{"id":2399,"date":"2022-09-19T08:04:54","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T08:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/?p=2399"},"modified":"2022-09-19T08:04:56","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T08:04:56","slug":"link-shorteners-for-branded-urls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/","title":{"rendered":"Link Shorteners for Branded URLs: How They Work and Why You Need One"},"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\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#What_are_Custom_or_Branded_URL_Shorteners\" >What are Custom or Branded URL Shorteners?&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\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#Why_Should_You_Use_Branded_URL_Shorteners\" >Why Should You Use Branded URL Shorteners?&nbsp;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#Generic_Links_Dont_Have_Private_Statistics\" >Generic Links Don\u2019t Have Private Statistics&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#Custom_URL_Shorteners_Offer_Link_Swapping\" >Custom URL Shorteners Offer Link Swapping&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\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#Generic_Links_Promote_the_Shortener_Tools_Brand_Not_Yours\" >Generic Links Promote the Shortener Tool\u2019s Brand, Not Yours&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#Frequently_Asked_Questions_FAQs\" >Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)&nbsp;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#How_Long_Do_URL_Shortened_Links_Last\" >How Long Do URL Shortened Links Last?&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#Can_You_Customize_a_Shortened_URL\" >Can You Customize a Shortened URL?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#Is_it_Safe_to_Use_URL_Shorteners\" >Is it Safe to Use URL Shorteners?&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#How_do_Shortened_Links_Work\" >How do Shortened Links Work?&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#Do_Shortened_Links_Hurt_SEO\" >Do Shortened Links Hurt SEO?&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/link-shorteners-for-branded-urls\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Link shorteners<\/strong> for <strong>branded URLs<\/strong> allow you to create customized shortened links that can represent your brand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t use such links for your branding, it can really hurt your bottom line as well as your brand image.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to get a preferred <strong>link shortener service <\/strong>that can generate <strong>branded URLs<\/strong> so you can utilize them regularly.<\/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\u2019ll shed light on:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What are custom or branded URL shorteners&nbsp;<\/li><li>Why should you use branded URL shorteners&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So without further ado, let\u2019s get into it.<\/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_are_Custom_or_Branded_URL_Shorteners\"><\/span>What are Custom or Branded URL Shorteners?&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A <strong>custom <\/strong>or <strong>branded URL shortener <\/strong>is one that allows you to create shortened links that you can customize. This is done by connecting a <strong>custom domain<\/strong> to the URL shortener service which will then be used to generate the shortened URLs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>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.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>custom domain<\/strong> that you should register is usually the name of your brand or some type of abbreviation that represents it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/zYzBWnb1t28HoNFKBg9OXImJEkRpG02LDuPIok00VDKDnMqxuiQdZ1ZW749VcWJcKEeRoTCCEPw5XTcSxuZm5aSWWZLy-mTC5fgTMwxKKoNmKPaK8MwXyU_ilvnvjL1DL3qEqUnjm8RNuJlJ2yXbU7CHIZcpJaU0QXzNRgqpuca39BJ03kKg_G4y\" alt=\"branded url shortener\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>That\u2019ll be the first part of the shortened link, and as for the second part, it\u2019s up to you what you\u2019d 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.<\/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>Branded URL shorteners <\/em><\/strong><em>are crucial to the success of your brand as they help with brand cohesion, and brand awareness and have a much higher CTR rate.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a brand that you\u2019d like to promote on social media, through email newsletters, blogs, etc., you will definitely need a branded URL shortener.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t use generic shortened links within branded content that\u2019ll be shared with a target audience.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This happens because generic shortened links contain the branding of the URL shortener tool that you used to generate them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Should_You_Use_Branded_URL_Shorteners\"><\/span>Why Should You Use Branded URL Shorteners?&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Certain digital marketers still believe that they can get away with using generic shortened URLs. However, most experts feel that they\u2019re a thing of the past and that all brands and marketers should use <strong>branded links <\/strong>to promote their content.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a number of reasons why <strong>branded links<\/strong> are objectively better for brand engagement when compared with<strong> generic links<\/strong>:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Generic_Links_Dont_Have_Private_Statistics\"><\/span>Generic Links Don\u2019t Have Private Statistics&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many digital marketers, brands, and influencers don\u2019t realize this, but when they use generic links, anybody can see their stats whenever they want.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For example, if you utilize a platform such as <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Bit.ly<\/em><\/a><em> to create a generic shortened link, all you have to do is add a \u201c+\u201d to the end of the link to get its stats.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only can <strong>you <\/strong>see these stats, but anybody else can as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, if you use generic links, they can be used by your competitors to spy on your performance and web traffic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Custom_URL_Shorteners_Offer_Link_Swapping\"><\/span>Custom URL Shorteners Offer Link Swapping&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Link swapping <\/strong>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, just imagine if you shared that particular link across several different channels and platforms.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/6YQffZe5teOvSBZC49oPkntTCwT8nhdauX4KpimXshKQ_A58wS2TUXS9_oPbra9C5H4iprab3JQCnKglGcc012y56EtpGhgsG4YbL0YQS7Cd126Hl4Ol6JN5bdvwx0L2havKCnqLuT8ay7iBgWA39sv_jJpGncI4HInXe8h6n9-OV4f_rqmfk7FN\" alt=\"link swapping\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It\u2019d be a pain to change them all.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you use a generic link, <\/strong>you\u2019d 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, <strong>if you use a branded link, <\/strong>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\u2019ll lead to a new web page that you provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Generic_Links_Promote_the_Shortener_Tools_Brand_Not_Yours\"><\/span>Generic Links Promote the Shortener Tool\u2019s Brand, Not Yours&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We all know that when you use generic links, the URL shortener\u2019s 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\u2019s name in the link and not yours.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will obviously lead to a promotion of the shortener\u2019s brand and your brand won\u2019t be anywhere in the picture.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Generic links seriously dilute your brand\u2019s messaging.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They will confuse the reader and hurt your brand consistency. This can cost you many potential sales and can hurt your discoverability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out our post on <a href=\"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/url-shortener-tutorial\/\">how to use Pixelfy to generate branded links<\/a> for a quick rundown on how to get them for your marketing content.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions_FAQs\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Long_Do_URL_Shortened_Links_Last\"><\/span>How Long Do URL Shortened Links Last?&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Shortened links don\u2019t really have an expiration date unless you set it yourself.<br><br>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_You_Customize_a_Shortened_URL\"><\/span>Can You Customize a Shortened URL?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes. All you need is a <strong>custom <\/strong>or <strong>branded URL shortener <\/strong>as well as a custom domain that is live via a web hosting service.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will allow you to generate customizable shortened links that are represented by that particular custom domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_it_Safe_to_Use_URL_Shorteners\"><\/span>Is it Safe to Use URL Shorteners?&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes. As long as you use a URL shortener service that is reputable and well-established, you won\u2019t have to worry about safety.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_Shortened_Links_Work\"><\/span>How do Shortened Links Work?&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Shortened links are essentially <strong>redirect links.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_Shortened_Links_Hurt_SEO\"><\/span>Do Shortened Links Hurt SEO?&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Branded links<\/strong> 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\u2019s discoverability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Generic links<\/strong> can definitely hurt SEO since you cannot edit them. All they contain are the URL shortener\u2019s name and a string of letters and numbers in the latter section.<\/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>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if you intend to use shortened links to promote your brand, then it\u2019s very important that you invest in a custom URL shortener.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let us know what you think in the comments below.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Link shorteners for branded URLs allow you to create customized shortened links that can represent your brand.&nbsp; If you don\u2019t use such links for your branding, it can really hurt&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2400,"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":[769,770,771,772,773],"class_list":["post-2399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-url-shortener","category-brand","tag-what-are-custom-or-branded-url-shorteners","tag-why-should-you-use-branded-url-shorteners","tag-link-shorteners-for-branded-urls","tag-custom-url-shorteners-offer-link-swapping","tag-generic-links-promote-the-shortener-tools-brand"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399","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=2399"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2429,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2399\/revisions\/2429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pixelfy.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}