Most people think of link shorteners as simple tools to tidy up messy URLs. But the biggest problem with a typical link shortener isn’t the shortening itself — it’s what you miss out on if you stop there.
A basic short link hides valuable opportunities for your customers to trust your brands links! It could be adding a custom domain plus amending the slug name after the forward slash to offer context and trust back to the user that the link is safe. Without branding, analytics, or flexibility, you lose the chance to build trust, track performance, and improve campaigns.
The good news? Fixing this is simple when you use the right tool.
The problem isn’t the shortened link. It’s when businesses rely solely on generic, unbranded links that may look suspicious and don’t provide useful insights back to the user that the link is safe. Customers hesitate to click, and managers struggle to measure success.
A branded short link solves this problem immediately. When your links carry your business name, they feel safe and professional. Branded links also improve click-through rates because they look trustworthy.
So you receive a campaign from a brand you know, it has a link to click on? But wait, it’s branded, you feel more safer around a branded short link so you continue to engage with the channel. This happens all the time for customers and it’s vital that we use branded links to connect the communication channel to your trusted site.
Another big issue is using links that don’t give you any insights. If all you see is a click count within the campaign click reports, you’re missing the bigger picture. With proper link tracking, you can see devices, locations, and behaviours that reveal what works.
Are they clicking more on desktop or mobile? If so, this could feed back to your designers and copy writers on where and how long the call to action needs to be, as you know most clicks occur on mobile.
Redirect, wy not use redirect by device or location from your short links. With Link Shortener, you have the ability to add simple redirect rules based on the location of the person clicking or the type of device they are using.
A short link should do more than just look short, clean neat. The right tool lets you use them everywhere — email, SMS, social, or print campaigns — and still get all the data in one place.
The biggest problem with link shorteners is thinking too small, think outside the box! Make sure you choose a platform is every evolving, a tool that offers branding, analytics, and QR codes, and can turn a simple tool into something really powerful.
That’s exactly why we built LinkShortener.io: to give businesses short links that don’t just work, but work harder for you.
— Shaun Reynolds
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