{"id":43613,"date":"2023-09-14T15:00:13","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T13:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/?p=43613"},"modified":"2023-10-18T12:15:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T10:15:10","slug":"best-wordpress-url-shorteners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/best-wordpress-url-shorteners\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Best URL Shorteners for Tracking Links in WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Best practices (and personal experience) tell us that URLs should be as short as possible. But you can\u2019t always make them short. The protocol, the domain name and the path to the web page – these are the essential parts of an URL, and not all of them can be changed. The domain name is what it is, and can\u2019t be changed for URL purposes, otherwise the link wouldn\u2019t work. It\u2019s not always possible to make the path very short either, since it needs to contain a brief info of what the page is about. In fact, creating an URL with an SEO-friendly structure<\/a> is an important part of the SEO set of techniques and practices.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]So, creating a short URL just for the sake of shortness is probably not a very good idea. Fortunately, there are ways to make a URL shorter or to cloak it (even with branded words, if that\u2019s what you need) while keeping the structure intact for the search engines to index, and to help you track link clicks at the same time.
\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”80px”][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”new-seo-banner”][vc_empty_space height=”80px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

What Are URL Shorteners and How Do They Work?<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]A WordPress URL shortener (or any other shortener, for that matter) follows a quite simple concept: they are tools that change or mask your URL and make it shorter. The resulting short URL appears completely different, but it still takes the visitors to your page. The URL shorteners work by creating a redirect, basically a 301 redirect<\/a>. The new, short link redirects users to the original long link.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]URL shorteners are useful for when you don\u2019t want to display the actual URL for whatever reason. Most commonly, it\u2019s because the link is too long, and it\u2019s not convenient for social media sharing<\/strong>, where the character count is usually limited and you want to save as much space as possible.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]URL shorteners are also commonly used to mask affiliate links and make them more natural and appealing.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]In addition to shortening the URL, many of the WordPress URL shorteners also provide insights about the clicks<\/strong> on the link and other data. Some do it within your own WordPress dashboard, and some have their own admin area where you can track the clicks.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]We have a full guide on creating WordPress shortlinks<\/a> where you can see some of the best tools in action. And to help you pick the best shortener for your needs, we\u2019ve made a short list of our favorite shorteners:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22px”]