We’ve all been there. You publish a page or blog post, only to realise the destination link needs a change. Maybe it’s not quite right, or the content has moved. For instance, you share an important announcement, but the link you used now points to the wrong page. Instead of retracing your steps and updating it everywhere manually, wouldn’t it be easier to update the link once and be done?
With a few simple steps, you can quickly create a new, short URL that redirects smoothly, saving you time and keeping everything on track. Here’s how:
6 simple steps to change a URL:
Replug is an all-in-one link management tool for creating custom URLs, embedding call-to-actions, and making social media bio links. You can change the URL of a website in seconds by following these simple steps with Replug:
Step 1: Go to the Replug app
First things first, you need to go to the Replug app. Simply type in the URL of the app in your search bar:
Step 2:Sign in to your account
Sign in to your Replug account or create one if you don’t already have one:
Step 3:Shorten your desired link
Once you sign up or log in, you’ll be directed to the main dashboard. All you have to do now is paste the URL you want to shorten in the “Enter URL to shorten” bar:
Step 4:Click the “right arrow” button
Once you have pasted the long URL, click the “right arrow” button to proceed further:
Step 5: Edit your URL
Click on the edit icon and type the slug you want for your newly created URL.
Once you have done that, click on the green tick to save the URL.
Step 6: Save the shortened link
The final step is to click on the “Save Shortened Link” button and you’re done!
FAQs
Can I shorten any website links?
You can easily shorten any website link using URL-shortening tools such as Replug. These not only allow you to shorten your link but also let you share it with your audience and track its performance.
Can I edit my domain name?
Your custom domain is a top-level domain you own and use to share your links. Tools like Replug allow you to edit your domain name easily, allowing you to maintain your brand identity and reputation.
Arslan is a SaaS content marketer who crafts clear, engaging content that drives results. He simplifies complex ideas into easily understandable blog posts, landing pages, and emails, helping SaaS companies connect with their audience and grow.
Amna Yawar
Amna is a content marketer and storytelling enthusiast, dedicated to creating engaging, impactful content. She blends creativity with SEO strategies to help brands connect, inspire, and convert.
Hyperlinks are created by using anchor tags in HTML code. The anchor tag defines the start and end of a hyperlink, and the text between the opening and closing tags is displayed as the link. To change the name of a hyperlink, you need to edit the text between the opening and closing anchor tags.
When you add a hyperlink to a message, the text displayed as the link is usually the URL of the webpage that the link points to.
For example, if you add a link to
the link text may be displayed as
However, displaying a more descriptive and readable link text is often more user-friendly than the raw URL.
For example, you could change the link text to “How to Change a Link Name: A Comprehensive Guide.” This makes it easier for users to understand the link and encourages them to click on it, especially if it’s in a promotional document like a product catalogue.
To change the link name that uses a hyperlink, you must edit the text displayed as the link. Here is an example of how to change the name of a link with a hyperlink in a Microsoft Word document:
Open the Word document containing the link that you want to change.
Right-click on the link and select the option to edit the link.
In the Edit Hyperlink window, delete the current text in the “Text to display” field and type in the new name you want to use for the link.
Click the “OK” button to save the changes and close the Edit Hyperlink window.
How to change a link name with a hyperlink in an HTML webpage:
1.Open the HTML code for the webpage in a text editor. You can do this by right-clicking on the webpage and selecting the option to view the source code or opening the HTML file in a text editor such as Notepad, TextEdit, or an online html viewer. It can also increase click-through rates by making the link more appealing and trustworthy—just as choosing the right Magento Hosting provider ensures a reliable and optimized eCommerce experience.
2. Locate the anchor tag that represents the link. It will look something like this:
The anchor tag consists of the opening tag <a>, the destination URL
and the closing tag </a>. The text between the opening and closing tags is the link text, currently “Link Name.”
3. Change the text between the opening and closing anchor tags to the new name you want to use for the link.
4. Save the changes to the HTML code by going to the “File” menu and selecting the “Save” option.
5. Refresh the webpage by pressing the “F5” key or by clicking the “Refresh button”.
How to change a link name using Replug?
Here’s how to change a link name using our URL shortener:
Step no 02: On the main Home page, Spot the ‘Quickly shorten your URL” section.
Step no 03: Enter the link in the “URL to shorten” section.
Note: You can also add UTM parameters to your link to track its performance. Using UTM parameters can help you better understand which links are driving the most traffic and conversions for your website.
Step no 04: Your link will be shortened. Click the edit icon and type the URL slug you want to use in the link.
Step no 05: Copy the new link, hit the “Save your shortened link” button, and you’re done.
How to make your links more descriptive and user-friendly with Replug
Using Replug can help you make your links more descriptive and user-friendly in a few different ways:
Customizable link names: With Replug, you can choose the name of your link rather than using the default URL. This allows you to create a more descriptive and readable link that tells users about the link.
Link branding: Replug allows you to customize the appearance of your links by adding your branding. This can establish user trust and credibility and make your links more recognizable.
Link targeting: Replug allows you to redirect traffic to different URLs based on the device or location of the user. This can be useful if you have different web page versions or want to redirect users to the most relevant version of your website.
Link analytics: Replug provides detailed analytics about the clicks on your links, including the number of clicks, the location of the users, and the devices used. This can help you understand how your links are used and make data-driven decisions about your link strategy.
Branded Short Links
Create and track branded short links for your business for better conversions.
Arslan is a SaaS content marketer who crafts clear, engaging content that drives results. He simplifies complex ideas into easily understandable blog posts, landing pages, and emails, helping SaaS companies connect with their audience and grow.
Links can be long and unwieldy, especially if they contain a lot of parameters or tracking information. Shortening a link can make sharing easier, especially on social media platforms with limited space. But how do you shorten a link?
This can be done using URL shorteners. They make sharing easier, especially on social media where space is limited.
Here’s the best part:A URL shortener can also provide analytics and tracking information to see how many clicks the link has received and where those clicks are coming from.
Some URL shorteners, like Replug, also offer additional features, such as the ability to customize the link or set an expiration date.
Overall, using a URL shortener can make it easier to share links and track their performance, and it can be beneficial when sharing links online.
Here’s a step-by-step process to shorten any link in just a few minutes.
Shorten your links, amplify your brand.
Create shareable, trackable and fully customizable branded urls. Get more clicks with absolute link management features such as Bio Links, retargeting, deep Links, CTA’s and more.
URL Shorteners are tools that create a condensed link that is easier to share, especially in contexts where space is limited or readability is important.
URL shortening on the other is the process of transforming a URL into a better version directing users to the original URL.
These URLs are mostly useful in the context of social media, affiliate marketing, email campaigns, and SMS marketing where space is at a premium.
Additionally, shortened URLs can enhance the aesthetic of printed materials and advertisements.
For example, the long URL
What is a URL shortening service & the benefits of using it?
A URL shortening service is a platform that allows users to input a lengthy URL, and the service returns a shortened version that redirects to the original address when accessed. These services often come with additional features that offer significant advantages to users.
Benefits of using URL shortening service
Convenience and aesthetics: Short URLs are easier to read, share, and type, reducing the risk of errors when manually entering URLs.
Tracking and analytics: Many URL shortening services offer analytics to track clicks, geographic locations of users, and referral sources. This data is invaluable for marketers to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns.
Custom branding: Some services allow users to create custom short URLs using their domain names, which enhances brand visibility and trust.
Integration with marketing tools: URL shorteners often integrate with other marketing tools and platforms, streamlining the process of link management and analytics.
Link management: These services provide dashboards to manage and organize multiple links, making it easier to update or delete links as needed.
A powerful link management tool that extends beyond shortening. It’s highly cost-effective and user-friendly, offering detailed analytics on click-through rates, demographics, and geographical data.
Integrated with major platforms, it simplifies tracking across social media, email, and ads, making it essential for optimizing campaigns and understanding audience behavior.
Rebrandly is another well-known URL shortening in the market. Preferred for team collaboration and allows you to set up multiple workspaces and invite team members, making it an excellent choice for team-based URL-shortening needs.
Top features of Rebrandly are its free URL shortening services, link gallery with templates, retargeting and more.
Designed with businesses in mind, Bl.ink offers short, memorable links, detailed click tracking, and lead capture forms, making it ideal for generating leads and marketing campaigns.
URL shorteners function through a process known as URL redirection or URL forwarding.
Here’s a step-by-step explanation of how they work:
Input URL: The user inputs a long URL into the URL-shortening service.
Generate a better version: The service trims the link, which includes the service’s domain and a unique identifier.
Customization: The best part is that you can customize your URL to match your branding. Advanced shortening services allow you to use your domain name (e.g., yourbrand.com) instead of the shortener’s domain
Redirection mechanism: The short URL is mapped to the original long URL in the service’s database.
This process is quick and usually happens in milliseconds, ensuring users experience almost no delay when being redirected to their destination.
Step 2:Paste your long URL in the bar under “Quickly Shorten your link”
Step 3: Click on the blue next arrow. Replug will automatically generate a short link for your long URL:
Note: Here, you can also add UTM parameters to your link to track the performance of that link. Using UTM parameters can help you better understand which marketing channels and campaigns are driving the most traffic and conversions for your website.
Step 4: You can also create a custom URL (optional) using Replug. All you need to do is change the slug of your short link.
Another advanced feature of Replug is that you can add your branded domain to your short links. This allows for further customization, giving every URL you generate your brand’s signature touch.
Step 5: Save your shortened link. Now, you can share your link anywhere you want!
Shortened links help maintain clean and concise posts on platforms like X (Twitter), and Instagram where character limits are strict. They improve readability and encourage more engagement from followers.
By shortening affiliate links and e-commerce URLs, marketers can hide complex links, making them more appealing and trustworthy to users. This practice also helps maintain brand integrity across different channels.
Shortened URLs are crucial in SMS marketing, where space is limited. Shorten Amazon URLs to enhance campaign effectiveness. Or offer promotions, surveys, or special offers without exceeding character restrictions.
4. Create QR codes for your offline audience
Create shortened links and instantly generate and download QR codes for it. This way, you can connect customers of every genre, such as tourism, retail, e-commerce, sports, etc., to your digital space.
Shortened URLs can be used to retarget users who have clicked on specific links. By embedding retargeting pixels within shortened links, marketers can track user interactions and deliver personalized ads based on their browsing behavior, thus maximizing conversion opportunities.
Being a digital marketer, content creator, or running your own agency is no walk in the park. Tasks pile up fast, and every minute counts. But managing links shouldn’t add unnecessary stress to your plate.
Beyond just shortening links, advanced link management tools offer a lot more. They let you track links to understand your audience better and target them with personalized campaigns. Imagine using a single link to guide visitors to different landing pages based on their location or the time of day—it’s like having a smart traffic director for your online presence.
The possibilities are endless. Simplify your long links by master URL shortening with Replug and change the name of any link.
FAQs on how to shorten a link
Can I shorten a URL myself?
Yes, you can use link management tools like Replug, Bitly or Rebrandly to shorten URLs quickly and easily.
Is it safe to use a URL shortener?
Yes, using a reliable URL shortener keeps your links secure with encrypted data. Avoid sharing sensitive info through shortened URLs unless you trust the service. Monitoring analytics helps track link performance and ensures safe marketing and sharing of online communications. Stick with trusted services for consistent performance over time.
What is a URL shortener?
A URL shortener is a tool that takes a long URL and converts it into a shorter, more concise URL that is easier to share and remember.
What is the best URL shortener?
Replug is widely regarded as one of the best URL shorteners due to its comprehensive analytics and customization options. A great choice for those who are looking for alternatives to Bitly, Rebrandly or T2M.
Yes, Adobe offers a URL shortener as part of Adobe Campaign for managing and tracking marketing links. You can also use a URL shortener like Replug or Bitly to shorten any link.
What is a custom URL shortener?
A custom URL shortener allows you to create branded short links using your own domain name, enhancing brand visibility and trust. Link management tools like Replug allow you to create short and personalized URLs using your domain name.
Arslan Jadoon
Arslan is a SaaS content marketer who crafts clear, engaging content that drives results. He simplifies complex ideas into easily understandable blog posts, landing pages, and emails, helping SaaS companies connect with their audience and grow.
Manahil
Meet Manahil – A B2B & B2C writer with 4 + years of experience, known for turning insights into impactful content. Her words engage, inform, and drive real results.
In today’s digital age, where attention spans are short and competition is fierce, standing out from the crowd is crucial. Using branded short links can help you do just that. By incorporating your brand name or a relevant keyword into your links, you can reinforce your brand identity and make it easier for people to remember and recognize your content.
But that’s not all. Branded short links also offer a number of practical benefits, such as improved tracking and analytics, increased click-through rates, and enhanced security. Whether you’re a blogger, social media influencer, or business owner, using branded short links can help you streamline your online presence and achieve your goals.
So, if you’re looking to elevate your online presence and make a lasting impression on your audience, consider incorporating branded links into your digital strategy. In this blog post, we’ll explore the many benefits of using branded short links and provide tips for how to create and implement them effectively. Let’s dive in!
Branded short links, also known as custom short URLs, are shortened URLs that contain a brand name or a custom keyword, making them easily identifiable and memorable. These links can be used to promote your brand, track your marketing efforts, and improve your overall online presence.
A branded short link can be created by using a URL shortener tool like our own Replug, which allows you to create a custom URL that redirects to a longer, more complex URL.
By using a branded link, you can provide your audience with a link that is easy to remember and recognizable, which can lead to increased engagement and click-through rates.
Branded short links can also be used to track the performance of your marketing campaigns. By creating a unique short link for each campaign, you can easily track the number of clicks, the geographic location of the clicks, and the time of day the clicks occurred. This information can be used to refine your marketing efforts and improve your overall ROI.
Here’s an example:
Let’s look at an example that will make the amazing technique clearer to you.
For example, you want to shorten a URL as seen below
Damn! That’s an awful URL.!!!
However, the best URL shortener can turn this ugly link into an attractive and exciting one. Now let’s see the magic of a URL shortener in the below image.
You’re ready to take your online marketing efforts to the next level, aren’t you?
Utilize these game-changing benefits of branded links to improve the online presence of your brand.
Increased brand recognition
Branded short links are a great way to promote your brand and increase brand recognition. For example, your brand name is “ABC Clothing”, and by using a branded short link like “abcclothing.link”, you can reinforce your brand name and message every time someone sees your link.
This can help build brand awareness and customer loyalty over time. In fact, according to a study, branded links can increase brand recognition by up to 39%.
Branded short links can also help improve your click-through rates (CTR) by making your links more visually appealing and trustworthy. For example, let’s say you are sending an email marketing campaign promoting a new product. If you use a long, generic link like “https://www.example.com/products/new-product-123”, it might look suspicious to some recipients and deter them from clicking on it.
However, if you use a branded short link like “yourbrand.link/newproduct”, it looks more professional and trustworthy. This can lead to higher CTRs and more conversions.
Better tracking and analytics
Branded link services like Replug offer detailed analytics that allows you to track clicks, engagement, and other key metrics. This can help you measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions to improve your ROI.
For example, if you use a branded short link in a social media post, you can track how many clicks, likes, shares, and comments it received. This can help you identify what content is resonating with your audience and what isn’t.
Branded short links can also help enhance your social media presence by making your links more visually appealing and shareable. For example, let’s say you are promoting a blog post on Twitter. If you use a long, generic link like
It takes up valuable character space and looks unprofessional. However, if you use a branded short link like
“yourbrand.link/brandedlink”
It looks more concise and visually appealing. This can lead to more engagement and shares, which can help increase your reach and followers.
Increased security and trust
Branded short links can also help increase security and trust, as they provide protection against spam and phishing.
The way malicious links harm your PC or laptop, for which you may need some ideas to remove malware from your system. Similary, a Uhttp://www.cleanmymac.com/blog/new-mac-slowRL shortener can allow you to redirect 404 links to the right destinations. Thus, adding a layer of security.
For example, you receive an email from an unknown sender with a link to a website. If the link is long and unbranded, it might look suspicious and deter you from clicking on it.
However, if the link is short and branded, it looks more trustworthy and legitimate. This can help reduce the risk of clicking on malicious links and protect your personal information.
Do Link Shorteners Really Hurt SEO? No, They Do Not!
Shortened URLs can allow spammers to insert harmful links. 301 redirects, which can occur for very reasonable reasons, can cause indexing issues. This causes a lot of problems and relays a bad name for link shorteners.
Adding to the above, research by Jin Mun & Li in 2017, revealed that using URL shorteners can make a webpage easy to access for your target audience. Whereas, a long URL that has random characters does not reach the intended audience and cannot engage the user. Secondly, shortening the URL can protect you from phishing attacks as they can detect the original URL source.
Social networking websites usually put a ‘NoFollow’ tag in the links. This is done as a safety precaution. URL shorteners potentially benefit SEO, as the URL shorteners typically ignore no follow attributes. This proves to be a huge bonus for people who use social media as part of their marketing campaigns, or who just use them to share content.
According to several ranking specialists, using URL shorteners doesn’t lead to any negative impact on your SEO. As a matter of fact, Search Engines consider short URLs as any regular 301 redirects and they will thus act upon it.
There are a lot of link-shortening tools available in the market today. However, Replug is one URL shortener that actually offers great value for money.
First and foremost, Replug is a link-shortening & tracking platform that allows you to create eye-catching custom URLs. Replug offers several other features you can also create social media Bio Links,URL tracking through custom URLs, QR Code generator, UTM, Tags, and much more. With Replug you can shorten links, and track and optimize them with catchy call-to-actions. It also provides the ability to add retargeting pixels paired with branded links and powerful analytics. There are several new features added to Replug that are briefly explained below.
Deep linking allow users to instantly go to specific applications rather than wasting their time searching for themselves on the webpage. When it comes to mobile users, deep links increase overall engagement and conversion rates. Also Read: A Quick Guide To Deep Linking & Its Benefits
Traffic Routing
Using the traffic routing feature, you can now target your audience with several filters such as location, device, browser, etc. You can also choose the IP address, time, and dates as well. Thus, allowing you to redirect users from various locations to your link.
A/B testing feature allows you to redirect a link to multiple destinations. Easily distribute the weightage and start testing up to 10 branded links at a time.
There are several other features that we have listed that you can learn more about.
If you are looking for a branded URL shortener with great value for money, then Replug is just for you.
Branded Links
With Replug, you can easily create branded links. Just put the brand name in front of the domain and tell the readers what the domain is actually about. Having your own short URL built around your brand identity can help increase conversion rates.
But how to manage these links? Don’t worry, Replug also helps you with that as it has a solution for branded link management.
The goal of creating a short branded URL is to engage more users with your brand. Ultimately, converting these users into customers.
But how to analyze these campaigns?
Branded Link Management is a solution that lets users manage their branded links easily with Replug URL shortener. Whether it’s a social profile or a website, track their performance easily. You can also create campaigns for multiple brands and analyze the progress of each campaign. Thus, making it easy to analyze and retarget ads.
How to Create Branded Short URL Links with Replug?
Creating branded short links using Replug is as simple as it can be. Login to your Replug account or sign up if you do not already have one.
The first thing you need to do is to create a brand. What is a brand you may ask? A brand is a unique identity for your call-to-action widget. To put it in simpler words, let’s say you have 5 websites, they are 5 unique identities for you, so these 5 unique identities are brands in Replug.
Get started by putting your website logo or your profile picture as a brand to convey your message effectively.
Creating and using branded short Links was never this easy. It just takes a few simple and easy steps to create one.
Step 1
Log in to your account and navigate to the dashboard. Select your desired campaign and enter the URL that you want to optimize (you can add any UTM as well). Then click on create.
Step 2
Completed the above step… That’s great!
After clicking on creating a new screen will appear. Click the edit button where you can start customizing the URL link into a branded URL link.
Add tags and set other parameters that you want for your campaign. Now click on update and your branded link is live to share.
Register with Replug and start creating your own short links. Don’t worry! Replug offers a 14-day free trial. You can also schedule a meeting with our representative to learn more.
It is used to share ads and market them on a custom domain name directly from your Mac storage.No need to write long emails anymore. With Dropler you can show complicated, processes using screencasts and transfer files with a customized short link.
Tinny CC is a URL shortener platform that allows you to plug in your own short domain and then manage your whole brand from social media to product packaging.
It allows you to create your own branded short Links on your domain. You can easily manage links and view click statistics. If you need short links for different websites, you can manage many domains in your account. It provides an API for developers and a Google Chrome extension for a better experience.
We can use t2M as a URL shortener with Twitter, Facebook URL Shortener, and YouTube URLs Shortener. You will get a powerful dashboard that will make your work easier.
If you have programming skills and have an interest in running your own shortening service. Then get Polr, as you can run your own URL shortening service with this free open-source software.
Foxly provides URL-shortening services to marketers, advertisers, and brands. The purpose of Foxly is to help users achieve growth goals on their social websites across all marketing channels. Increase subscribers with short URLs for YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc.
Transform your long URLs into short and concise links with Toinsh. It also allows you to create landing pages with multiple links and gather valuable data insights. Other features of these tools include UTM Generator, Social Audit, and Hashtag analyzer.
Sniply is another URL-shortening tool that allows to the creation of short URLs, CTA, and tracking. Share links using Sniply on your social media channels, articles, newsletters, and much more. When it comes to the price, its price value is a bit high.
Yourls is an acronym for ‘your own URL shortener’. Similarly to Polr, it’s also an open-source link shortener. It allows the creation of links and provides analytics, Bookmarklets, etc.
Tiny.ie is a simple URL shortening tool for link shortening, branded domain, custom short links, real-time analytics, etc. It helps users short ugly URLs into attractive short links.
The best short link really depends on your specific needs and preferences. When choosing a short link service, you should consider factors such as ease of use, reliability, customization options, analytics, and pricing.
You should also ensure that the service you choose provides adequate security measures to protect your links from being misused or redirected to malicious websites. Some of the most popular short-link services include Replug, Bitly, and Rebrandly.
What is better than Bitly?
We recommend Replug, a tool that lets you create short, branded links with custom domains, track clicks, and conversions, and add call-to-action overlays. This can help increase click-through rates and drive more traffic to your website.
Additionally, Replug integrates with a variety of popular marketing tools, making it easy to manage and optimize your campaigns.
Do Replug links hurt SEO?
No, Branded Replug links do not directly hurt SEO. Using a URL shortener like Replug does not have a negative impact on your website’s search engine rankings. However, it’s important to keep in mind that if you use a URL shortener to mask spammy or low-quality links, this can negatively impact your SEO.
It’s always best to use URL shorteners ethically and responsibly and to ensure that the links you are shortening are relevant, high-quality, and add value to your content.
Wasiq Naeem is a content and digital marketing veteran who is passionate about his writing. Extensive research and producing high-quality content is just another day at the office for him.
Is it bad to have a long URL? A long URL is bad from a marketing aspect as they are not easy to share and remember. Such URLs receive little to none engagement rates. Shorten long URLs using a URL shortener that builds your brand’s identity.
Now and then we get to see URLs that are either too long or carries random characters. However, URL shorteners is the magical way to not only shorten a long URL but also to change the URL name and to use the URL as a powerful marketing tool.
Link shorteners do way more than disguising a link, as times have changed, and so does product marketing. Long URL shortener is a reliable tool to change URL length, edit characters, add a call to action, and much more. We can also track and analyze how links perform across all social channels.
For example, global businesses are now thoroughly based on online marketing and URL sharing. However, with a nasty URL, it is hard to describe what it is about. Unknown and random characters in the URL are suspicious enough not to stray away the receiver from clicking on it.
A good URL shortener will help in two main objectives, simplifying the link with fewer characters and measuring analytics for it. Anyone with internet availability can use a link shortener, from product marketers to small business owners, from Tiktokers to individuals. Everyone can use it anywhere!
Here are some reasons why a link shortener should be an important part of your marketing aspect.
#1:Tesla Incorporating Branded Links
Any URL with your brand name will assure the link reader that it will lead to your page. Link shortening tools make URLs visually appealing and legitimate.
It has been reported that branded links increase CTR so the companies that go with the changing trends and technologies are adapting.
Elon Musk’s multinational automotive company, Tesla, incorporates branded links when they run social media campaigns.
Fail Army is a popular Youtube channel known for curating funny videos. They also have a massive Instagram following. Their strategy is to use bio links to promote their latest content. These links directly take the user to their promoted content.
#3: Pewdiepie’s merchandize marketing
Here’s an example of how Youtubers are utilizing bio links to promote other content on their socials.
Famous Youtuber Pewdiepie, has a massive social following on Youtube and Instagram. He has monetized his Instagram following by promoting its merchandize store through Instagram bio links.
When any one clicks the bio link it takes them to his online store. He also share pictures of himself wearing his latest clothing to promote on Instagram.
Gfuel is a famous energy drink and often collaborates with Ninja and Pewdiepie. It is also the official drink of Esports. If you visit their Instagram, they have multiple pictures of their products. Every product description says, “link in the bio.”
Here is the bio link of Gfuel.
If you click the link, you will go to the landing page showing exact pictures as on Instagram. You further tap on your target product picture and land on the purchase page.
This is an easy way of capturing leads to the product page and changing them into conversions.
#5: Digital branding and marketing
Branded links increase trust and credibility of the URL.
Below is an example of an unreliable link.
There are ways to make the links more appealing. Create short URLs, in return that can also bring more conversions.
Instead, this is what you should do.
Editing random and untrustworthy links through shortening tools becomes more genuine and authentic. It is important to edit messy links, especially if you are running digital and social media marketing campaigns.
Above image is an example of Jack Paxton’s account. He mentions his bio link, which will be redirected to a page filled with all podcast links.
Like this:
Bio links are the best strategy to take your Instagram audience to the podcast library. This is also helpful in collecting emails by adding the “email me” button.
Use case #7: Amplify your music following
Another feature of the URL shortening tool is a deep link. Deep links redirect you from the URL to the specified screen page of a particular app.
Spotify is a well-known audio streaming and media provider company. They recently tweeted about a new album and shared a customized link. If you click the link, you will directly go to wizkhalifa’s new album on Spotify.
#8: Myfix Cycles retargeting strategy to reduce cart abandonment
Retargeting is a great feature that can bring back visitors that have bounced from your websites. Along with other great features, Replug also gives you the control to retarget visitors through retargeting pixels.
Retargeting has proved to be a great source of converting potential buyers to customers. Link retargeting allows users to target the people who have already visited your social or website.
Most of the eCommerce companies face cart abandonment issues where users leave without completing the purchase. With retargeting, users can remind customers through ads or emails to complete their purchase. Retargeting has proven to be a far more successful strategy to increase conversions.
Myfix Cycles uses retargeting smartly and resells their product that didn’t make the purchase the product the first time around. Below is the image of their retargeting.
Link analytics plays a very important role when it comes to creating tracking URLs. One of the exclusive features of link shortening tools is A/B testing.
Imagine you are running a specific sales campaign and creating two or more special offer web pages to test which content performs well.
A/B testing allows you to split traffic and compare performance of each URL on the base of weightages that you set. Finally, choose the page that performs well or optimize the content that underperforms.
This feature is very handful for designers to test their designs, for content creators to evaluate their content and for every marketer as a whole package.
#10: Deep linking example of text marketing to increase conversion
Deep links in SMS marketing motivate users to install the app. Take the example of a shopping app. Use a deep link with a bonus point which will be rewarded after users install the application. Once the user clicks the deep link, it will launch the app on the relevant system. If it is not installed, a relevant store will be opened. When the user initiates the app, the product page and offer will appear. Without deep linking, these steps require manual processing.
Let’s say you are making an online shop and promoting a certain item; deep links help you direct visitors to relevant content. In case the app is not installed it will take you relevant play store
Deep links are very helpful when it comes to online user experience. Suppose, you are a seller on Amazon, Shopify or any other ecommerce platform and you want to direct the user to specific products rather than search the product on the app or web. With deep linking, no unnecessary steps will be required and you will directly land on the relevant content as shown in the below image.
You don’t need to advertise the app as a whole. Only the relevant content that you want to target and the user that clicks that link will reach the appropriate location without any hurdles. This not only increases the rate of conversions but also improves the overall experience.
You have only 280 character limits for tweets to express opinions, use captions, add captions, call out a person, and much more. You can do anything under Twitter’s specified character limit. Brands use URLs while announcing any update, sale, or mega deal.
Generally, links are overly long, and they tend to cover all Twitter character space. Therefore, people tend to use URL shortening tools to change messy long URLs into branded URLs.
Here are some brands that have used short & customized links in their tweets.
Example#Disney
Disney is also making a new series announcement with a customized link in their tweet.
Here is Disney’s example of using a short & customized links in their tweets.
Disney is also making a new series announcement with a customized link in their tweet.
Disney’s customized link is not short only but has the brand’s slogan in it. There are higher chances for the audience to visit links, check new promos, and subscribe to a streaming platform if they haven’t already.
#12: Turning USP realizes the power of bio links for brands
Link shortening tool can change a single link into a beautiful, mobile-friendly, flexible landing page. You can offer the services you want. Pre-designed layouts are available to create a landing page.
Moreover, you can add videos, images, text etc. to showcase your brand. Drag and drop editor can make everything easy and efficient.
QR codes are new scannable marketing sources. You can generate a new smart QR code with every branded link you customize with a link shortening platform.
Download it and use it in your every visual content, such as visiting cards, flyers, or discount codes, as a marketing opportunity to build brand authority. QR codes are a powerful way of amplifying your brand’s slogan.
QR codes promote engagement and interaction. This type of business strategy enables businesses to share information with users.
The calamities like the pandemic and global warming initiatives have pushed us more towards creating a contactless and paperless green environment. While QR Codes are playing a vital and supportive role towards it yet they are also proving to be a great tool for marketing.
From banking payments to promotion or any information and material, it is proving a useful tool for analytics aswell as to improve user experience.
Here are some ways how you can maximize QR codes to monitor the performance of your marketing campaigns properly.
Lands customers directly on the website
Dial your business number
Send message/ email
View business locations
Download app
Direct customers to social media pages
#14: Make your social links count!
Similarly length is important for all your social links. A domain name adds more plus points. They provide a clean look.
Any URL with your brand name will assure the link reader that it will lead to your page. Link management tools make URLs visually appealing and legitimate.
Look at Gary Vee’s bio link
He uses the bio link to drive users towards his Apple podcast.
Similarly, you can share your favorite content with friends without the installation of a particular app. Let’s say if somebody shared a TikTok video link with you, and you don’t have a TikTok account, you can click the URL and still watch it without installing TikTok. This is the power of deep links.
You can share your favorite content with friends without the installation of a particular app. Let’s say if somebody shared a TikTok video link with you, and you don’t have a TikTok account, you can click the URL and still watch it without installing TikTok. This is the power of deep links.
Every Marketer’s end goal is to earn high revenue. It gets possible when your product reaches the right audience. It improves your impression and ad rank.
High CTR means more people seeing, clicking, and engaging with your services. It is all possible with link shortening URL platforms. You can create, edit, and advertise links that have a custom domain name or brand’s slogan. They will be considered authentic and genuine and will attract the right customer.
#16 Example of media companies using Vanity URLs
Several major media companies and publications use vanity URLs when sharing links:
URL shortening tools empower to make informed decisions by providing vital data points. You can track what content is working best for you and what needs to improvise.
URLs are trackable and give insights about clicks and engagements. You can also retarget your prospected clients who have already shown interest in your content.
Campaign analytics help you optimize your marketing efforts. It helps you understand your audience better. You can observe which social media channels drive maximum traffic and design strategies accordingly.
How do I shorten a URL length?
It is a pretty simple process to shorten your links using a URL shortener.
Step 1
Login to your Replug account
Step 2
Navigate to “create quick Replug link”. Enter the campaign and the long URL to shorten.
Now click “Create”
Step 3
In the next step, you can edit the link or change the slug. You can add or remove existing tags. Click the update button and you are done.
FAQs
What is a long URL?
A long URL is a long and nasty address to a particular document or file. They are difficult to remember. Sometimes they are long enough that after copying them on social channels, you don’t have any space left to write details.
Here is an example:
All the above URLs have one thing in common, they are long, messy, and have random characters. Therefore, they may look suspicious to some people when forwarded in DM, which makes them avoid clicking it.
What is too long for a URL?
A URL is considered too long if it has above 100 characters. An overly long URL causes search engine and usability issues. It may also lead to lower CTR (click-through rate).
Long URL doesn’t display better on the web. An extra-long URL might have symbols and characters. Google doesn’t support an overly long URL with random characters.
Is it okay to have a long URL?
It doesn’t matter how long the URL length is. However, with respect to marketing and SEO, the leading brands try to keep them shorter than 100 characters. It makes monitoring easy.
For example:
This URL is 118 characters long, and Twitter has 280 characters limit. So the above link is long enough in itself that it doesn’t leave any space to say anything about it. Furthermore, such link are unappealing and unattractive to share.
Long URL Problems Solved
Shortening long URLs is pretty simple and easy. Brands and celebrities have realized the powerful features that come along with URL shorteners. The use cases and examples have highlighted just. If you are still not convinced, I recommend taking time for an online meeting just might change your thoughts towards URL shorteners. One thing is for sure. a long URL just sucks and drains your online marketing!
Khadija Anwar
I am Khadija Anwar, B2B Copywriter. I started my career as a freelance writer in 2019 and built a strong portfolio. I have crafted multiple blogs, website content, fashion magazines, news outlets, SEO content, and technical documentation. Last but not least, my favorite cartoon character is Dopey Dwarf, resembling my real-life character- calm, happy, and lively.
Looking for a hack for Instagram and other socials to boost your social presence and following? Tools like Instagram URL shortener is what you need to try out. It simply can do much more than just shortening your long nasty URLs. For example, you can shorten the URL with a domain name, add catchy call-to-action, create bio links, manage analytics, and redirect your audience.
In short, you can create trackable and memorable links that enhance your brand recognition across all social media channels.
Link shorteners make sharing significantly easier that promote marketing as a whole. They use a few precious characters to deliver links and catch a higher click-through rate. In addition, the Instagram link shortener can track the performance of all URLs you share across social media channels. These analytics record your audience’s behavior patterns and find what they want.
Bio links are the most prominent feature among the people that use Instagram URL shorteners. However, some other specific advantages of using a URL shortener are discussed below.
Stronger Branding with One Bio Link
Creating a bio link with Instagram URL shorteners can direct the customer to a custom landing web page. Create CTAs, add text, pictures, and videos and design the landing page. Most socials don’t allow adding more than one bio link to your profile. So with a bio link, you can provide more information about yourself or your business.
Here is an example of Replug’s Bio Link:
Here is an example of Airbnb:
They have mentioned the Airbnb accommodations link in the bio. If you click that link, it will lead you to a single bio page with all rental places.
If you further click down any picture, it will redirect to complete detail of that particular place just like this:
Now, this is a simple URL redirecting example with a brand’s profile name mentioned in it. You can do this with your brand or personal Instagram profile, share it on any social media channel, and bring direct traffic to your account or shop. Link shorteners for Instagram make all work easy without making themselves the third wheel. It is a straightforward technique to build brand credibility and enhance brand awareness.
Branded links can enhance social media presence because they seem legit. They encourage click-through, engagement, and conversion rate around a product or service. Moreover, you can build brand awareness through branded links wherever you use them. Data has shown that branded links receive 34% more clicks than non-branded links. Besides brand awareness, branded links are appealing because they reflect the domain or brand’s slogan, which is an essential element of your digital presence.
Disney uses a link management tool for shortening, redirecting, and promoting its official podcast while highlighting Disney’s slogan “di. sn” in the URL.
When you customize your links, you have an opportunity to promote a product or service by creating a domain. For example, you are running a YouTube tutorial channel for pizza making, and you don’t want a messy long URL. In that case, you can edit it to Pizz. co/tutorial.
Marketing without analysis and tracking is like shooting in the dark. It is a waste of time, energy, and substantial resources. Link shortening platforms track your links and save from extra effort. Knowing your visitor’s demographic, interests, and favorite social channels allows you to post more relevant and exciting content. Your customers are a valuable asset to your company. By tracking analytics, you can observe what your audience is looking for, their needs, and expectations.
Being a marketer is a tough job; you must know what your audience wants without hearing from them directly. Therefore, you can determine which marketing channels you should utilize to find your next customers through link shortening platforms.
Cross Promote with Same Link
You might have noticed that you uploaded a picture on Instagram and wanted to share it on WhatsApp, but the link is too nasty that you gave up. This is wherecustom URL shortener for Instagram step in to change malicious URLs into short ones and make them sharable on any app. Vanity links are friendly, memorable, authentic, and safe to use. In addition, you can add a custom domain name to enhance brand awareness and build brand credibility.
The above image shows Spotify’s shortened link with its domain’s name and recommended Sabrina Ann’s playlist.
In addition, link shorteners provide services for all social media channels, not just Instagram. Suppose you have changed a long URL into a short URL and forwarded it to people’s DM. Then you can also use the same link across all social media channels; Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, LinkedIn, and many more. You can apply the same link on every marketing channel to bring more leads, engagement, and conversions.
The deep links feature allows users to reach the in-app location directly or to be directed to the relevant app store, depending on their devices. For instance, sharing a shortened link through text or a DM would mitigate the unnecessary steps required. Thus, improving the user experience, increasing the chances of conversions, and increasing followers on your other socials.
As discussed in the above examples using a custom link can increase engagements. Research evidence supports these claims as shorter URLs receive 39% higher engagement than long URLs.
Whether you are an influencer or a brand, short links will help you generate more traffic, attract a higher following and ultimately increase overall engagement.
Easily Apply Redirection
Imagine you are running a social media marketing campaign and have forwarded a link to a big chunk of the audience. Then you realize it has a typo mistake. But unfortunately, you can’t go to every platform and change or delete the URL.
You can redirect that erroneous link to your profile or website, and the audience will directly land on it.
Retargeting is served to people who have already visited your website, prospective leads, or customers. For example, a link shortener offers retargeting that provides additional points of association with your brand or product, increasing the likelihood that those leads who know you will convert. With the ever-changing digital marketing landscape, the fight for the audience’s attention has to be won in quality and quantity.
Retargeting is a great way to stay in front of prospective clients and keep them aware of your brand such as facebook retargeting ads is a great example. It is a cost-effective technique to gain maximum ROI for every penny you spend on digital advertising. Last but not least, you can gain insight into where your prospected clients are being found after leaving your website. Comparing current and old retargeting campaigns will make a roadmap for future marketing campaigns to bring quality traffic to your website.
Replug.io is a cost-effective, feature-packed tool that helps optimize marketing campaigns and monitors and analyzes every interaction with your audience.
Branded links offer a consistent, trustworthy experience. Moreover, you can view all data on a simple dashboard. You can filter your data with keywords, sources, and channels to help you understand how your links perform.
Replug.io creates and tracks your offline campaign with customizable dynamic QR codes and offers much more.
Replug.io offers three affordable and efficient pricing plans:
Basic $19/month
Professional $49/month
Agency $79/month
RocketLink
RocketLink allows you to pass retargeting pixels through shortened links. You can enjoy link tracking features to retarget people who have clicked on your link. RocketLink allows you to use their or your domain for link tracking. Once you have created links, you analyze them. This is similar to any other link shortening platform. You can manage and create links effectively, shorten URLs, use a custom domain to improve UX, build trust and drive traffic to your website. You can track all links and clicks on a single dashboard and optimize your marketing effort.
It offers three pricing plans:
Liftoff $19/month
Space $29/month
Galaxy $69/month
PixelMe
PixelMe is another link management app for social marketers. With the help of PiexelMe, you can brand track and share URLs through this platform. It has retargeting pixels to track all leads who visited your website. It also has custom domains and sludge features, making it a reliable link shortening tool. In addition, it offers in-depth analytics and KPIs to track all leads and the progress of your links so far. It suits mega enterprises and small companies trying to build brand recognition.
PiexelMe offers three pricing plans:
Growth $99/month
Scale $149/month
Elite $249/month
SayHey
SayHey is a powerful but simple built-in editor to create beautiful landing pages. It allows you to share the story in your desired way. It is a user-friendly link shortener tool for creators and marketers that lets you connect with Instagram, Shopify, and many more. SayHey uses high premium quality converting landing pages to promote your campaign. It makes a custom page by adding visual arts, newsletter, and sign-up, and also integrates with Instagram, YouTube, MailChimp, and Shopify. In addition, it offers weekly and monthly analytics to better understand current and previous campaigns.
SayHey offers a free and pro-paid account starting from $10/month.
JotURL
JotURL is another link management tool to create deep links, pixels and branded links for marketing campaigns. Besides creating branded links, it monitors, analyzes, and is able to perform many other link-building functions. In addition, it can create a catchy call to action. It offers many functions within a unique and efficient tool. JotURL increases conversions, tracks revenues and engages prospects. It helps you attract, catch, and convert your clients. It tracks which events catch leads in order to expand your marketing reach.
The pricing plan starts from $55/month.
FAQS
Does Instagram allow short links?
Instagram allows only one active link in the bio section. But Instagram should allow adding short links in the regular post or at least in sponsored posts at additional costs. Short links become very helpful in digital marketing.
Why is my link not clickable on my Instagram bio?
The Instagram bio link isn’t clickable from mobile because the link is added in the bio field and not in the dedicated website field. To fix this problem, make sure you have an updated Instagram account version, put a link in the right section, and have a good internet connection.
Create Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram short URLs, bio links, track clicks and do much more with URL shorteners.
Khadija Anwar
I am Khadija Anwar, B2B Copywriter. I started my career as a freelance writer in 2019 and built a strong portfolio. I have crafted multiple blogs, website content, fashion magazines, news outlets, SEO content, and technical documentation. Last but not least, my favorite cartoon character is Dopey Dwarf, resembling my real-life character- calm, happy, and lively.
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