{"id":5546,"date":"2020-03-16T15:00:10","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/?p=5546"},"modified":"2021-01-19T22:39:01","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T21:39:01","slug":"how-to-create-short-urls-in-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-create-short-urls-in-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create Custom Shortlinks in WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of the first things people notice about your website is its URL. Despite this, URLs are often regarded as minuscule, insignificant, and are often treated as an afterthought. In reality though, choosing the right URL can play a significant role in your website\u2019s success. [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]The shorter the URL, the better<\/strong>. If you\u2019re thinking of launching your own website, this is one thing you should keep in mind. And it\u2019ll pay off, big time.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]In this guide we\u2019ll show you how to create custom short URLs<\/a> in WordPress. But, first things first. Let\u2019s start by highlighting all the benefits of using short URLs.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”68px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Why You Should Use Shortlinks in WordPress<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Using shortlinks a.k.a. shortened URLs has multiple advantages.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”72px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Brand Recognition<\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Shorter links are easier to remember<\/strong>. As such, they help raise brand recognition and awareness<\/strong>. For this reason, almost all large companies prefer to use so-called domain hacks on social media<\/strong>. A domain hack is when two or more words are combined (usually a brand name and a domain TLD), so that together they form a recognizable word or phrase<\/strong>. For instance, the domain hack for The New York Times is nyti.ms<\/em>, for YouTube is youtu.be<\/em>, Pepsi is using pep.si<\/em>, Facebook is going with fb.me<\/em>, and so on. Not only are their URLs already short enough, but they take things further by shortening them even more on social networks. As soon as we see these branded URLs, we recognize the company behind them, and that\u2019s what you want for your brand, too.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”81px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#f0f0f0″][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”top-picks-banner”][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#f0f0f0″][vc_empty_space height=”82px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Better Shareability<\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]If the link is too complicated and too long, no one will be really keen on pressing the Share<\/em> button. People care about what their profiles on social media look like, so the chances of posting a link that goes something like o.co\/cbnJUnMndjOI\/daskj97847 are really slim. Let\u2019s be honest. When we see a link like that, we\u2019ll probably think that it\u2019s spam, and we\u2019ll avoid clicking on it. But short, sensical URLs are a whole different story. They are a good thing for your business because they increase the chances of others sharing your content<\/strong>, so more people will become familiar with who you are and what you do. And that brings us to our third reason why short URLs are great for your website.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”72px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Increased CTR<\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]One of the most famous URL shorteners on the web is Bitly<\/a>. This website has conducted a study to find out whether people are more likely to click on branded links rather than on non-branded ones. The results showed that branded short URLs brought an increase of 34% in CTR<\/strong><\/a> (click-through rate). The research included the links shared both by the brands themselves and by their audiences. It is obvious that using branded links can help you achieve higher conversion rates, and increase user engagement<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”72px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Analytics<\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Most URL shortener services, besides shortening your link, can provide you with additional data and statistics, such as the total number of clicks, user\u2019s IP address, etc. By keeping an eye on the results and by getting to know who your audience is, you\u2019ll be able to tailor your marketing strategy better, which could ultimately bring you more business success.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]Now that we know just how big a difference a short URL can make, let\u2019s discover how to create them in WordPress. There are three ways we can go about that \u2013 by using plugins (we\u2019ll focus on the Pretty Links plugin), by using shortening websites, and by buying a short domain.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”68px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

How to Create a Custom Short URL With the Pretty Links Plugin<\/h2>\n

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\n \"Pretty <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Pretty Links<\/a> is an impressive WordPress plugin that lets you effortlessly shorten your URL inside of WordPress<\/strong>. With more than 200,000 downloads, this is one of the most popular plugins of its kind, which is why we decided to fully focus on it. You can download it for free, or buy a pro version<\/a>, which gives you a bit more options. There are three pricing plans available: for beginners ($99), marketers ($149), and super affiliates ($199). But, even if you decide to stick to the free version only, you\u2019ll still be able to shorten your URL and clean your affiliate links.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]Once you install and activate the plugin, go to Pretty Links > Add New<\/em>. Next you\u2019ll see three types of settings: basic, advanced, and pro.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
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\n \"Pretty <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]To get the pretty link, click on Basic Settings<\/strong><\/em>. Enter your target URL, set the pretty link, and add some notes if you like. There\u2019s also the option to choose the redirection type, and you can set a 301, 302, or 307 redirection. The latter is already set by default. When you\u2019re done adjusting the settings to your liking, press the Create<\/strong><\/em> button.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]In Advanced Settings<\/strong><\/em> you can decide whether you want to add a no follow<\/em> and sponsored<\/em> attributes to your link, as well as enable parameter forwarding<\/em>, and link tracking<\/em>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]To see how many people have clicked on your link, choose the Clicks<\/strong><\/em> option from the menu. You can customize the report by choosing the type of clicks you\u2019d like to keep track of (all or unique clicks), and you can also set the date range. The report also shows the user\u2019s IP address, timestamp, URI, referrer, and the link page title.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]As a pro user<\/strong> you can add categories and tags to your links<\/strong>, as well as get reports, set link expiration date, enable auto-link keywords, and much more.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”68px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Creating Short URLs Using Online Shortening Services<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The most popular websites for shortening URLs are Bitly<\/a> and TinyURL<\/a>. Let\u2019s see how each of them works.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”23px”]