8 Tips to Understand What a Short Link Is?
Ever since Google shut down its URL Shortener services in March 2019, website owners have been struggling to find the best option to create a short link.
If you have a website with a long URL, you need to shrink the URL to make it more effective when marketing. A short link is very helpful for all kind of business websites that seek to expand their online reach.
What is a short link?
A short link is the result of the URL shortening technique, which aims at reducing the length of the URL. For example, if you have a Facebook page with a long URL, you can use a Facebook URL shortener to have a sizeable unique link that leads your viewers to the same page.
When viewers click on your short link, they will be redirected to your website page. Not only does a tiny URL look presentable but also allows you have your brand name included in the link.
8 Tips that You Must Consider When Creating Short Links
You must consider the following tips when creating short links for your website.
1. Include your brand name in the link
One of the things that you should not forget when creating short links is including your brand name on the link. The domain is the first part of your link. Many people assume that their brand names appear on the short links they have created.
However, when you are using online tools to create short links, some may not put your brand name automatically. You need to use a custom URL shortener to add your brand name. There are lots of opportunities that you will be missing if you do not include your brand name on the link.
According to online data metrics, branded links that have brand names included on the short URL have higher chances of increasing conversion rates. Therefore, tap into this opportunity to make the best of the short links you are creating for your web pages.
2. Use a unique Top Level Domain
After the domain, the Top-Level Domain (TLD) is the next key element needed for an effective short link. Perfect examples of a TLD is .com, .org and .net. These examples represent conventional TLDs.
Whilst there is no problem with using the traditional TLDs, you may want to take advantage of the new TLDs that can help your short link stand out from the rest. For example, if you are creating short links that end on an e-commerce store, you can have your TLD as .store. This makes it relevant to your intended customer base.
3. Always include a keyword
The URL slug is the last part of your link. This part comes after the slash. Adding a keyword to the URL is one of the most effective ways of making your link reach a more targeted audience. However, some online tools do not allow users to add custom keywords to short links.
Therefore, you need the best URL shortener that has the option of custom short links. This way, you can manipulate your domain and include a keyword. Ensure that the keyword chosen is unique.
4. Have a considerable length for your link
One of the most important tips that marketers often forget is reducing the size of their short links. The shorter the link, the better it is. Do not be tempted to include too many words in your link as it reduces the readability of your link. Viewers of webpages less often click on links that have many words.
Therefore, you must be very calculative when adding a brand name and keyword to your short link.
5. Use https:// before your links
When you add the https:// at the beginning of your short link, you increase your chances of getting more clicks. It clearly shows that the site is secure and users can easily get in without having to worry about their security.
Apart from assuring potential viewers of their security, it also helps to boost your search engine optimization. In 2015, Google announced that it will rank a site with https:// ahead of one without for the same keyword.
6. Capitalize the first letter
Human beings are likely to comprehend a link with a capitalized first letter for each word. People are likely to click on a link if they can comprehend what the link has.
Using an example can well illustrate the importance of capitalizing the first letters. Look at the following two short links: consumerreportupdate.store/new-offers-this-month and ConsumerReportUpdate.Store/New-Offers-This-Month.
Between the two short links, you are likely to click on the second link because you can process information quicker than the first one yet they are all the same. Therefore, you should add capital letters and hyphens if you want to increase traffic to your site.
7. Keep your word
You can have a creative and effective short link but fail to turn your viewers into customers because you do not keep your word. You must understand that there is a need to give an accurate idea of what you are offering using your short link.
When your viewers get to your webpage, they should find exactly what you advertised using your short link. This will boost your credibility and get more returning customers. Otherwise, if they keep on finding unrelated content, they will flag your short links as irrelevant and won't appear on top search engines.
8. Make them memorable
The short links that you are creating should be memorable to your intended audience. The consumer market needs to talk about your short link if it is to sell. Don't think of this tip as a quest to have a cool short link but rather a quest for an effective short link that gets you more viewers.
These tips give you an idea of what short links are and how to make them effective. Remember, small URLs are your pathway to great online business success, thus, the importance of adhering to these tips to make the best out of your marketing campaigns.
