All that exists around us, mundane or interesting, is run by data and computers nowadays. In such a world, the primary mode of information exchange is through websites, blogs, and applications. The best way to share these websites is by using their links, basically, a shortcut to access these sources of information.
But if these links are long and unappealing, it’s evident that people won’t click on them. Links should be short and tell precisely what the website is about. To know how to deal with this issue efficiently, keep on reading the article.
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What are URL shorteners?
What exactly are URL Shorteners? To put it simply, they perform one single task to shorten URLs. They are also called link shorteners. They take long links and modify them to make concise ones. These short links are produced to your choice, and you can enter the name of the domain and the required keyword.
Top URL shorteners in 2021
Here are the top URL shorteners that you can use in 2021 (in no specific order) –
1. Bitly
Bitly is a free URL shortener, compatible with almost all Google applications. This doesn’t just include Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Forms, and Slides, but also Instagram and Facebook. It is also recognized by various famous companies like Disney and ESPN.
It is a great option for shortening links, of course, but it also provides various other services. These include –
- It is a wonderful link management platform. That means it provides you with the ability to organize and manage your links at any scale.
- It helps you create a brand; it’s an experience, not just a software.
- It helps you create your own QR codes, redirect links, and helps you shorten links in bulk.
It is an amazing platform, especially for rising bloggers and companies. It is the best free URL shortener out there in the market.
2. Rebrandly
Rebrandly is an easy-to-use URL shortening software. It can be used with applications like Cognito forms, Airtable, Google Sheets, and Gmail and is absolutely free to use. It’s recognized by the United Nations and Cisco.
It provides various features like –
- It allows you to set up teams so that you can collectively access the brand link.
- It lets you manage several domain names for free.
- It lets you build and schedule custom reports based on the traffic you’re getting on your website.
- It redirects visitors to specific pages and mobile applications through those links.
Rebrandly has a very simple and friendly user interface. It is one of the best online URL shorteners. If you’re looking for a classy yet free-to-use and simple software, Rebrandly is definitely the way to go.
3. Chit Link
Chit Link is a premium URL shortening software. It provides its services at a very reasonable price for individuals. The software mentioned above have a small drawback, i.e., they leave a watermark in your shortened links. This is resolved when you use premium software; that’s why you should consider buying it.
It provides the following features –
- Although this software has a free version, it has multiple limitations. It restricts the users to 10,000 clicks and has advertisements involved.
- The premium versions offer two packages of Rs. 432 per month and Rs. 576 per month, with various perks.
- The package of Rs. 432 offers unlimited clicks, 200 custom splash pages and custom overlay pages, unlimited event tracking, geotargeting, device targeting, and other perks.
- The package of Rs. 576 offers an even better deal. All features are unlimited, and there are absolutely no advertisements. Getting the premium version obviously means that you won’t have to deal with the watermarks.
4. Short.io
Short.io is another premium link shortener. It is made for individuals, teams, and enterprises. The price for individuals is $20 per month and $200 per year. For teams, it is $50 and $500, respectively. Similarly, for enterprises, the cost is $150 and $1500, respectively.
Its key features include –
- Short.io provides a free trial, which does not have many features, but provides a basic idea of what this software includes.
- The premium individual offer entails various features like Link expiration, link cloaking, and password protection.
- The team package lets you have unlimited members in the team and up to 50 custom domains. Other features include region targeting and deep links.
- The enterprise package includes every feature Short.io can provide. Although it may seem a bit pricey for individuals, it is a steal for companies. Yearly subscriptions even have 17% off on the price.
5. MEAU
MEAU stands for Me App URL and is another free link shortener. It understands your needs at a personal level and provides you with features to make your life easy. It’s really easy to set up an account on their website; they claim it barely takes 4 minutes!
These are its salient features –
- It helps create a single link tree with multiple links. This helps you organize your social media links easily.
- It lets you design your link tree for ease of use.
- It lets you have expert advice on managing link trees and lets you pin the best ones. It provides an in-depth analysis of the link trees you create.
MEAU is best for those who have a big social media presence and want to expand their domains (pun intended) a bit.
6. TinyURL
You might have heard of this URL shortener if you have been using the internet for long enough. That’s because this software has been going strong since 2002 and not once waned in its fame. It can be used for free, although you need a premium version if you want to access all its features.
Some of its features are –
- Its subscription costs $9.99 per month, and it’s definitely worth it.
- It’s easy to use, just paste the link into the box and shorten the second part of the link.
- These shortened links can be used indefinitely from there on out.
- In case you buy the premium version, you can see the history of the links you have shortened.
- It also gives features like brand analysis, tracking and various analysis and you can make sure where the URLs go.
It’s a very convenient tool for anyone to use if they want to shorten URLs on a regular basis, it’s also good for those who want to do that professionally.
Conclusion
Link shortening is one of the most important things you need to do if you want to promote your brand via your website. This is so that the links look attractive and can generate a lot of clicks.
You can choose which one of the URL shorteners is the best URL shortener, but rest assured, each one of them is pretty good. The free URL shorteners provide a basic service, while the premium ones are meant for professional use. So, depending on how you want to use the software, you should consider investing in them; it will definitely take you a long way.
To conclude, URL shortening is a very important aspect of marketing that you cannot ignore if you want to establish a presence online. Use the software that suits your requirements the most and rock the internet!
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