{"id":2312,"date":"2022-09-03T08:48:06","date_gmt":"2022-09-03T08:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/?p=2312"},"modified":"2022-09-04T04:09:40","modified_gmt":"2022-09-04T04:09:40","slug":"branded-short-url","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/branded-short-url\/","title":{"rendered":"Branded Short URL: What is It and How to Use it to Grow Your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/branded-short-url\/#What_is_a_Branded_Short_URL\" >What is a Branded Short URL?&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/branded-short-url\/#How_Do_Branded_Links_Work\" >How Do Branded Links Work?&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/branded-short-url\/#Should_I_Use_Branded_URLs\" >Should I Use Branded URLs?&nbsp;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/branded-short-url\/#Generic_Links_Dilute_Your_Brand_Image\" >Generic Links Dilute Your Brand Image&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/branded-short-url\/#Branded_Links_Increase_Trust\" >Branded Links Increase Trust&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/branded-short-url\/#Increased_Click-Through_Rate\" >Increased Click-Through Rate<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/branded-short-url\/#How_to_Construct_a_Branded_Link\" >How to Construct a Branded Link?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/branded-short-url\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>You need to use a <strong>branded short URL generator <\/strong>if you intend to use your links for marketing purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generic URLs contain the name of the URL shortening tool you use and thus, they dilute your <strong>brand image<\/strong> and confuse the reader.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why today, we\u2019ll take a look at <strong>branded URL shorteners<\/strong> and how URL shortening helps brands achieve wider success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center has-text-color has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#e2fcff;color:#292d34\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-heading\">Quick Summary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>In this post, we will shed light upon:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What a branded short URL is&nbsp;<\/li><li>Should you use branded URLs?<\/li><li>How to construct a branded short URL&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, keep reading to find out how you can use branded URLs effectively.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_Branded_Short_URL\"><\/span>What is a Branded Short URL?&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center has-text-color has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#e2ffee;color:#292d34\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>A <\/em><strong><em>branded short URL <\/em><\/strong><em>is a version of a shortened URL that can be entirely customized from its domain (or sub-domain) to the latter section of the link as well.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This means that brands and companies can easily add whatever word or abbreviation they\u2019d like to the shortened URL.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This can be a powerful tool as brands often use branded or vanity URLs to advertise their brand on social media, through email newsletters, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>For example, <\/em><\/strong><em>the shortened link version of Youtube is <\/em><strong><em>youtu.be; <\/em><\/strong><em>For Pepsi, it\u2019s <\/em><strong><em>pep.si<\/em><\/strong><em>; For Facebook, it\u2019s <\/em><strong><em>fb.me.&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/sA6RXnJEqKy3T7GdTCDEVPGbzEvOJh1a0iUkYrZteJr6bBefVMFLnVlfnIMbclLvD9B4_isL3PTNU1eSgBMG_oTjsappo3oOfI6_QBmEIBI9G0_zDV6c3-1alWyMeiTCiliycKokiJprf_KYKFxiXMk\" alt=\"branded short urls\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>What you can see from these examples is that branded links take out all of the fluff and only leave what\u2019s necessary for brand promotion and identification.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This does wonders when it comes to increasing brand recognition and awareness. When people are met with shortened branded links, they immediately are able to tell what company it&#8217;s from and in some cases, what the link is about.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Brands use the latter part of the link for the page description.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The latter part of the section is utilized to explain to the reader what the shortened link is about and where it will lead them once they click on it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center has-text-color has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#e2ffee;color:#292d34\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>For example, <\/em><\/strong><em>if Pepsi had a limited-time offer, then they could have a shortened branded link that looks like this: <\/em><strong><em>pep.si\/offer.&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>It\u2019s short and sweet, and the reader gets all the information they need to confidently click on the link without worrying about where it will lead.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_Branded_Links_Work\"><\/span>How Do Branded Links Work?&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Branded links work in essentially the same way that regular, generic, shortened URLs do. They are essentially <strong>redirect links <\/strong>that lead to the original web page that the original URL points to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only difference is that branded links are first connected to a <strong>custom domain. <\/strong>This custom domain is something that you must set up beforehand to ensure that it works properly for your brand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/MqojuMiok9rFEzqZSbjUK6ouAm2GsupNZLLdgasqGwdtdWyt8v3y5_CU0NvVonzNKkU-rIFJVW6CxOxrsIYDdVkeCDHkDl_Vf1PIMBJXm1t6Y7r7T43SZ7pn24IpBrexS6P8AZ6cMectdlGLjHSyrbo\" alt=\"How Do Branded Links Work?\u00a0\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Naturally, this custom domain will represent your brand by having its name or some other abbreviation of it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you have the custom domain, you can <strong>connect <\/strong>it to a URL shortener service and then it\u2019ll be able to generate custom URLs for you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The first half of the link is always your custom domain.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It represents your brand and helps build brand consistency and increase consumer trust. The latter part is something that you can customize as you generate the branded link. As we mentioned earlier, this part represents whatever the web page is about.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_I_Use_Branded_URLs\"><\/span>Should I Use Branded URLs?&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The short answer is yes. If you are someone that wants to promote yourself, a product, a service, your brand or anything similar, it\u2019s essential to use branded URLs. Generic URLs do not work nearly as well when you\u2019re including them in promotional or marketing content.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a number of reasons for using branded links in your marketing strategy that we can discuss in detail:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Generic_Links_Dilute_Your_Brand_Image\"><\/span>Generic Links Dilute Your Brand Image&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first and most obvious reason that you should use branded URLs is due to the fact that generic shortened URLs tend to dilute your brand image. This is because generic URLs have the name or some version of the name of the URL shortener tool on them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This can cause confusion in the reader and it also just looks out of place in the middle of all the content that is about your brand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Since all the content is about your brand, why shouldn\u2019t the shortened link be too?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why it\u2019s important that the shortened links you generate also represent your brand identity in some way. This leads to a stronger brand cohesion and leads to much more impact on the target audience. It leads to much better brand engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are more likely to remember your brand when they come across content that contains branded links rather than generic shortened links.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Branded_Links_Increase_Trust\"><\/span>Branded Links Increase Trust&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another reason why branded links are more preferable to generic links is due to the fact that they increase consumer trust. They\u2019re a crucial tool to solidifying your branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A generic shortened link looks just the same as any other link. There are really no characteristics to set it apart from other regularly shortened links. Thus, a reader has no way to know what it\u2019s about or where it will lead to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Branded links fix this problem.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The way you construct branded links makes it abundantly clear <em>who the page is from <\/em>and <em>what it contains. <\/em>This is why it\u2019s a great choice for influencer marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This instills a sense of trust in the reader and they are much more likely to click on your branded link rather than your generically shortened link.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since more people click on branded links, you\u2019ll see more customers visiting your brand website and interacting with your content.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Needless to say that when more people trust your links, more people click on them. This results in\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Increased_Click-Through_Rate\"><\/span>Increased Click-Through Rate<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Branded links increase the click-through rate by <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/piar.io\/blog\/12-ways-to-increase-ctr-using-link-shorteners\/#:~:text=Use%20branded%20links.&amp;text=According%20to%20Bit.,it%20to%20the%20link%20shortener.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em>34%<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, if you want to increase traffic, introduce your brand to more individuals, and thus, increase sales, you better get that custom domain. That\u2019s because you\u2019ll need it to generate all those branded links for your marketing campaigns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trust us when we say that once you start utilizing branded links within your promotional campaigns, you won\u2019t ever go back to using generic shortened links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Construct_a_Branded_Link\"><\/span>How to Construct a Branded Link?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a number of ideas that you can implement to create a branded link that works well for whatever your purposes are.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/k4Vp29iZIWnsNaFhqYqW1Gt5BYgyGcTfKALzqm4hneko4hGyC3EVs_PjE-iLE4qMIuAArsObHN4x0Tg6QidJ7muMy-PH12SL37nnG3ugY_LZhXstr1WaDPV5YZkyHMPJ__PE47oQieszahStXyCxcy0\" alt=\"How to Construct a Branded Link\u00a0\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, you must define what that purpose or purposes are.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What is the link about? A product? A service? An offer?&nbsp;<\/li><li>Is it a limited-time offer? Can you highlight how long it\u2019ll be up in the shortened link?&nbsp;<\/li><li>Is it only available in a certain geographic location?&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are all questions you can ask yourself to determine what type of branded link you want to create.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The custom domain will obviously be the first part of the shortened link and it should be something that <strong>accurately represents <\/strong>your brand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center has-text-color has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#e2ffee;color:#292d34\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>If your brand name is short enough, you can include the entirety of it in your shortened branded URL.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>If it\u2019s not, then you may have to come up with an abbreviation or a shortened representation for it.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve come up with an effective name for your custom domain, you can get it set up so that it can be used to construct branded URLs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to the latter part, you can consider many different characteristics and traits that can be utilized to fill it up. <strong>Examples of such traits include:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Content type<\/li><li>Geographical location&nbsp;<\/li><li>Product type&nbsp;<\/li><li>Service type&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Branded short URLs are incredibly useful, and it\u2019s important to conduct the appropriate research to figure out how to use them effectively for your brand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, you must identify how you can make consumers trust your brand so you have a better chance of them interacting with you. Branded URLs help out in this immensely and, thus, are an effective tool for increasing brand awareness and recognition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What branded URL shortener service do you use? Let us know in the comments section below.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A branded short URL can be utilized to promote your brand and garner consumer trust. They are much more preferable to generic shortened URLs because &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[707,709],"tags":[746,747,748,749,750],"class_list":["post-2312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-url-shortener","category-brand","tag-should-i-use-branded-urls","tag-how-to-construct-a-branded-link","tag-increased-click-through-rate","tag-how-do-branded-links-work","tag-what-is-a-branded-short-url"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2312"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2325,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312\/revisions\/2325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}