Ridiculously long URLs are every internet user’s worst nightmare – they seem somewhat old-fashioned and unappealing. A URL that spans multiple lines just reeks of spam or amateurism. Thank God for URL shorteners. But, with so many options out there, how do you know what is the best URL shortener tool for your needs?
In this post, I’m going to share the 8 best URL shorteners, along with each tool’s pricing and strongest suits. But before that, a word or two on URL shorteners in general and why you should be shortening your links.
What are URL Shorteners?
I guess anyone who has ever used the internet knows what a URL is. Still, just in case, a URL is that website address you type into your browser to access a particular web page. Most people prefer seeing short, neat, and simple URLs (instead of their longer, spammy-looking versions).
A URL shortener is a service or a tool we use to convert regular URLs into a somewhat more condensed format.
What does it mean in practice? Well, instead of having a long URL, such as this one:
https://www.leadquizzes.com/blog/ubersuggest-find-profitable-keywords-with-neil-patels-free-seo-tool
You can use a much shorter version like the one below:
http://ow.ly/d9AV30jRJWJ
While some URL shorteners simply do just what they advertise, many others are packed with numerous additional features like branding, analytics (the number of clicks you receive on each shortened link, for example), and tracking.
Why It’s Important to Shorten URLs
1. Adhere to character limitations
Originally, URL shortening became a thing thanks to Twitter and its 140-character limit. But shortened URLs can be used on any social network, on your website, or basically any online post. Wherever you want to write neat and save space – shorten your URLs.
2. Track the performance of shortened URL links
Most of the full-feature URL shorteners give you an insight into some sort of analytics. That enables you to track and maybe A/B test the performance of the shortened URLs against the “normal” ones.
3. Increase brand awareness
Some URL shorteners allow for the creation of branded shortened links. Using these may increase your brand’s prominence all over the web.
The 8 Best URL Shortener Tools
The Best URL Shortener for Tracking ROI
Ow.ly is a tool that enables you to shorten links and track the traffic that comes from those links. With that in mind, it’s more than just a simple URL shortener – it can be used to measure your social ROI (return of investment) as well.
Owly is essentially a free-to-use online tool, though you need to have a Hootsuite account (also free) in order to use it. In the past, it was available with no registration or login. Now, the Owly URL shortener is part of the Hootsuite dashboard, which is meant to increase security for their users.
I know URL shortening seems like a very simple task. But still, there’s more to it than meets the eye. That being said, here are the 6 things you need to know before using Owly (most of these apply to the majority of other URL shorteners too).
Owly pricing: Free with Hootsuite.
The Best Business-Grade URL Shortener
Bitly.com is one of the oldest and most-used URL shorteners around. The basic tool is free, but companies and established brands might want to use the paid version, as it offers a wide range of additional features, from analytics to custom branded short URLs and APIs for linking into mobile applications.
Bitly is a true business-grade URL shortening tool. At the same time, it’s easy to use, but still has a comprehensive dashboard where you can track link analytics like CTR, geographic data, and so on.
Bitly pricing: Free and Enterprise (custom pricing depending on your exact business needs)
The Best URL Shortener for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses
Bl.ink is a feature-rich URL shortener tool that enables you not only to shorten long URLs but also track the traffic coming via those links. It shows trending links and general stats, while its detailed analytics enables you to break down the link traffic by location, device, referrers, and time of the day.
Bl.ink is one of the best options for small businesses, as it allows them to choose from a variety of plans based on the expected number of links.
Bl.ink pricing: FREE (up to 1,000 links), 4 different paid plans starting at $12/month and going up to $599/month.
The Best URL Shortener for Branded Link Management
Rebrandly approaches URL shortening from a slightly different angle. This URL shortener is designed to put emphasis on your brand, making it even more prominent all over the web.
It enables you to create links in the format BRAND.LINK/KEYWORD. Branding your shortened URLs is important if you’re looking to improve brand visibility, stand out from the crowd, increase link trust, and protect your brand.
Rebrandly also enables you to track the popularity of each link and to generate QR codes. In order to use this service, you need to sign up, so if you’re looking for some quick link shortening on the go, keep in mind that Rebrandly requires you to create an account before using it.
Rebrandly pricing: FREE (for up to 500 links and 5 custom domain names), paid plans start at $29/month and go up to $449/month.
The Best URL Shortener to Shorten URLs and Make QR Codes… At the Same Time
Even though some other tools listed here also offer a QR code generation feature, T2M does so automatically, along with your URL. A nice touch in case you need it.
T2M.io pricing: Basic (FREE), Standard ($9.99/month), and Enterprise Plan ($89.99/month)
The Best URL Shortener to Shorten a URL as Quickly as Possible
Although its simplistic and a bit outdated interface may deter some users, many people prefer TinyURL to other URL shorteners, simply because it doesn’t ‘force’ you to register or log in so that you can start generating links.
All you have to do is go to tinyurl.com, paste your long link into the box, click the ‘Make TinyURL!’ button, and your super-short link will be ready in no time. It even allows you to create custom short URLs for free (as long as nobody has already used them).
TinyURL pricing: FREE.
The Best URL Shortener to… Well, Shorten Your URLs (and Not Much Besides That)
Is.gd is one of the simplest and most minimalistic URL shorteners out there. It gives you nothing more than a field to enter your long URL and a button labeled “Shorten!”. Still, it does what it’s supposed to do. And it’s a great choice if you just want to shorten a link as fast as possible without (m)any extra options or features. There’s no signing up nor CAPTCHAs or any other time-wasters.
Is.gd pricing: FREE.
The Best URL Shortener for Getting Paid to Share Links
Adf.ly takes link-shortening to another level – it offers its users an opportunity to earn money while shortening links. You’re getting paid for every person who visits your shortened URLs. Even though the earnings are quite low, they can still add up if you manage to attract a great number of clicks. Payments are done for a minimum payout of $5.
Adf.ly pricing: Free to shorten URLs, advertising starts at $5.
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