Would you like to share a link on social media? Unfortunately, the link is too long to exceed the allowed character quota. In this case, you need a link shortener aka link shortener.
In addition to shortening links, link shorteners can also help you determine the performance of links. Starting from the number of people who clicked, their location, their age, and so on.
Therefore, we have listed the best short URL sites that you can use:
- Bitly
- TinyURL
- Rebrandly
- Tiny.cc
- BL.INK
- T2M
- Polr
- YourIs
- Shorturl.gg
- Short URL
- Cuttly
- Short.io
- Linkly
- PixelMe
- Smart URL
- Bonus: URL Shortener (Extension)
What made us choose the short URL sites above? We will discuss them in full below. But before that, we will explain first what a short URL site is.
What is a Short URL Site?
Link shortener is a website that allows you to shorten long URLs easily.
You can change the URL link to be very short, without changing the page you want to open. In other words, nothing has changed except the number of characters.
16 Best URL Short Sites
There are many short URL sites scattered in cyberspace. However, don’t be confused because below we have selected eight of the best short URL sites for you.
1. Bitly
Bitly is the best and most popular short URL site today. One reason is that you don’t need to create an account to use Bitly. Plus, you can also shorten as many links as you want.
However, to make data analysis and monitoring easier, we recommend creating a free account at Bitly. Because with a free account you will get several features that can support online business. From URL customization to tracking CTR.
In addition, any links you shorten on Bitly are protected by HTTPS encryption. So don’t worry if your short link is infiltrated by a virus or if someone changes the purpose of the link.
Bitly has been trusted by many big brands in the world, such as McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. In fact, we also use bitly in every promotion on Xanderblog‘s social media, you know.
How to make your own short URL on Bitly is also very easy with just a few clicks. However, the free version only allows you to change the back URL. If you want to customize your URL domain (bit.ly) you must subscribe to a minimum Basic plan for $29/month.
Featured features:
- Without creating an account can still shorten the link as much as possible.
- Free accounts provide features that can help your online business. For example, the URL customization feature and the CTR tracker.
- HTTPS encryption ensures the safety of the links you shorten.
- How to make your own short URL is very easy.
2. TinyURL
TinyURL has been around since 2002 and can be said to be the pioneer of short URL sites on the internet. TinyURL still works very well today, although it doesn’t offer as many features as other short URL sites.
The links you shorten on TinyURL will not expire. This means, the link will be available forever and you can use it to your heart’s content. So, don’t worry about broken links later.
Oh yes, besides shortening links by visiting the TinyURL site, you can also shorten links via the browser toolbar directly. Just drag and drop the link on the TinyURL website into your browser toolbar.
Featured features:
- Free.
- The link is active forever. You don’t have to worry about broken links.
- Can shorten links via the toolbar. No need to visit the TinyURL website, you can shorten links via the toolbar with just one click.
3. Rebrandly
Rebrandly is the best URL short site for URL customization with your brand name. In Rebrandly, you can create your own domain name which will be used in each link.
Rebrandly also provides various other features, such as setting link expiration, analytics, converting links into QR Codes, and many others. However, to enjoy all its features, you are required to subscribe starting at $29/month.
Featured features:
- Customize links with your desired domain.
- It has a myriad of other features that can support your online business. For example, setting link expiration, analytics, and creating a QR Code.
4. Tiny.cc
Another short URL site that supports URL customization for your business branding needs. Tiny.cc offers a fairly cheap price for URL customization compared to other short URL sites, which is only $ 5 / month. But don’t worry, if you just want to shorten the link, Tiny.cc doesn’t charge a penny, really.
In addition to the URL customization feature, Tiny.cc also has several other features. You can track the performance of shortened links. Starting from seeing the CTR, to knowing the location and browser used by the person who clicked the link.
Featured features:
- It’s free if you only shorten the link.
- Low subscription prices. For only $ 5 you can enjoy various features such as URL customization, view CTR, and many others.
5. BL.INK
BL.INK is a link shortener site with very complete features with a user-friendly dashboard. With BL.INK you can customize links and track the location of the person who clicked it, the device used, and even their everyday language.
Interestingly, the free version of BL.INK offers almost all the features they have. However, it is limited to one user and 1,000 clicks per link only. If your business is small, you can try this free version of BL.INK.
Oh yes, BL.INK also has a feature called Smart Link. This feature allows you to create links based on popular keywords, thereby attracting more traffic and increasing conversion rates.
This conversion rate is very important because it can be an indication of whether your business is profitable or not.
Featured features:
- The free version offers almost all available features. However, it is limited to one user and 1,000 clicks per link.
- User-friendly dashboard. You will not be confused to try all the features of BL.INK.
- Smart Link allows you to create links based on popular keywords. This of course can attract more traffic and increase the conversion rate.
6. T2M
Another one of the best short URL sites with full features. T2M has a dashboard where you can view various statistical data. This dashboard makes it easy for you to analyze the performance of various shortened links.
T2M also offers URL customization that you can set expiration, shorten multiple links at once, and share links to social media with just one click.
One of the unique features of T2M that is rarely found on other short URL sites is Custom Analytic Reports. This feature allows you to request statistical reports which are not provided in the built-in dashboard.
You can ask for the IP address of the person who clicked, the browser used, how often the person clicked, and much more. You just have to ask for the desired custom report to T2M customer support.
With these abundant features, unfortunately, T2M does not offer a free version or even a free trial. The cheapest version is the Basic plan which you can enjoy forever by paying $5.
Featured features:
- A dashboard with various statistics makes it easier for you to analyze link performance.
- Customizable URLs with expiry dates.
7. Polr
Polr is the best-known short URL site with the self-hosting feature. This feature is an alternative way to create your own short URL as you wish for free. However, because of this self-hosting feature, you’ll need to understand PHP, Lumen, and MySQL to use Polr.
Polr also has features similar to other short URL sites, such as URL domain customization and link performance analysis. One thing that sets Polr apart is that it provides a demo first, so you can get a clear idea before deciding to give it a try.
Featured features:
- Self-hosting. You can create a URL domain with your own brand name for free.
- Demo provided. You can know more clearly what Polr is before wearing it.
8. YourIs
Not much different from Porl, YourIs allows you to create your own URL domain for free because of the self-hosting feature. Therefore, to use YourIs you have to install and run it on a private server.
Yourls offer several features that are no less interesting, such as being able to create private links or public links, view link performance statistics, and many others. However, don’t worry, even though it has many features, YourIs claims that it is lightweight and will not burden your server.
Featured features:
- Self-hosting allows you to create a free URL domain.
- Does not overload the server.
9. Shorturl.gg
The next link shortener, Shorturl.gg. Although both URL shorteners, Shorturl.gg has its own uniqueness.
Instead of directly bringing the user to a specific page, the short link generated actually takes the user to a landing page like this first.
This landing page is like a preview page to show a brief view of the website page before it is actually opened.
On the landing page, Shorturl.gg displays a summary containing the title and meta description of the website page you want. So, people can better understand the context of the web page before going to the original page.
In addition, this method also calms your audience because it seems safer. Because they can see a preview of the page without having to enter first. So, the potential for getting phishing g is also less.
Now to see the original page, the user only needs to click the Click Here to Proceed button.
Featured Features:
- Link Management to edit the title and meta description of web pages;
- The number of short link usage is not limited ;
- Links are valid forever (cannot expire);
- Displays a summary of the web page;
- Easily share shorten links to various social media.
10. Short URL
Although it has a similar name to Shorturl. gg, apparently Short URL is a different link shortening tool.
This URL shortener is suitable for those of you who want to shorten links quickly and simply. Because you just put the link in the column provided and it only takes a minute until the short link is finished.
Now to enjoy other features, you must have a premium account first. With this account, you can only get facilities such as custom short links, multi-functional dashboards, analytics, and more.
Featured features:
- Simple and easy-to-use URL shortener columns.
11. Cuttly
Cuttly is a link shortening tool that is suitable for business people. Apart from shortening URLs, Cuttly also provides various features to make your links look more credible and even their performance can be evaluated.
The proof, you can custom links by adding your own domain and also monitor link statistics via Link Analytics.
Even so, there are still feature limitations between the free version and the paid version. On a premium account, you can get more complete facilities. For example, more detailed analytics metrics.
Featured features:
- Custom links with own branded domains;
- Analytics links to show clicks and other metrics;
- Simple and easy-to-understand dashboard.
12. Short.io
Slightly different from the previous link shorteners, to use Short.io you must first create an account.
Sounds complicated? Edits, wait a minute… Although you have to have an account first, Short.io provides an interesting feature even for the free version, namely you are free to enter your domain in the link.
Do not stop there, you also get a variety of interesting facilities. Starting from viewing link statistics, and tracking campaigns with UTM tags, to link retargeting to display relevant ads for anyone who clicks on your URL.
Featured features:
- Clickstream data to display statistics on users who clicked on your links;
- Custom link with own domain;
- Conduct tracking campaigns to track link performance;
- Link retargeting via Facebook Pixel and AdRoll to show relevant ads to people who click on the link.
13. Linkly
Similar to Short.io, you must have an account to use Linky. Interestingly, Linky offers a simple and multi-functional dashboard that is friendly to the layman.
Through this dashboard, you can do various detailed link settings. For example, targeting is based on the device used by the target audience.
For those of you who have different versions of web pages, for mobile (AMP) and desktop for example, of course, this is beneficial. Because by using the same link, you can still maximize the user experience of visitors on various devices.
In addition, you can also monitor the performance of links in real-time. To make it more practical, Linkly also displays graphs in the report list. So, you don’t have to click on the reports one by one to see the graphs.
Featured features:
- Own custom domains ;
- Targeting with various metrics (user location and device);
- Track link performance in real-time;
- Displays sparklines/graphs on the same report page.
14. PixelMe
Next up, there’s PixelMe. For those of you who have a business, especially trading via Amazon, this link shortener is quite worth a try.
Once you register an account for free with this URL shortener, you will get a dashboard to manage your website links.
And not only can you summarize links and monitor their analytics, but PixelMe also lets you connect your Amazon accounts and create ads through the same dashboard.
In addition, you can also create a micro-website that contains a collection of links from several web pages. Starting from business sites, YouTube channels, social media accounts, and more. Which, it makes your business more focused and makes it easier for potential customers to browse the pages they need.
Featured features:
- Ad launcher to integrate Amazon accounts while creating ads and monitoring their performance;
- PixelMe One Link which serves to create micro-websites without understanding coding.
15. Smart URL
As the name suggests, SmartURL is a pretty smart link shortener. Not only able to shorten links, SmartURL also provides various features that can support your business needs. Especially, to do a more specific promotion.
For example, making a short link while setting the destination country and the device used. Of course, this helps you so that the link can direct your target market to the right page. Such as a special product catalog for users from Indonesia.
Featured features:
- smarturl to direct link visitors to web pages that match the country and device they are using;
- The pivot serves to create landing pages and is able to hide links that are not compatible with the user’s location;
- Flex to retarget audiences based on country and device used;
- Events to promote marketing campaigns based on the location of potential customers.
16. URL Shortener (Extension)
From earlier, you have collected the best and most free short-link sites. But if you use your laptop/computer more often and want a practical URL shortener, URL Shortener Extension is worth a try.
URL Shortener Extension allows you to shorten links without having to go to a specific website. Because this extension is installed on a web browser so you can use it right away.
So if you are interested, please download the Url Shortener from the Chrome Web Store. To use this short link extension, just click on its icon.
After that, all you have to do is copy or custom the short link as you wish.
Featured features:
- Can be installed on a web browser (desktop only);
- The use is simple and practical because it can be used immediately;
- Custom links as desired.
Benefits of Using Short URL Sites
You may think that shortening the link is an unnecessary extra step. However, it turns out that there are several benefits to using a short URL site, you know. One of them is to know the performance of a link. Here are five benefits of using a short URL site:
1. Customize URL
Website link shortener allows you to customize links as you wish. So, you can use this to include your brand name in the short link.
You can see in the picture above, that the Lamborghini brand makes a short URL lam. bo. This of course makes the link unique and easy to remember by Lamborghini account followers. In addition, short links with brands get 39% more clicks than regular short links, you know.
2. Can Track Link Performance
Many short URL sites have tools to track and analyze the performance of shortened links. You can view CTR reports, find out where people clicked from, and much more.
The report data can be analyzed to determine the digital marketing performance of your business. This of course helps you to design a better digital marketing strategy in the future.
3. Easy to Memorize Links
Very long links are hard to memorize. Don’t believe it?
Try it’s easy where to memorize this link:
Or this link:
bit.ly/NH-bisniskreatif
Besides being easy to memorize, short URLs also reduce the possibility of typos. Remember! Just one character will make the link a broken link. As a result, web pages cannot be accessed by anyone and you lose traffic.
4. More Professional and Trustworthy
When you share a long link with people, it can be seen as an unprofessional and untrusted link. People hesitate to click on the link because they feel strange and strange with a large number of characters.
Short URL sites can turn your links into links that are clear and pleasing to the eye. So that makes people more convinced to click on it.
5. Great for Social Media
Every social media platform has a limit on how many characters you can type. For example, on Twitter 280 characters, and on LinkedIn 600 characters. So, if you want to include a link in your post, a short link can be a big help in keeping it from going over the character limit.
Ready to Use the Best Short URL Sites?
Now, you know the best URL shorteners. Starting from sites, and extensions, to special platforms to collect all the links into one.
But what is no less important than short links is how you distribute them effectively. Especially for those of you who have a business, or maybe work as an influencer.
If you only want to share one page of your website, using link shortener sites and extensions is a great choice.
Don’t forget to leave a comment below.
