The benefits of short URLs center on better display, branding, engagement and analytics. Also, a short URL supports online and offline marketing, improves analysis and enhances a company’s brand.
Better Display and Accessibility With Short URLs
- Shortened URLs provide the highly noticeable benefit of better display and accessibility. You give the users simple links of about 10 to 30 characters instead of complicated ones that are hard to read and break awkwardly.
Here’s a more detailed list of how short URLs help with display:
- Improved aesthetics: Long URLs can be unsightly and indecipherable because of sheer length, unique values and control characters. More streamlined URLs look better in social media, like Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
- Easier reading: Long URLs can fill your text with a dense mishmash of words and symbols. Also, they often break awkwardly, looking like a mistake.
- Simplified sharing: A shortened link is more accessible for your readers to click, copy, and share in their post, which can help your content gain organic exposure on social networks.
- Better Marketing and Analysis With Short URLs
- Short URLs enable better tracking and analysis behind the scenes, especially when using a paid service. Other benefits include better SEO and higher click-through rates.
More detailed marketing benefits of short URLs include:
- Link tracking and analysis: Most paid URL shortening services provide analytical data. By tracking link success, audience engagement is available for research, and strategies are adjusted as needed. Some services offer a breakdown of visitors by demographics, such as country or gender. You can also tell which social channels or posts drive the most clicks.
- Urchin Tracking Module (UTM): UTM tracking involves the addition of UTM codes to pinpoint where traffic originates. When you use UTMs correctly, it adds more specificity to your reporting. In addition, understanding the content that drives traffic helps improve audience targeting.
- Improved search engine rankings: The structure of your URL influences site rankings. For example, a target keyword in shortened URLs provides users and search engines clues to your page topic. Link metrics are as important as tracking comments, follows or likes.
- Higher click-through rate: People are familiar with and prefer shortened links on social media, and consequently, shortened links increase click-through rates. Changing to shorter links almost immediately reaps results.
- Better site structure: Simplifying URL structure makes site navigation and expansion much more manageable.
Brand Enhancement With Short URLs
- Short URLs can enhance your brand’s perception, engagement and user trust. On the other hand, long, complex links can look spammy or unprofessional.
More detailed brand benefits of short URLs include:
- More robust engagement: Your audience is more likely to engage with a shortened URL, especially one connected to your brand.
- Professionalism: Long URLs can seem messy or untidy and negatively impact visitors accustomed to cleaner, shortened links.
- More legitimacy: A shortened link matching other links on your brand’s digital marketing materials and social media lends more content authority.
- Branded links: Branded links can include a company name or evocative word that embodies what they stand for. Businesses use these links on social media, in SMS messages, at live events, and on printed materials, among many other ways to expand their brand’s reach.
- Greater user trust: A clean URL makes your site or social media feel more trustworthy and authoritative.
