7 Best URL Shortener To Shrink And Track Links
7 Best URL Shortener To Shrink And Track Links
Why do webmasters often look for the best URL shortener tools? Well, nobody has got time for tediously long URLs like this one:
You gotta keep it short and snappy like this:
Now it looks better, doesn’t it?
Not all the URLs are messy. However, many webmasters and affiliate marketers deliberately make their URLs wordy and long for search engine optimization or SEO purposes. SEO is all about ranking websites higher on search engines, and one of the biggest ranking factors is the keywords in the website URLs.
While search engines love long URLs containing keywords as these URLs best describe what a web page is all about, this becomes a brain-twister for the end-users as they can’t easily share the URLs on their social media pages, and in emails and personal blogs.
It’s a good thing that the web entrepreneurs are already leading the way in bringing out innovative solutions to make the URL shorteners more secure, more user-friendly and faster. While it’s clear that URL shorteners and other free tools for affiliate marketers ARE HERE TO STAY, not all URL shorteners deserve your time and money.
To make things simpler, we have handpicked seven of the best URL shortener tools that you can use for your campaign. You will find a mix of premium and freemium tools on our list. Choose the one that best fits the bill for you.
What Is A URL Shortener?
Some URLs can be too long and wordy and even difficult to track. URL shorteners take tediously long URLs and make them shorter for easy tracking and sharing on social media.
URL shortening services are also useful for tracking live clicking data, geo locations of users, and reducing the load on the DNS.
Some URL shortening services come with advanced features that are helpful for tracking and manipulating your links, with additional features such as click analytics, support for UTM parameters, as well as link retargeting.
Here are the seven best URL shorteners that can help you with keeping your URLs super-clean.
1. Bitly
Bitly is by far the most popular URL shortener at this moment.
The icing on the cake, Bitly is a free service that allows you to shorten links by using its domain name, Bit.ly. If you need analytics and personalized branding, you can upgrade to the Basic Plan or perhaps to the Enterprise Plan, which is recommended for fast-growing and already established brands. By using the Enterprise Plan, you can even get your custom domain names.
Once you upgrade, you can enjoy additional features like URL retargeting. You can even track individual links and get access to analytics through your dashboard. Bitly paid versions can also be used for analyzing your campaign performance in a specific geographic location.
Bitly is one of the oldest link shortening services on the web. It’s a natural choice for many webmasters and bloggers and even some of the biggest brands trust Bitly as the URL shortener has got a large user base, coupled with excellent customer service. ESPN, Disney, and Amazon are just some of the big brands that have used the service before.
Features
- Link analytics
- Track organic shares
- Collect insights on performance
- Audience Intelligence
- Branded links
- Customized URL
- Integrated with Zapier and TweetDeck
You can use the following domain names with Bitly URL Shortener free plan:
- bit.ly
- bitly.com
- j.mp
Pricing
Bitly only charges for its premium services, such as custom domain and other additional features. The Basic plan would set you back for $29 a month. There’s also an Enterprise Plan loaded with some very special features. You need to request for a quote to upgrade to the Enterprise plan.
2. TinyURL
If you want to shorten your URL just for random anonymous use, TinyURL is the best link shortener for you. It allows users to customize the path of their URL (although the domain name remains the same i.e. tinyurl.com).
For instance, you can create something like https://tinyurl.com/myblog instead of a random URL like https://tinyurl.com/y4jsdjh. You see, you can clearly define the path in your custom URL, although the domain name cannot be changed or tailored to your needs.
TinyURL is an URL shortener that comes handy for making short and nice URLs to be used in email postings and on social media.
Another interesting feature of TinyURL is that it’s completely anonymous – you don’t have to go through the sign-up process to get your job done. It’s simple, yet powerful.
Features
- Label collaborations
- Anonymous URL shortening with hashed entries in the database
- Handy and quick link redirecting
- Link never expires
Pricing
TinyURL comes completely FREE of cost – you can generate as many shortened URLs as you wish!
3. Bit.do
Bit.do is billed as a top URL shortener for small businesses as it allows custom URL shortening with features of analysis for free. It is quite easy to use, you may sign in or directly go to the homepage and enter the URL you want to shorten. The best part of the shortener is that you can even hide your affiliate links to drive organic traffic.
Features
- Uses a 301 redirect code
- Boosts page ranking
- Link never expires
- Access real-time statistics
- Fast setup
- Track user clicks and email marketing campaigns
Pricing
Bit.do is a free service. You can upgrade to the Basic plan by paying $85 every month and get full stats for up to 30,000 clicks/month or the ‘Enterprise’ plan for a monthly payment of $250 and enjoy special features such as full technical support, high-performance server, stats for up to 200,000 clicks per month, secure https server and many more features
4. Ow.ly
Ow.ly is best known as an integrated feature of Hootsuite, a social media management tool. We recommend Ow.ly for affiliate marketers who are already using Hootsuite for managing their social media accounts as the URL shortener is integrated into the Hootsuite dashboard.
Hootsuite is one of those must-have marketing tools for affiliate marketers that come with a free version. You can sign up for free and start using the social media management platform as well as the URL shortener for free – no strings attached. However, if you want, you can also upgrade to the paid plans to enjoy the additional features.
You may access Ow.ly directly from the Hootsuite dashboard, shorten links and track clicks on cruise control.
Features
- Unlimited access
- Link tracking
- Link retargeting
- Mobile-friendly dashboard
- Good social ROI
Pricing
You can keep using ow.ly link shortener for free, but to access other features of Hootsuite, you will have to go for any of the Hootsuite’s premium plans. The Premium Plans would cost you $29, $129, and $499 per month, respectively. If you are a beginner, we recommend the $29 plan, which comes with pretty basic features.
5. Rebrandly
Rebrandly uses sophisticated link-shortening technology. Undoubtedly one of the top URL shortener tools at this moment, Rebrandly brims with loads of advanced features. You can use the URL shortener for creating custom and branded links (which are easy to remember as well). Use the tool for building and social-sharing short links to supercharge your campaign.
Rebrandly lets its users create different teammates and workgroups, which makes it a great choice for teams. It is not just a URL shortener, but a link management platform that comes complete with all the features essential for creating, sharing, and tracking links.
Features
- Easy integration with a plethora of apps
- Bulk link generation
- UTM parameters
- Access to API
- App integrations (100+)
- Emojis
- GDPR compatible
- Fast auto-scaling servers
- Accurate and private reporting
- Click analytics
Pricing
Rebrandly has 4 paid plans, aside from the free option, which lets you shorten your links right away.
- Starter package at $29/month
- Pro package at $69/month
- Premium package at $499/month
- Enterprise – custom pricing
6. ClickMeter
If you are searching for a URL shortening tool with a primary focus on link tracking, marketing analysis, and link optimization, ClickMeter is the best option available for you.
ClickMeter is more of a click-through rate optimizer than just a plain and simple link shortener. ClickMeter is recommended for web advertisers and businesses that use Google Ads or other online advertising platforms.
If you cater to a global audience who speaks many languages, ClickMeter is the perfect tool for you – not just for link shortening, but for affiliate link tracking and complete link management. Aside from location-based geo-targeting, you can also integrate the tool with eCommerce platforms like Shopify and content management systems like WordPress. The dashboard is the place where you can generate and view detailed analysis reports.
ClickMeter can be a useful tool for managing ad campaigns and optimizing ad services such as Google Ads. It is used by many companies and brands, including Texas Instruments, Arsenal FC, AT&T, etc.
Features
- Link tracking
- Location-based targeting
- Link encryption
- Backtracking Links
- Extensive API Support
- Duplication of links allowed
Pricing
ClickMeter has 3 pricing options based on the scale of service you want to avail. There’s no free plan, but you get a money-back guarantee with each plan. Here are the plan details:
- Medium Monthly Plan – $29
- Large Monthly Plan – $99
- X-Large Monthly Plan – $349
7. T2M
Another tool that deserves to be featured on this list of best URL shortener tools is T2M. It’s a user-friendly and intuitive link shortening and management tool.
T2M can be the best URL shortener service for individual marketers for its separate tracking options. It has a dedicated location-based tracking and device-based tracking support. You can access both of them separately as you will have to access tracking reports through different dashboards.
The server response of T2M is solely dedicated to one user ensuring fast redirection to the destination URL. it also allows for creating short, branded URLs that will get more clicks and would also suggest you where to place the links for best results.
Features
- Complete URL management
- Detailed analytics
- Unlimited API
- Auto-generated QR code
- Powerful and separate dashboards for location tracking and device tracking
- CSV import
- No-Spam Policy
Pricing
T2M paid plans are ideal for web businesses and affiliate marketers that need shortened URLs regularly. They have five paid plans. You can either pay monthly or pay for a whole year.
- Basic T2M Service – $5 one time payment
- T2M Standard Service – $9.99/month
- T2M Pro Service – $29.99/month
- T2M Premium Service – $89.99/month
- T2M Dedicated Service – Custom prices
Final Thoughts
By using URL shorteners, you can create authentic and clean URLs. This doesn’t just make the URLs user-friendly but also helps you track and analyze the performance of your URLs.
Aside from the seven listed above, there are many URL shortener services that help users create clean URLs and come with additional features like retargeting and link analytics. You can go with our recommendations, or find a tool that best fits the bill for you.
Also, do not forget to check out the Top 13 Affiliate Marketing Tools That Every Marketer Needs.
