- HoneyHat

Recent Articles

to shorten an URL?

It’s not common to hear words like generic, non-targeted or impersonal when it comes down to marketing. So why do people still use long, generic and unbranded links?

Planning a campaign involves planning every detail down to the last one. This includes the target audience, messaging, CTAs and user journeys. Links are often forgotten, but they are a very important aspect.

This article will explain how to shorten long URLs and why a brand link is better than a generic URL.

Let’s first start with the basics.

A long link is usually described as:

https://rebrandly.com/blog/the-best-content-marketing-tools-for-2020

Once a marketing team has it in their hands, it looks a lot more like:

https://rebrandly.com/blog/the-best-content-marketing-tools-for-2020?utm_source=may-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=best-content-marketing-tools

This is because the tracking parameters have been added to the link. This is very common in campaigns that require budget (or any campaign that involves demand or lead generation).

While links such as these may seem normal to those who are familiar with them they can be off-putting to consumers. You should use a URL shortener in order to make your links more attractive.

How to choose a URL shortener

There are two main types of URL shorteners, custom and generic.

The generic URL shortener, which was similar to goo.gl until it ceased operations, is the most popular. This type of URL Shortener allows users to create short links that are publicly accessible with a generic URL.

A custom URL shortener offers a similar service, in that you can shorten links, but you can use your own domain.

You can avoid being blacklisted or marked as spam by using a custom URL shorter. This is because the domain you use to create links belongs to you, and you are in control of its safety. A secure domain will also help you avoid being mistaken as a spammer – unless, of course, you are one.

Shortening a URL

It’s easy to shorten a long URL. We’ll show you how to do it using Rebrandly, a custom URL-shortener.

Click on the “New Link” button at the top-right corner of your Rebrandly dashboard.

Paste or enter your destination URL.

Select your brand domain. All domains you have linked to your Rebrandly Account will appear as a dropdown list.
Customize your slash tags. Remember that brand links are good for SEO. Choose keywords that relate to your campaign, page, or blog post.

You can shorten a link by clicking ‘create link.’

Rebrandly has a built-in UTM Builder that allows you to enter your UTM Parameters as you go. You can also save them as presets so you can access it quickly at a later date.

Here’s a simple guide on how to shorten a URL. After you have shortened your links and brand them, you can use these to collect click data, boost your CTR in social media, increase engagement and more.

Learn more about how to use branded links for: