Link Management
If you’re looking to shorten a link, you have several options available. Generic link shorteners can convert any long link into a shortened version, but these typically produce unbranded, anonymous links that offer limited control over the final result.
Rebrandly provides an alternative that allows you to both shorten your URL and customize it, transforming that link into a promotional asset for your business.
Before exploring further, let’s examine why shortening URLs matters and whether your needs are better served by a generic link shortener or a custom link management solution like Rebrandly.
Traditionally, people shorten links for two reasons:
- To make long links shorter
- To insert tracking info and collect link analytics
Link shorteners popped up around the same time as Twitter (now, X), which originally had a 140-character limit for its posts. It made sense that anyone sharing a link wanted to keep it as short as possible.
But since then, the social media platform limited a link’s character count to 23 so URLs no longer take up too much of a 280-character tweet. At the same time, many people still prefer to shorten their links for neatness. Others shorten links to hide UTM parameters or to track the number of clicks they receive.
Today, however, shorteners have evolved to the needs of modern users. The problem with traditional short links is that they are generic, anonymous and have come to be associated with spam. Web users are often reluctant to click on them for this reason.
Instead, consider branded short links. There is a whole range of benefits that come with using a custom URL shortener. They are used to shorten and track links, as well as to:
- Showcase your brand name
- Boost brand visibility and awareness
- Increase brand trust and CTR
- Drive traffic from offline marketing materials
- Keep link analytics private
- Edit and redirect existing links
- Retarget people who have visited your website before
So, are you ready to find out how to shorten a URL, while also promoting your brand? Let’s do it!
How to shorten a link with Rebrandly
Take a look at the below video to understand how branded links are constructed.
To brand and shorten a URL with Rebrandly, you can:
- Do it directly on the Rebrandly platform
- Use one of our browser extensions
- Do it with the app
1. How to shorten a link directly on Rebrandly
Sign into your Rebrandly account and click ‘new link’.
Then you can paste the URL you want to shorten and decide which domain you want to use and customize the slash tag.
Once you click ‘create link’, you can then opt to add notes, tags or retargeting scripts to your link. You can also set up traffic routing if you want to link to direct to different places depending on the location, device or time of your visitor.
Then, you can choose for the link to be automatically copied to your clipboard – or click ‘copy’ and you’re ready to share your link.
2. How to shorten links with the Rebrandly extension
The Rebrandly browser extension comes with Automatic Link Detection features. So if you download one of our browser extensions for Firefox or Google Chrome, you’ll be able to rebrand a link simply by hovering over it with your mouse. Whether you’re writing an email or posting to social media, it’s a great way to shorten a link without interrupting your workflow. Check out how to do it in the video below.
3. How to shorten a link with the Rebrandly app
Last but not least, you can shorten URLs on the go with the Rebrandly app for Android or iOS. All you have to do is open the app on your phone and then follow the same process you would if you were on your computer. Similarly, you just paste the long URL, choose a domain and keyword, then click ‘Create link’.
So now you know how to shorten a URL, let us know how you choose which keywords come after the slash. Or if you’re new to Rebrandly, let us know what you think in the comments below.
Further Reading: