Top 6 URL Shorteners for Affiliate Marketing

The link’s visual attractiveness is essential for the success of your affiliate marketing initiatives. It’s all about capturing users’ attention and leaving a mark. But how do you get a pretty URL? And the answer is here! It’s time to know all the secrets behind it – a good URL shortener. You’ll swiftly receive short, neat, unique and effective shortened links and observe their benefits for your business, regardless of the industry.

Let’s take a look at what is special about these instruments and what value they might add to your marketing activities. For one thing, they can enhance your website’s appearance and user experience, making it more appealing and user-friendly. Shorter URLs are also easier to share as links. Shorter and personalised links are much more pleasant for your client to look at and use.

The power of these tools goes beyond simple link management. Nowadays, when everyone is concerned about first impressions, selecting the ideal URL shortener could be the difference-maker that helps your company and affiliate programs perform better than the others.

In this article, you’ll have a chance to learn more about the specifics of how the top URL shorteners operate. We will also highlight their practical advantages and walk you through their hassle-free integration into your company.

What Is a URL Link Shortener?

Before reviewing the list of the best custom URL shorteners, let’s define a URL first. URL, which stands for uniform resource locator, is an address that allows your web browser to find specific files, images, web pages, and other online resources. It includes the following:

• Protocol –  hypertext (e.g., HTTP or HTTPS) that specifies data structure and transport.
• Domain name – website’s or server’s name (such as “google.com”) serves as its general address.
• Subdomain (like “support”)  – a section of a larger domain used to direct users to different web page areas.
• Top-level domain (TLD) –  the type of organisation or country associated with the website ( such as .com,.org, or.edu.)
• A path (like “/google-ads”)  – the indication of where a certain file or page on the website is located.

The primary components of a URL work together to pinpoint a resource’s precise location on the Internet:

Source: Ahrefs

All URL elements let browsers and users get to the contect they look for easily and efficiently.

But let’s focus on our main topic – URL shorteners. These affiliate marketing tools simplify long and complicated domain addresses into short and meaningful links. They basically build a shortened URL that points to the original, lengthier web address.

These services improve the memorability of websites at the same time. Advanced URL shorteners have several efficient features; the one that’s especially important is affiliate link tracking. Short URLs can be distributed across several marketing campaigns and sent via email, social media, and other digital media platforms.

One of the main benefits of URL-shortening techniques is their ability to track and evaluate link performance. These instruments create insightful analysis by allowing one to see audience participation and behaviour, including:

• Click-through values
• Geographic location of the visitors
• Resources for referrals

Developing and improving marketing plans and website content depend much on the gathered data. Good URL shorteners can open major branding possibilities. For instance, including particular names or keywords in the URL will instantly create sense of trust among users.

These instruments also help to improve website appearances by lowering visual clutter. Shorter, more simplified affiliate links allow users to navigate the website and inspire them to explore it more broadly.

A bespoke URL shortener is a customised link that lets businesses immediately include their brand identification in their web addresses.

Top custom URL shorteners not only cut links but also provide clients with a preview of their possible trip, so building a reliable relationship.

So, let’s summarise the significance of the best URL shorteners for affiliate links and highlight their primary advantages:

Link cloaking	Masking affiliate links to improve their look for potential clients.
Shareability	Boosting social networking as short URLs are more convenient to share online.
Link tracking	Receiving important data for affiliate marketers, including location, number of clicks, or device used.
Branding	Get better brand recognition by including your brand’s name or keywords in the link.

Before we start presenting the list of the top URL shortening tools, let’s check the 7 important points that are worth considering to improve your webpage design:

• Choose the URL shortener that allows personalisation.
• Look for a user-friendly interface for shortening URLs.
• Ensure that the branding of your website is reflected in abbreviated URLs
• Prefer a minimalistic URL design.
• Ensure that the URL shortener is responsive across all devices.
• Strategically position shortened URLs on your web page so that users can easily notice and use them.
• Prioritise reliable tools that guarantee privacy and data protection.

Top 6 URL Shorteners Most Popular for Affiliates

Let’s discuss how to simplify your life using the best URL shortener for Chrome, as the extensions can be easily added to the browser. Chrome Web Store is full of useful tools to reduce those monster links to something manageable.

Most people go directly to the major names, such as Bitly or TinyURL, with good reason. These extensions are great lifesavers for anyone conducting digital marketing, content sharing, or simply wanting to keep their links clean and neat.

Do you want to get started? Simply go to the Chrome Web Store and search for “Bitly URL shortener”.

What is the best part? Most of these are free url shorteners, that are simple to use, and may save you a lot of time and headaches. Whether you’re a marketing professional or just want to keep things organised, these URL shorteners are definitely worth checking out.

Bitly

Monthly Visits	Page Per Visit	Time On Site	Bounce Rate	Direct Traffic	Search Traffic	Paid Referral Traffic	Referral Traffic	Social Traffic	Mail Traffic
1,349,988,183	1	4	0.09	41.25%	30.52%	0.42%	11.11%	0.42%	16.27%

Bitly is one of the most efficient and popular paid URL shorteners. Its slogan – “Make every connection count” – says for itself, as Bitly helps to create shorter links, link-in-bio pages, and QR codes, supporting easy sharing via various channels.

Bitly provides a wide variety of services for both big and small companies. It cooperates with well-known companies such as Marriott Bonvoy, Novasol, and The New York Times.

Bitly helps you create and manage your brand effectively with links and QR codes. To get the most out of any piece of content when engaging your audience, try these features:

• Large-scale URL shortening
• Special linkages with brand elements.
• URL redirection
• Advanced analytics and tracking capabilities.

With an outstanding global client base of over 500,000 paying users, Bitly generates an astounding 256 million links and QR Codes per month, resulting in over 10 billion connections.

TinyURL

Monthly Visits	Page Per Visit	Time On Site	Bounce Rate	Direct Traffic	Search Traffic	Paid Referral Traffic	Referral Traffic	Social Traffic	Mail Traffic
64,121,613	2	37	0.7	50.76%	33.09%	0.28%	6.06%	0.29%	9.53%

TinyURL is the pioneer of the top URL shorteners. Marketers and companies actively use it to shorten links into dependable, compact URLs.

This popular software provides an excellent free URL shortener for complete link management, and the TinyURL premium account allows customers to create, supervise, monitor, and expand their businesses through campaigns of any size.

Easy sharing is one of the crucial features in marketing; with the help of the shortening tool, you’ll get a customised short URL that can be shared via different platforms. And the process is obvious: you can quickly shorten links by copying and pasting them into the tool.

Another outstanding feature of TinyURL is its user-friendly shortener dashboard that allows you to manage and use your affiliate links on different platforms, including social media and email marketing. The results are reliable, safe, and have no expiration date.

Rebrandly

Monthly Visits	Page Per Visit	Time On Site	Bounce Rate	Direct Traffic	Search Traffic	Paid Referral Traffic	Referral Traffic	Social Traffic	Mail Traffic
1,294,187	3	136	0.56	75.28%	10.44%	0.07%	11.12%	0.51%	2.58%

If you are searching for a dependable and all-encompassing solution for link management and branding on a large scale, Rebrandly will be your great pick. Focussing on customised solutions that easily interact with complex procedures in big teams, it is one of the top URL shorteners and especially a fantastic fit for big companies.
Rebrandly’s main advantages as the top URL shortener are:

• Deep linking and branded link management
• Effective retargeting of links
• Strong account management
• Bulk link creation and modification
• Simplified methods for traffic routing
• Using your logo to brand reports
• Management of domain names

Ow.ly

Monthly Visits	Page Per Visit	Time On Site	Bounce Rate	Direct Traffic	Search Traffic	Paid Referral Traffic	Referral Traffic	Social Traffic	Mail Traffic
3,064,349	1	23	0.88	36.24%	8.97%	8.97%	2.85%	0	51.59%

Another great representative is Ow.ly, a well-known and strong URL-shortening application for affiliate marketing originating from Hootsuite. You’ll definitely like its user-friendly interface. Once you add a link to the content box, Hootsuite will immediately prompt you to shorten it with Ow.ly and include tracking settings.

Hootsuite is a widely used comprehensive social media management platform. It helps you manage all your social accounts in one place, schedule messages in advance, follow important conversations, and use one of the best URL shorteners — Ow.ly.

With an effective URL shortener, you will not only get cleaner and easily manageable links, but you’ll also be able to track how many clicks they are getting.

Owl.ly offers the following capabilities:

• Drive traffic efficiently
• Better link aesthetics
• Higher tracking capabilities
• Efficient analysis
• Systematic link performance tracking
• Customised link  creation
• Integrating high-quality Bitly shorteners

With Ow.ly links in Hootsuite, you are sure to make smart decisions for your content and web tactics.

Tiny.cc

Monthly Visits	Page Per Visit	Time On Site	Bounce Rate	Direct Traffic	Search Traffic	Paid Referral Traffic	Referral Traffic	Social Traffic	Mail Traffic
3,257,1	1	48	0.68	62.91%	20.17%	0	3.69%	1.21%	12.03%

The next great tool on our list of the best URL shorteners is a versatile application, Tiny.cc. It’s an online service that supports optimal affiliate links that can be used for different platforms.

The main functions it includes are the following:

• Progressive click tracking
• AdvancedLink management technologies
• Customised URL options

Tiny.cc allows brands and affiliate marketers to update, delete, and manage their URLs easily, optimising the analytical data, such as click statistics and visitor insights.

Tiny.cc is an all-encompassing solution for companies, educational initiatives, and online marketing campaigns. The platform also offers extra utilities for cloaking links, custom domain design, and QR code integration.

BL.INK

Monthly Visits	Page Per Visit	Time On Site	Bounce Rate
58,911	4	161	0.34

Looking for a way to improve client trust and click-through rates? Integrate your brand’s name into shortened links utilising the BL.INK generator. Personalised and clear links can boost engagement throughout your efforts, including email, SMS, social media, and print ads.

Solopreneurs, advertisers, affiliate networks, and brands can greatly benefit from the URL shortener for affiliate links, which includes:

• Efficient management: Control, monitor, and access branded short links from multiple platforms and domains.
• Global impact: Every Coca-Cola product in North America includes a BL.INK QR code. Airbnb, Best Buy, Chevron, and Patagonia also use the company’s QR codes.
• Unmatched support: BL.INK provides exceptional support and functionality, with billions of short links and over 1000 customers.
• Seamless integration: The SaaS platform has evolved into one of the most advanced enterprise link management solutions available.

However, are URL shorteners safe? BL.INK and other tools on this ultimate list of URL shorteners guarantee the integrity of your dynamic links. Obviously, it adds another degree of security and confidence for your company.

Enhance Your Affiliate Marketing Campaigns With Comprehensive Solutions

Let’s be honest, affiliate marketing is not a walk in the park. Companies have to walk a tightrope here, being careful. While following tried-true techniques makes sense, you must ensure your marketing initiatives are truly successful.

Phonexa’s strong array of performance and partner marketing tools allows you to create campaigns that exactly fit your situation. The platform enables you to increase customer happiness, make sharp business decisions, and establish a flawless link between your clicks, calls, leads, and, finally, your bottom line.

Discover a flexible platform full of innovative ideas ready to change your approach to affiliate marketing:

Use the Benefits of the Best URL Shorteners

Remember the universal truth for affiliate marketers: never underestimate the power of the most powerful URL shorteners – they will help you reach your target audience and implement profitable online campaigns.

You’ll be able to simplify link exchange, boost user interaction, and expand your affiliate agreements. With the most popular URL shorteners, you may save time and money while outperforming competitors.

Use these popular tools to maximise your affiliate marketing potential and elevate your efforts with Phonexa.

Choose the best software package for your needs, or book a demo to learn how Phonexa may help you boost your affiliate marketing efforts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a URL link shortener?

A URL shortener is an instrument that converts large and complex URLs to shorter, more manageable ones. These applications use algorithms to generate unique, shortened copies of original URLs, making them easier to share and remember.

How does the best URL shortener work?

URL shorteners convert a large URL into a shorter one, rerouting consumers to the original URL. They generate distinct, abbreviated URLs by combining alphanumeric characters.

When a user taps on the shorter link, the URL shortening service recognises the request and seamlessly and almost instantaneously redirects the user to the appropriate destination.

What are the benefits of using the best URL shortener?

You will get the following advantages using online URL shorteners:

• Tracking and analysing options
• Easy sharing
• Brand representation
• Link cloaking and monitoring
• Enhanced website visual appeal

Which URL shortener is the best for affiliate marketing?

According to the frequency of use, we can distinguish several top URL shorteners that are most popular for affiliate campaigns:

• Bitly
• TinyURL
• Rebrandly
• Ow.ly
• Tiny.cc
• BL.INK