Ask Andy – “Why should I use a URL shortener?”
1. To shorten your long links, duh
There are several reasons to shorten long links – from Twitter’s character limit to email truncation. To ensure your links pass usability standards, formatting issues, truncation, and character limits – URL shorteners are a great resource.
2. Analytics
I admit it – I am a sucker for analytics and most of the best URL shorteners have these tracking features baked in. You can see how many people click on your URLs, usually with different reports and views – like traffic based on time among others. I love to measure reach and effectiveness of messages I broadcast and tracking clicks on links I share is critical. I also use URL shortening services in my email marketing campaigns to track clicks in emails. (Note: you can also do this using aWeber)
3. Hide Affiliate Links
Another popular use of URL shorteners is to mask affiliate links. I do this – but not for masking links. I use URL shorteners for my affiliate links so I can accomplish reason #2 – analytics. By using these services I can gauge the effectiveness of different affiliate links based on the content to help determine if the affiliate is a good match for my readers or community.
What services do we recommend?
Well, right now we are really liking Zi.ma because it offers tracking, deletion, and twitter services. We are also digging TweetBurner for those of you interested in great Twitter integration, analytics, and dead simple usage…
If you want to know more about specific URL shortening services, please see the URL Shortener wiki I have started. If you have used any of the services listed, please leave your review. If you know of any other services, feel free to add to the wiki (note: entries must be approved).
Other URL Shortening Resources
SEOMoz – The Benefits and Pitfalls of URL Shorteners
What other uses do you have for URL shorteners? Let us know in the comments…
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