Do you shorten your URL links, when publishing things to your social media pages? They’ve been around for ages, but they’re not all created equally. Let’s explore which of these services you should use, so that you can keep your content looking great, and working even better.
Courtesy of techwench.com
#1: Tinyurl
The first of the URL shorteners and still one of the best, TinyURL provides a quality link shortening service for free. Best of all these links never break, and they never, ever expire. Once they’re done, they last forever. Pop it in your browser, use it.
#2: Bit.ly
A great tool to use if you need to track the links that you use on your social pages. Bit.ly is simple, clean and the tracking analytics are very useful for finding out which pages make the most impact in your campaigns.
#3: Adjix
Adjix is an underrated URL shortener that allows you to make money while going about your daily social activities online. Shrink your link, and add and advert that will display at the top of the page when the user clicks on your link.
#4: Snipurl
Snipurl lets you create short urls, manage them and track them all in one place. You can also integrate it into your browser, or application – which is very handy. The only problem with this link snipper, is that it has no 301 redirect.
#5: Goo.gl
Google’s link shortener is very fast and efficient, and could be a great addition to your Google toolbox. As expected, they also have a comprehensive tracking and analytics section – which gives you all kinds of useful info on the people that click your links.
#6: Moourl
Moourl is a basic url shortener to use if you’re in a hurry, and can’t be bothered about analytics and all that other tracking business. It’s also famous for being the cutest url shortening service on the internet.
#7: Tiny.cc
Tiny.cc is a mini link management system, and easy enough to use in seconds. Shrink urls, manage them, see a list of your most recent links and how they are performing on your social pages.
#8: A.gd
With A.gd you can protect your links with a password, which adds to site security if you’re exchanging sensitive information or sharing content on public pages. You can also track your urls, and find out their geo data and where they clicked your link.
#9: Ow.ly
Ow.ly is another service you might find useful, and you can use it to bookmark links that you’ve retweeted on Twitter. It’s also captch protected, to prevent spambots from making use of it. Great to use on Twitter and as a general link shrinking tool.
Each link shortening service comes with similar features. The best by far are still goo.gl and tinyurl. Though any one of these services will help your marketing goals. If you’re link building, Google is a safe bet. The company will probably never go under, so you don’t have to worry about your link network disappearing one day.
Which link shortener do you use and why? We’d love to know!
October 31, 2011 at 8:33 am
I use bitly because I like the tracking and customization features. I also did no know about many of these
Thanks
Mark
October 31, 2011 at 9:53 am
@Mark – its always good to have variety when using these – but bitly is a great service – definitely top 5.
November 4, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Currently, I use Bit.ly, which I was introduced to through Twitter, but I will definitely give goo.gl and tinyurl a try. Thanks for the breakdown!
November 7, 2011 at 10:31 am
I’m a bit.ly diehard when it comes to shortening a link but curious about the Google one. Anybody using it?
November 8, 2011 at 4:15 am
@Romona – pleased to help, its always good to use more than one to see which will provide your business with the most benefits!
November 8, 2011 at 4:20 am
@Ann – I’ve used it many times, and I suspect in the grand scheme on things, all of Google’s special functions will become intricate to any social marketing plan.
March 7, 2012 at 8:18 am
I came across a new url shortening website called http://short.nr/ it is really easy to use and stores your past url’s which is always helpful. Would recommend this website.
March 9, 2012 at 7:57 am
@David – thanks for the suggestion Dave!