The Redirect Risk
URL shortening companies use 301 redirects, which send your customers through their platform to eventually land on your content. While there has been a concern that using URL shorteners may cause PageRank dilution, Google Webmasters said that “if we see that 301, that will pass PageRank along to the final destination… as they relate to SEO… the vast majority of well-behaved URL shorteners have good uptime and also pass PageRank and anchor text because they use a 301 redirect.”
Use Reputable Companies
Make sure to send your campaign through reputable and established URL shortener companies. Bit.ly, Ow.ly , and Google’s new Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL) that will be replacing Goo.gl short links on April 13th, are all trusted brands by customers and reduce service provider risk. With an increased risk of cyber attacks, customers are more cautious about clicking on links that aren’t attached to reputable domains. “You also don’t want to make the mistake of using short URL’s and then landing people on unrelated content, (which can sometimes even be a home page), because if it’s not relevant to where the short link came from and topic, your bounce rates go up, and your time-on-site metrics go down – this can lead to a negative effect on rankings.”
Customize Your Shortener
Another tactic businesses are using to build online trust and brand equity is to create their own branded shortened URL.
Compare Your Efforts
With any URL shortener solution, take advantage of their free analytic service to help track clicks, referrers, conversions, reach, social sharing, etc. You can test the campaign with multiple link shorteners and discover which platform works the best and adjust accordingly. “Seeing the data allows you to begin executing some simple tests, trying different messages and seeing what works. Those little ‘wins’ add up over time, and sometimes you get lucky and your content really connects with readers.”
The Ugly Link
So when is it best to use a URL shortener for campaigns? According to our experts, it’s when you need to improve the aesthetics and user experience. Shorter URLs also work well on print campaigns.
Final Thoughts
Other tips to using URL shorteners include:
I’d also recommend reusing the same shortened URL each time that URL is reshared to keep all of your click and conversion metrics tied to the same referral source. – McLaughlinClean up long URLs on social media and emails – DeMarProvide valuable and engaging content to land on – DeMarKeeping the number of moving parts (redirects) to a minimum is always the safest bet – SalminenThere’s always a service provider risk associated with URL shorteners. That is why I would stress the importance of using reliable URL shorteners. – Salminen
Read more about building your brand online on TechCo This article was brought to you in partnership with .ME, the premium top-level domain for professionals focused on building their online reputation. Learn more at www.domain.me. Download this free guide on How to Start a Blog. *Google will be shutting down their URL shortener service and replace it with Firebase Dynamic Links as of April 13th. Current users can still access their short links via goo.gl console. This article has been updated to reflect changes with the Google URL shortener service.
