Top 5 Best URL Shortening Services for Good-Looking URLs and Tracking

If you run a blog, you probably share your posts on social media to attract readers. Of course, you copy the URL of your post and paste it to your social media account together with the title of your post, hashtags, etc.

The URL that you paste includes a title of your post that sometimes can be too long, and this makes your URL long as well. The long URL usually looks unattractive or it isn’t observed completely when you submit it to your social media page.

This is why bloggers often use the URL shortening services to make a long URL look shorter and more aesthetic.

Such services sometimes also allow getting the click analytics or support UTM parameters and retargeting. I am going to speak of these features in my next post.

And now I am going to review some of the most popular URL shortening services.

1. TinyURL

TinyURL is easy and free to use solution for shortening the URLs. You don’t have to sign up or create any accounts to use this service. Just enter the long URL into the corresponding field and generate a short one without any logins or without providing any data, absolutely anonymously.

Features:

• URL customization;
• no sign up required;
• quick redirection;

and more.

2. Bitly

Bitly is another popular URL shortening service that is completely free to use and allows you to shorten the URLs starting with the bit.ly domain name. If you prefer to use the premium features of the service you’ll be able to use your own custom domain name for shortening URLs.

Features:

• analytics dashboard;
• custom domain connection;
• URL retargeting;

and more.

3. Rebrandly

This service allows for creating short branded URLs as well as sharing the links across different social media resources. Its features include retargeting support as well as the ability to create separate teammates and workspaces.

Features:

• UTM parameters;
• API access;
• 100+ apps integrated;
• emojis on short URLs;

and more.

4. Ow.ly

Ow.ly is one of the specific features of the Hootsuite social media management tool. The service is available through the dashboard of the tool. In addition, you’ll be able to monitor the analytics for your short URLs.

Features:

• URL performance metrics;
• link tracking;
• link retargeting;

and more.

5. T2M

T2M is another URL shortening service with the link tracking feature with 2 separate dashboards (for location analytics and for a platform you use). Using this tool you can create branded URLs, and if you prefer the premium plan you can create advanced URLs like password-protected and vanity ones.

Features:

• full-scale analytics;
• unlimited API;
• no-expiry URLs;

and more.

Hope, you like this set of services and find it useful.

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Hi! I’m an experienced writer exploring WordPress for more than 5 years. I’m happy to share my knowledge and ideas with you and I hope you join me.

Cheers,
Melany H.