Custom Short URLs

If you’re a regular Twitter user or engage in other social media, then you've no doubt seen shortened URLs, also called shortened hyperlinks or links. They save space, making them convenient for social media messages with character limits. Shortened URLs give you more room to express yourself in a condensed space. And, let’s admit it, they look much better than a link that sprawls across two or three lines of text.

For those who aren't familiar with shortened URLs, here is an example of one link shortened by five different services. Let’s take a look at the BBB’s Business Login located at https://www.bbb.org/boston/login/. When shortened by the following popular URL shorteners, the link becomes: 

• TinyURL.com: tinyurl.com/ng3x8ph
• Bit.ly: bit.ly/18pPms0
• Ow.ly: ow.ly/v3gX5
• Goo.gl: goo.gl/6Yq9R6
• Tiny.cc: tiny.cc/5qwddx

These custom short URLs are great for building your business and brand, which brings us to our next point; you can purchase a domain for your shortener. This is similar to finding a domain name service. It's important to note that the short domain name can only be used as a shortener. 

For example, BBB has the custom short URL, go.bbb.org. The previous example using the custom shortener would look like this, http://go.bbb.org/1dyuPGc.

Once you've purchased your new shortened URL, you can set it up with a service like bit.ly.