoother experience for the user and because of this, they are much more likely to interact with your brand. On the other hand, if they have an annoying browser window pop up when they click on your shortened link, there’s a high chance they’ll simply close it. Furthermore, since they’ll have that negative experience in their head, they might not interact with future ads they see for your brand online either. This can have great negative impacts for your brand growth. Thus, we feel that mobile deep linking is a very important feature that should be included in URL shorteners for everyone to use. The Best URL Shortener in Terms of Mobile Deep Linking To start off, we must say that all 3 URL shorteners that we are looking at today have mobile deep linking capabilities. However, the winner becomes clear when you look at what paid plans actually have mobile deep linking available to users. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png" alt="small business marketing strategy facebook ads manager potential customers small business marketing" class="wp-image-652" width="234" height="234" srcset="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png 935w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-300x300.png 300w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-150x150.png 150w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-768x768.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" /> SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL When it comes to Pixelfy, you get mobile deep linking in the cheapest plan that costs $19.99 per month. On the other hand, for Bitly, if you want mobile deep linking, you’ll need to cough up $199 every month. For Rebrandly, it’s even worse because to get mobile deep linking, you’ll need their Premium plan which costs $499 per month. Hence, if you want easy and cheap access to create deep links for your users, then Pixelfy is definitely the best choice. Link Retargeting This is another super important feature that’s, surprisingly, not present in many paid URL shortener services today. Link retargeting refers to having a retargeting pixel or a piece of code within your shortened link. When a user clicks on it, they are tagged with that retargeting pixel. You can then use this retargeting pixel to serve ads to them at a later time. That user has already interacted with your content in the past (they clicked on your shortened link). Thus, they’ll have a much higher chance of interacting with your retargeted ad when they see it. It’s been proven time and time again that consumers tend to interact with brands they have seen before or are familiar with. Thus, link retargeting is a powerful tool to convert potential customers and increase revenue. The Community’s Thoughts on Link Retargeting The potential and effectiveness of link retargeting are not things that are lost on the community. They are fully aware of how they can help increase their growth, sales and thus, revenue. Hence, it’s definitely a feature that the community desires within their marketing tools. If it’s present in their URL shortener, it makes it a lot more convenient since the pixels can be embedded straight into their branded links. Our Thoughts on Link Retargeting Again, we feel that at this point in the digital age, link retargeting is a fairly convenient and effective method to secure customers. Furthermore, it’s something that makes sense for a URL shortener to have. After all, if you’re generating links, why not have the feature to add retargeting pixels to those links? It makes complete sense and they can be easy to track along with the URL shortener’s tracking features as well. Thus, we definitely feel that link retargeting is something that should be present in standard plans for URL shorteners. This is so that even smaller companies and startups can utilize them to grow and make a name for themselves in their particular niche. The Best URL Shortener According to Link Retargeting To start off, Bitly is immediately out of the race since it does not offer retargeting pixels for its shortened links in any of its plans. It’s a feature that’s not available at all with Bitly. On the other hand, both Pixelfy, as well as Rebrandly, offer retargeting features to their users. Again, the difference here that determines the winner is the price that you must pay to acquire link retargeting. With Pixelfy, it’s $19.99 per month whereas, with Rebrandly, it’s $89 per month. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png" alt="small business marketing strategy facebook ads manager potential customers small business marketing" class="wp-image-652" width="234" height="234" srcset="https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png 935w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-300x300.png 300w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-150x150.png 150w, https://pixelfy.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-768x768.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px" /> SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL Hence, if you want link retargeting and also want to save your money, then Pixelfy is definitely the better option. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) How does a URL Shortener Work? When you enter a long URL into a URL shortener tool, it generates a shortened URL. This shortened URL is a redirect link to the web page that the original long URL points to. Since the shortened URL also leads to the same web page, you can use that instead of the long, ugly-looking URL. How does URL Redirection Work? Redirect links typically have a status code that starts with 3 and a location header that contains the URL they are supposed to redirect to. When a browser receives a redirect link, it immediately looks at the location header and takes the user to the URL provided in it. Why Should I Use a URL Shortener? There are several reasons to use a URL shortener. For personal use, you can use it for ease and convenience. Shortened URLs are also much easier to remember than longer ones. When it comes to commercial or marketing use, they are borderline essential. This is because consumers are much less trustworthy of long, ugly URLs compared to neat, short ones. How is a URL Different from an Email Address? A URL is the address of a resource on the internet, such as a website, blog, etc. You enter it into a browser in order to go to that resource. On the other hand, an email address refers to an account on a mail server. You can identify the difference because an email address has the “@” symbol in it whereas a URL does not. What is a Vanity URL? A vanity URL is just another name for a custom or branded shortened URL. They are utilized by brands to construct shortened links that carry their brand identity. Final Verdict With our top 3 picks analyzed based on the most important factors they should have for a brand, we feel that Pixelfy definitely comes out on top. This is because it has a few features that none of its competitors have (e.g., link rotation). Furthermore, it has many features (mobile deep linking, link retargeting, etc.) that are available for much cheaper compared to many of its competitors. Hence, if you want the best bang for your buck to get your brand off the ground with shortened URLs, do consider Pixelfy. Which URL shortener do you think is the best? Let us know in the comments section below.