How to use the URL Shortener
Paste your long URL
Drop in the full destination address, including https://. Query strings and UTM parameters are preserved exactly as you pasted them.
Choose a custom ending, or skip it
Type the word you want after the slash to create a branded short link. Leave it blank and a short random code is generated instead.
Copy the link and share it
Your short link works immediately. Paste the same link back into the tool at any time to open its click statistics.
Why shorten a URL at all?
A raw campaign URL is often two hundred characters of tracking parameters. It wraps across three lines in an email, breaks when someone copies it out of a PDF, and looks untrustworthy in a social bio. A short link fixes all three problems at once while pointing at exactly the same destination.
The second reason is measurement. A short link sits between the click and the destination, which is the only place you can count clicks on a link posted somewhere you do not control - a podcast description, a printed flyer, someone else newsletter. Without it, that traffic arrives as "direct" and tells you nothing.
Custom short links people will actually click
Random codes work, but a custom ending does something a code cannot: it tells someone where they are going before they commit. A link ending in /spring-sale earns more clicks than the same link ending in /a7Fq2x, because the first one is a promise and the second one is a gamble.
Custom endings are also the practical way to run several campaigns at once. Give each channel its own ending and the statistics separate themselves without any extra tagging work - though if you want full campaign attribution in your analytics, build the destination with the UTM Builder first and shorten the result.
What the click tracker measures
Every short link records clicks over time, referrers, device types, browsers and countries. Bot traffic is separated out rather than quietly inflating your numbers, which matters more than it sounds: a link posted publicly can pick up a dozen automated fetches within minutes of being shared.
Unique visitors are counted using a hash that rotates daily, so repeat clicks are recognised within a day without any raw IP address ever being stored. You get the number you actually wanted - how many people, not how many requests - without holding personal data to get it.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this URL shortener really free?
- Yes. Shortening links, custom endings and the full click analytics are all free, with no account required and no trial that expires. An optional account exists only if you want your links synced across devices or an API key.
- Do short links expire?
- Short links do not expire on their own. You can set an expiry date yourself when you want one - useful for a limited-time offer - and you can disable a link at any time without deleting its statistics.
- Can I see the statistics for a link I made earlier?
- Yes. Paste the short link back into the tool and its statistics open, no login needed. Links you create are also remembered in your browser and listed under My stuff.
- Can I change where a short link points after sharing it?
- Yes. The destination can be edited after the link is published, which is the whole reason to use a short link on anything printed. Everyone who already has the link is sent to the new destination.
- Are shortened links safe to click?
- Links are screened, and anything flagged shows the visitor an interstitial page naming the destination in full before they continue rather than being blocked outright. You can also password-protect a link so only people with the password reach the destination.