One thing is for sure; a tiny URL is changing the game of sharing webpages. Not only do they look neat, but they also hold an endless capability that can help businesses elevate their leads for higher ROI. 

Yes, tiny URLs are becoming increasingly popular, but unluckily, many proprietors are still hesitant to incorporate tiny URLs in their marketing campaigns. Many still believe that altered links and link shortener is detrimental and may affect the success of some of their campaigns. For instance, many believe that including short links on emails affects the deliverability of the email. This can be true, but including short branded links are sure to resolve this issue. In addition, short links can give your marketing a new dimension that can help you level up your tactics. 

Short links may be short, but they are mighty. They are very powerful and help you make the most out of your marketing. 

In this article, we will walk you through how you can create a tiny URL. In addition, we will list the 5 best TinyURL alternatives for businesses. But before that, let’s have a closer look at what tiny URLs are and why they are so popular. Continue reading to learn more. 

What is a tiny URL?

An abbreviated URL link is referred to as a tiny URL. Tiny links are more straightforward to distribute and more visually appealing than lengthy URL slugs. Clients are more inclined to click on a short link that clearly expresses the information that can be found on the site, making them an excellent tool for marketers and customer care representatives in particular. Tiny links are easier to paste into conversations or emails and fit into character-limited social media posts.

Why Is Tiny URL so Popular?

Tiny URLs are getting more and more popular as time goes by. Many businesses are now seeing the value it can give them and incorporating links shorteners in the marketing. Here are some of the few reasons tiny URL and short links are so popular.

1. Tiny URLs enhance the deliverability of social media and emails adverts. 

Social media and email advertising constitute an effective marketing strategy. And you can further enhance the effectiveness and deliverability of these marketing approaches by using a tiny URL instead of your long and clanky URLs.

Short URLs are proven to achieve more engagement from consumers because they are branded, precise and individualized. Short URLs like "sport.link/sports-wear" will almost certainly capture the audience's attention.

In addition, short branded links promote sharing. Shorter branded links are more likely to be shared on social media since they are more decent in appearance compared to long links. Using short links in social media postings, adding a short branded link to an account description, sending a private message with a short link, and starting an advertising campaign are all instances of how you might utilize short links.

And as necessary, creating and using short brand links in email marketing is the best way to prevent emails from ending up in the spam trash. Spammers typically target generic domains, so email systems do not consider emails containing malicious domains or IP addresses. This is the leading cause why many businesses assume that short links are detrimental to email deliverability. While it can be true, you can also prevent it by using short links with a custom domain.

2. It helps you mask confidential data. 

Short links enable you to conceal information on long URLs that you do not want others to view. It may be an affiliate link that earns you a commission, or it could be a link containing Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) tags that allow you to track visitor activities.

The URL masking tool is helpful for link builders, but it may appear unusual to visitors because most spammers use disguised links. In this case, branded domains are indeed helpful. By spreading cloaked URLs, they increase a brand's confidence and trust.

3. They are trackable. 

Shorter links are more accessible to track than long and convoluted URLs. There is generally a built-in capacity for tracking short links in a URL shortener, so no further steps are required. Short link statistics contain the number of clicks, the date/time, the location, the most popular links, and the operating system used. Integrations with analytical services are available for individuals who want even more detailed information.

4. It helps you retarget specified interested demographics.

The concept of short link retargeting arose from a single action: viewing a short link. When a user clicks on a short link and then leaves a website without taking any action, they will be presented with advertisements that display the previously viewed short link. It is helpful when you have to get visitors to go back to your website. Users' browsers load a snippet of AdRoll/Facebook's JS every time they click on a link.

How to Create Tiny URL: Step by Step Guide

Creating tiny URLs is very straightforward. Here is your step-by-step guide on how you can transform your long link into a tiny URL. 

Step 1: Choose your Trusted Link Shortening 

You can use many link shortening services to create a tiny URL. Hence, it is crucial to select the exemplary service for you. You must consider many pivotal factors to ensure that the platform you will use can meet your marketing requirements. Here are some questions you may consider answering when assessing different link shortening services. 

• Can I customize my tiny links?
• Am I able to track my links using the platform?
• Do they offer extensions services for Zapier?
• Can I brand my links?
• Do they offer additional features that are valuable in my marketing campaigns?
• Are they affordable
• Can I shorten my links for free?

If you are in a bit of a hurry and cannot assess the services properly, you may want to try our blog about the best link shortening services.

Step 2: Paste your long link in the designated field

Once you already have a link shortening service, your next thing to do is copy your destination page’s link. All link shorteners provide a box to paste the long link you wish to shorten. This box appears on the top page of several websites, while others need you to create an account or login before accessing the shortener. Before shortening your link, you may also pick from various customization choices, such as creating a branded link that contains your custom domain rather than the shortener's domain or just attaching a custom link ending.

For instance, you will use the smartest link engagement platform, a.k.a. Hero.link; you should log in first on your account. Once logged in, you can paste your long link in the “Paste a long URL” field. You can also create a free account if you don’t have one. You can opt to continue using either your Google Account or Facebook account in signing up. 

If you get stuck at any stage throughout this procedure, you can always contact your link shortener or go through the site's Q&A page for help.

Step 3: Hit the shorten Button

There will be a button next to the “Paste Your Long Link” field that says something like "shorten" or "make tiny URL," which you should click to produce a tiny URL. Remember that this little link will redirect everyone who clicks on it to the same site as the original lengthy web address.

Step 4: Copy and Share your Tiny URL

Once the platform has generated short links, you can copy them to your clipboard and use them wherever you like. Other link shortening services also allow you to share your short link on your social media sites instantly. 

If you already have a link shortening service, chances are you will ask what else can they do for you and your business. If you think that shortening your links is the only thing they can do, you are entirely mistaken. Link shortening platforms can do more. Continue reading to find out the other things you can do with the link shortening service.

What More Can You Do Besides Shortening Your URLs

Link shortening services can offer you more than making your links tiny. They also come with handy features that can help you leverage your marketing strategies. Here are the other things besides shortening links that you can do with a link shortening service. 

Link Branding and Customization

No matter how long or short, every link is made up of three components: protocol, domain name, and path. While generic links utilize the name of the link shortening service you're using (for example, hero.link), branded links use a domain of your choice. Because you have control over your domain, you may design a domain that hints at your brand. Starbucks, for example, utilizes sbux.co as its domain, indicating to the audience that the link will take them to a Starbucks webpage.

Alongside creating a custom domain,  you can also alter the path or back half of your links. You may utilize a clear call-to-action path like /donate, /invest, or /avail-now, or you can employ keywords that will help people remember your links. This is really useful for offline promotion. Branded and personalized links are more accessible for people to enter into their web browsers; therefore, they are more likely to do so.

You may also change the course of your links to promote a new or current product. For example, suppose your company added a new function to its website. You may utilize the name of the new feature as the back half of your link to alert your audience to your new service or product. The same is true for your existing products and services.

Geotargeting

Geo-targeting is the technique of providing various promotional content to different audiences based on their location. It is frequently used in paid search advertising to market a service or business to a local prospect.

Geo-based short links are similar to other types of short links. They are, nonetheless, more beneficial than ordinary short URLs. Users might be sent to multiple landing pages based on their location.

Suppose you have a short link that you want to share on social media, but your landing page is location-specific. In that case, you may use geo-targeted links to route users to alternative landing pages that are available in their area. For example, the webpage you wish to share is only available in certain countries, excluding Canada. You may create a specific landing page for visitors from Canada by using geo-targeted links.

You don't need several social media identities for different world regions since your shared material is geo-targeted. As a result, you may avoid including a disclaimer in your postings indicating which locations specific websites are only available. Instead, you may detect problems with the location before posting and direct them to the best URL for them.

Device Targeting

Device targeting is essential for providing visitors with a more tailored experience. It gives you the ability to choose when, where, and on what device your adverts engage with clients depending on what is ideal for your company. It also enables you to customize a particular marketing technique or content for your visitors based on their device to view them.

Furthermore, device targeting allows you to target people that utilize a specific operating system. Visitors on a mobile device will be forwarded to a mobile-specific landing page, while iOS users will be directed to a separate landing page. Additionally, it enables you to run different promotional advertisements most suited for a particular platform. If you notice that mobile users are more likely to convert than desktop users, you may make bid changes for such campaigns or ad groups. You may also increase or decrease bids for individual devices.

Track Links

Services that generate short URLs also allow you to track your links and learn from the information collected. It is appropriate for many businesses since you can predict which marketing methods will generate more clicks and bring more referral traffic.

You may use link tracking in a variety of ways to improve the reach and efficacy of your marketing efforts. Here are a few examples of implementing a link monitoring program in your marketing.

In email marketing. Use link tracking in your email campaigns to monitor impressions, clickthroughs, and conversions to determine which campaigns are generating the most revenue. This is especially useful if you're sending out a large number of email promotions or testing numerous different variations of a message. Simply include the appropriate UTM parameters in your call-to-action URLs and email messages.

In offline marketing. If offline or "analog" marketing, such as direct mail, is part of your strategy, consider including a URL specific to that marketing activity in your offer or campaign. Use a separate landing page link (example.com/mailer) to track how many individuals saw the mailer. No UTM tags are necessary because all traffic is sent to a single page. If you use digital methods to direct users to the landing page, make sure the links are labeled with UTM tags so you can track the traffic.

In paid advertising. Make a point of keeping track of everything! Use a unique UTM tagged link for each of your multiple paid advertising channels and campaigns to make it easier to identify where your leads are originating from. Link tracking can assist you in determining which media channels produce the best ROI, which messaging and promotions perform best, and how to deploy your funds. Link monitoring may be the difference between success and failure for businesses that spend a significant portion of their marketing budget on paid media.

In an increasingly competitive industry, link tracking gives business owners a thorough attribution method that may help them make data-driven decisions and operate more efficiently and effectively. It also draws a clear link between specific marketing activity and its impact on its bottom line. Link monitoring provides quantifiable data that proprietors may use to manage resources better and increase revenue, which can be challenging to discover in marketing.

Link shortening services are robust and mighty. You are wrong if you think that only TinyURL can create tiny URLs. There are many more TinyURL alternatives that can give you the same capability. In fact, some of them can offer more. And perhaps, there is no danger with looking for other options. In the next section, we listed the 5 best Tiny URL alternatives for businesses. Read on to discover more link shortening services.

5 Best TinyURL Alternatives for Businesses

TinyURL is not your only option in making your links tiny. There are more link shortening platforms you can consider. Here are our five best alternatives to TinyURL. 

1. Bitly 

Bitly is the most popular TinyURL alternative. Bitly (formerly Bit.ly) is a link shortening service with a comprehensive dashboard that gives performance information for your links, such as click-through rates and channel statistics. It also shows the location of audiences who have followed the links you've provided.

You can also generate branded links with the application. It connects with social media management systems, allowing you to distribute your shortened links throughout your social media networks efficiently.

Compared to TinyURL, Bitly is better at meeting requirements and providing support to its users. However, Bitly is slower in achieving ROI compared to TinyURL. 

2. Hero.Link

If Bitly is the most popular, Hero.link is the smartest link engagement platform alternative for TinyURL. The platform is packed with link shortener features that allow you to leverage your marketing strategy, including click-through rate, social media statistics, and audience retargeting. In addition, Hero.link is also integrated with practical marketing linking services, including Bio Profiles and Qr Code Generator. 

Hero.link offers link engagement services that you can also enjoy using TinyURL. However, hero.link offers in-depth analytics to help you make data-driven decisions to optimize your marketing approaches. 

Compared to TinyURL, Hero.link features a dashboard that is easy to manage. In addition, the platform also allows you to achieve ROI faster. They also offer additional unique features, including QR code creation and customization and bio profiles, which are handy when it comes to marketing. You may also integrate the service to WordPress and Zapier. 

Hero.link is best for big and small enterprises. It also allows you to generate generic short links for free, which requires you to create a free account. Hero.link's subscription plans are extensive yet cost-effective.

3. Rebrandly

If you are looking for a link shortening service that allows you to brand your tiny URL for free, Rebrandly is the ideal platform for you. The service will custom tailor your domain to use in all your shortened links. Though it is free, please be mindful that the service is not unlimited, and you are only allowed to shorten a particular amount of links. Nonetheless, it is still a great option, especially for just starting businesses. 

Besides creating branded links, Rebrandly also offers various link management services you can access through their premium plans. Traffic routing and analytics are among the additional features they offer. 

Compared to TinyURL, using Rebrandly is easier and provides better service support. However, the [platform is also slower at achieving ROI. 

Rebrandly is best for small businesses that want to brand their tiny URL for free. 

4. Tiny.CC

Tiny.CC is a free TinyURL option. It also allows you to customize the back half of your tiny links, much like TinyURL. However, the links you will generate using their free service have an expiration. 

If you wish to create tiny URLs that are non-expiring, you may opt to be a premium subscriber. Besides non-expiring short links, you can also enjoy additional link management features such as analytics and branded links. 

Compared to TinyURL, Tiny.CC is more straightforward to use. In addition, it also provides better services. However, TinyURL is more efficient in achieving ROI. 

5. BL.INK

BL.INK is a sophisticated link shortening service. Instead of using random alphanumeric combinations as the path of your short links, it uses relevant terms. 

It also offers analytic reports that allow users to trace clicks by date, time, language, referrers, device, and location. You may also connect the platform to your tracking services, such as Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics. 

You can also use BL.INK to create custom short links for better branding, and you can check out the beta version of Smart Link to create highly targeted word-based URLs that will drive traffic to your site and increase conversions. User permissions may be easily configured to guarantee that only your team members can access your short URL generating tool.

Compared to TinyURL, BL.INK offers tiered pricing, which helps you save money since you only have to pay for what you have used. In addition, the service also offers a custom domain, Zapier integration, and branded links included.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the frequently asked questions about tiny URLs.

Are tiny URL generator platforms free to use?

Yes. There are a lot of link shortening services that allow you to generate Tiny URLs for free. Other services may require you to create a free account, but you will not be charged. 

Can I see who has clicked on my link?

Yes. Every click that your short links will generate will be traced and recorded. The link shortening platform is doing this automatically. However, you may be required to subscribe to their paid plans to access the analytics of your links. 
Another way you can determine the audience who clicked your links is by building UTM parameters. You can use Google Analytics to accomplish this quickly and for free.

How long do tiny URLs last?

The expiration of your tiny URLs depends on the link shortening service you are using. Some platforms provide you with short links that do not expire, while others allow you to put an expiration to the link you will generate. 

There are also link management platforms that offer links that do not have expiration but have click limits.

Is it safe to shorten a URL?

For website owners, it is safe to shorten URLs. It poses no harm to your website’s health. The only danger a short URL can pose is for the audience. Short links masked the destination page of the link. This is the reason why hackers and spammers love using link shortening services. If a user clicks a short link and is redirected to a malicious webpage, their security or device health could be at risk. 

What is a landing page?

A landing page refers to the standalone web page where users will be redirected when they click a link. It could be a page that contains your deals. It could also be a content page. In fact, you can regard everything on the internet as landing pages since they require a link to access them. 

What are short links used for?

Short links are initially meant for use in microblogging sites that only allow users to use a limited number of characters per post. And since links are typically long,  shortening the original link means a lot. However, as time went by, short links became more innovative and could be used in various ways. 

For instance, short links are becoming increasingly prominent in offline adverts as they are easy to type in web browsers, and people can remember them easily. In addition, they also allow marketers to track the [erformance of their campaigns which is pivotal in making data-driven decisions. 

Short links are now also widely used in campaign tryouts, as certain types of short links can redirect different clickers to different landing pages. This type of tiny URL is convenient when choosing the best marketing campaign to implement. 

Can I use UTM parameters with a URL shortener?

Of course. You may create and shorten Google Analytics UTM Campaign URLs by utilizing specific GA campaign properties such as Source, Medium, Name, Terms, and Content. UTM campaign parameters are simple tags that you add to a URL; when the link is clicked, the tags are returned to Google Analytics and recorded. You may use UTM parameters to tag your links to assess your campaigns’ efficacy and determine the most effective approaches to generate more traffic to your website.

Are tiny URLs bad for my SEO?

No. Tiny URLs do not have any adverse effect on your SEO. In fact, using tiny URLs can help you achieve a better SEO and a higher search engine ranking. It is because short links generate more clicks and send higher referral traffic to your website, which is a pivotal factor considered by search engines in ranking your website.

How do URL shorteners work?

URL shorteners provide you a short link that will redirect users to the same landing page of your initial long URL. The platform maintains the data in a table or hash map as key-value pairs, with the keys being the short URL and the values being the longer URL. So, when anyone clicks the short URL, the visitor will be redirected to the same landing page as the long links. 

Final Note

Tiny URLs are making their wave in the marketing industry, which is for an excellent reason. They can provide aid to businesses to increase their leads for higher revenue. They also enable businesses to learn more about their audience and consumers through URL shorteners’ link tracking analytics. In addition, it allows the campaigns to be fitted in most social networking sites, including offline and microblogging, which have been a problem for many content sharers for years. 

But here’s a fact; there are still more businesses that are yet to experience the power of tiny URLs in marketing. Suppose your business is one of them; there’s no need to look further than Hero.link. Hero.link is the smartest link engagement platform for businesses. They offer link shortening, branded links, CTA overlays, QR code generator, bio profiles, and more. We are glad to team up with you! Get Started today to learn more.