According to Cognitive Market Research, the global URL Shortener market will be USD $ 1018.5 Million in 2033 and expand at a compound yearly growth rate (CAGR) of 20.00% from 2023 to 2030 (Source).
In an increasingly digital world, where every click counts, the difference between a clunky long URL and a streamlined, shortened link may be the difference between making the sale and losing the customer altogether.
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URL shorteners are more than just handy service tools- they’re effective marketing instruments that can increase your click-through rates by 39%, and help you understand how your audience is interacting with your content.
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More than 500 million shortened links are created every month, and 74% of marketers now use the technology to measure campaign performance, so link shorteners have transitioned from being a basic shortcut to a necessary digital tool that anyone using a computer can benefit from.
Whether you are running social media promotions, email marketing campaigns or any type of offline promotion, understanding how to use link shorteners effectively could be the competitive advantage you need online today.
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What is a Link Shortener?
A link shortener is a service that makes long, difficult URLs much shorter and easier to handle.
These shortened links are easier to use when sharing on social media, in emails, or in text messages, and they usually look more professional.
You can also use some link shorteners to see how many clicks your links get, make custom URLs, and earn money each time someone clicks on them.
Original URL
https://www.yourwebsite.com/blog/2025/05/01/why-you-need-link-shorteners-for-marketing/
Shortened URL
bit. ly/marketing2025
Shorten URL will redirect to long URL absolutely without problems. This offers an easy way to share links and other benefits such tracking, analytics, and branding.
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Why Are Link Shorteners Important?
- Shareability
In social media platforms such as Twitter, there is a character limit (e.g., 280 characters). A long URL can take up precious characters and make your social media posts appear messy and disorganized.
Short links are neat, small and so simple to fit in tweets, SMS texts, emails, and articles!
2. Improved Click-Through Rates
Research shows that shortened and branded links can increase CTR by up to 39%. Short, branded URLs are more likely to receive clicks, as they look clean, crisp, and professional, rather than long and scrambled.
3. Data & Insights
- Today’s link shorteners offer a variety of analytics tools to help you:
- Keep an eye on how many clicks your link gets.
- Find where your audience is on map.
- Know which platforms or campaigns are bringing the most traffic.
As an example, Bitly users saw their ROI measurability jump 34% by simply tracking shortened links in marketing promotions.
4. Branding
White labeled links (such as yourbrand. link/sale) go a long way to building trust with your audience. In fact, 70% of consumers report that they would be more likely to click on a link that contains a recognizable brand name.
5. Offline Usability
Short URLs are easier to print on cards, flyers and posters. And they’re great for scanning QR codes, which have experienced a popularity surge in recent years.
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What are link shorteners examples?
| Link Shortener | Overview | Features | Best For |
| Bitly | One of the most popular and feature-rich link shorteners. | Advanced analytics, branded links, QR code generation. | Marketers and businesses looking for detailed insights. |
| TinyURL | A simple and free tool for quick link shortening. | No account required, basic customization. | Casual users and one-time link shortening. |
| Rebrandly | Focused on branded links and integrations. | Custom domains, team collaboration. | Businesses aiming to enhance brand identity. |
| Ow.ly | Integrated with Hootsuite for social media marketers. | UTM parameter integration, analytics. | Social media campaigns. |
| T2M | A lesser-known but powerful tool. | Lifetime analytics, password-protected links. | Users needing secure, trackable links. |
How Do Link Shorteners Work?
URL redirection The method of longto provider that used in short links is called URL redirection.
Enter long URL into the URL shortening tool.
It generates a unique and short URL.
By clicking on the shortened link, the clickthrough URL (the one that was shortened) loads and the dispenser’s server should download your original URL.
This all goes on without the user’s knowledge and usually takes less than a second.
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Is It Safe to Use Link Shorteners?
The Risks
While link shorteners are convenient, they can sometimes be exploited by malicious actors to hide phishing or spam links. This is why many users hesitate to click on unknown shortened links.
How to Stay Safe
- Use trusted link shorteners like Bitly or TinyURL.
- Preview the destination URL before clicking (some tools allow you to do this).
- Opt for branded links, as they are more transparent and trustworthy.
How to Use Link Shorteners Effectively?
Choose the Right Tool
Consider your needs
- For all casual purposes, tools such as TinyURL are fine enough.
- To run marketing campaigns, use something with more features, like Bitly or Rebrandly.
Customize Your Links
- Your links become more memorable and professional if they have keywords. For example-
- Instead of bit. ly/123abc, use bit. ly/summer-sale.
Monitor Performance
You can see the clicks, locations, and referral sources via your link shortener’s analytics dashboard. This data can be leveraged to optimize your campaigns.
Combine with Other Tools
Optimize them to link shorteners such as Google Analytics, email marketing tools and social media dashboards for a super-smooth journey.
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Best Link Shortener Comparison Table
| Feature | Bitly | TinyURL | Rebrandly | Ow.ly | T2M |
| Free Plan Available | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom URLs | Yes | Limited | Yes | No | Yes |
| Branded Domains | Premium | No | Yes | No | Premium |
| Click Analytics | Detailed | Basic | Detailed | Detailed | Lifetime |
| QR Code Generation | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| API Access | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Team Collaboration | Premium | No | Premium | Via Hootsuite | Premium |
| UTM Parameter Support | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Password Protection | No | No | Premium | No | Yes |
| Link Expiration Options | Premium | No | Premium | No | Yes |
| Mobile App Available | Yes | No | Yes | Via Hootsuite | No |
| Best For | Marketing teams | Casual users | Brand-focused businesses | Social media marketers | Security-conscious users |
| Starting Price (Premium) | $29/month | Free | $24/month | Via Hootsuite | $10/month |
Features to Look for in the Best Link Shorteners
Customize your links- Create branded or custom links.
Analytics- In-depth reporting for clicks, locations and referrers.
Security- Detect spam links, preview links, or protect links with a password.
Integration- Ability to integrate with applications such as Google Analytics, Hootsuite, or CRM products.
What are link shorteners used for?
Social Media Marketing
Companies such as Nike or Coca-Cola use branded short links in their social media activity to keep their brand consistent, and identify engagement.
Email Marketing
Links of this example (shortened with UTM tracking) are used in email campaigns to track click-through rates and conversions.
Offline Campaigns
Retailers create abbreviated links for print ads that brings users to targeted landing pages. When QR codes are added to the mix these links from offline to online are completed.
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What is Google URL Shortener?
Google URL Shortener (goo.gl) was a free service launched by Google in 2009 that allowed users to shorten long URLs into compact, easy-to-share links. It offered benefits like-
Shortened links for cleaner sharing
Click analytics (geolocation, referral sources, etc.)
QR code generation
Integration with Google accounts for tracking history
What happened to it?
Google shut down the goo.gl service-
For new users- shut down on March 30, 2018
For existing user- fully discontinued by March 2019
Why was it shut down?
Google replaced it with Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL), which offered more advanced features like-
Deep linking to mobile apps
Better support for dynamic platforms
Cross-platform behavior (Android, iOS, Web)
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Can i do link shortener with AI?
- Use AI to Build a Link Shortener (Custom Tool)
- You can create your own link shortener website or tool using-
- ChatGPT + No-Code Platforms (like Zapier, Make, or Bubble)
- Custom Code- ChatGPT can generate code for a URL shortener in PHP, Python, or JavaScript
Example Prompt
“Build a simple URL shortener using Python Flask and SQLite”
2. Use AI Tools That Offer Link Shortening as a Feature
- Some AI content or automation tools offer built-in link shortening-
- Writesonic or Jasper.ai: Automatically shorten links in blog/social content
- Hypefury (for Twitter/X posts): Uses link shorteners with tracking
- Pallyy, Publer, Buffer: Some AI social media tools let you shorten and track links
3. AI for Link Management & Optimization
Use AI to
- Analyze which shortened links perform best
- A/B test call-to-actions on link previews
- Suggest ideal platforms or anchor text for sharing
- Auto-categorize links (by campaign, platform, etc.)
4. Combine AI + Existing Link Shortener APIs
You can automate workflows-
- Use ChatGPT + Bitly API
- Shorten links automatically based on content
- Track performance & suggest improvements
BONUS- AI Prompt to Help You Shorten Links
You can use this kind of prompt in ChatGPT-
“Take these 10 blog URLs and shorten them using Bitly API. Then output clickable links with UTM parameters.”
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Link Shortener Sites to Make Backlinks Free
Bitly- Free and easy to use, with analytics included.
TinyURL- Perfect for creating quick, shareable links.
Rebrandly- Offers branded links and basic analytics for free.
BL.INK- Great for tracking clicks and engagement.
T2M- Provides free features for basic link shortening and backlinking.
How Do You Use URL Shorteners for Creating links?
- URL shorteners are important tools for building links and getting backlinks.
- Backlink Creation: Choose link shorteners that let you place your links into their systems to help create backlinks.
- Content Promotion: Put your shortened links on blogs, forums, and social media to get more traffic and earn backlinks.
- SEO Benefits: Even though shortened links don’t always pass link value, they are useful in sending visitors to your site.
- Analytics: You can use the analytics from link shorteners to see how many clicks your links get and improve your backlinking.
Conclusion
While link shorteners are a seemingly tiny aspect of the internet, their effect on internet marketing, as well as especially on user analytics and experience, isn’t small at all.
Whether you’re posting links to social media, sending emails, or printing tickets, shortened URLs can make your content more professional, engaging, and trackable.
But don’t forget, the greatest link shortener for me might not be the best link shortener for you. In the case of power users Bitly is again the way to go with additional stats and history, where TinyURL’s lack of background bells and whistles is what makes it appealing.
Whichever you decide, make sure you are handling shortened links in a way that helps you accomplish your objectives.
So the next time you are confronted with a giant unwieldy URL, try out a link shortener and see if you like it. It’s a small step that can have a big impact on how your audience engages with your content. Short links, big results- it’s that easy!
FAQ
A link shortener is similar to a virtual builder’s trash chute – they take a big bulky link, and turn it into a more manageable chunk of link.
Yeah, a lot of link shorteners nowadays such as Bit.ly and TinyURL come with basic, free packages. Certain features are premium though and may need to be subscribed.
Link shortening tools / URL shorteners are simply methods of redirecting from a short link to the final destination URL.
It's probably OK if it's from a reliable link shortener, but always take the time to preview any link that you don't recognize in order to prevent phishing out.
Just hunt for a link shortener on the Internet, paste the long link in the box, and in seconds you will have a short link to use. Many services will walk you through the process.
Yes! In fact, the majority of the link shorteners offer the analytics features to keep a track on clicks, visitor’s countries and the platform where your link has been reached. That data can position you to know your audience better and to be able to optimize your marketing strategies.
Most shorten URL services offer that facility, but details will vary according to the service you are using. Some platforms also allow you to modify the link itself, whereas others don’t
The majority of the free link shorteners cap the amount of links you are able to generate on a per time basis. Paid plans will have either higher limits, or let you shorten links without limits.
Make sure to always check out the pricing models before selecting a platform and pick the one that fits all your needs.
When you remove a short link, users will not be directed to the original URL. This indicates that if anyone tries to access the link then "404 Not Found" will be hit. Careful when you are removing backlinks, especially if they are used in current campaigns.
Yes a lot of affiliate marketers use link shorteners, so they can hide long affiliate links under a more friendly user URL. But make sure the link shortener you decide on is accepted by the affiliate programs you join.
