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What exactly is shortening URLs?

by prasanth5
11 replies
Do you really benefit in Internet marketing by shortening URLs? What exactly is shortening a URL? Why you should do that? Should Internet marketers know how to shorten their affiliate URLs with precision?
#shortening #urls
  • Profile picture of the author masterjani
    There are many purpose, one simple purpose is to track the number of clicks and also give a small link rather than a big url.
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    • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
      Originally Posted by masterjani View Post

      There are many purpose, one simple purpose is to track the number of clicks and also give a small link rather than a big url.
      This is one good reason.

      When you're tracking referral data, your urls will appear quite long (as they carry querystring parameters)

      Shortened urls allow you to remove the noise and tidy them up a bit. They also help with sites like Twitter, where you're restricted to a certain character length.
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  • Profile picture of the author michaelplies
    it's mostly used to keep stats on traffic sources. also it's more appealing to the users instead of a super long affiliate link.

    i recommend bit.ly - they have a pretty good user friendly platform and you will be able to track the clicks and traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author TimHutch34
    "it's mostly used to keep stats on traffic sources"

    Exactly!...Like setting up redirects in your hosting account so you can keep track of what links are bringing you traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author smkmarketing
    good information to keep in mind.
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  • Profile picture of the author SergioFelix
    Hello Prasanth,

    It's exactly what it says, shortening a URL.

    What link do you think it looks best on your website?

    This one...
    "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307465357/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=marketingwithsergio-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creative ASIN=0307465357"
    ...or this one?
    "http://marketingwithsergio.com/4hww"
    Hint: they are exactly the same.

    Redirects.

    1. You can use redirects from any link directly from the cPanel's Redirect menu.

    2. You can use PHP redirects from your web server (normally seen on folder websites such as: recommends, go, get, likes, etc)

    3. You can use the free bit.ly service to create your custom cloaked links and track clicks (useful for social media shares).

    4. You can use a wordpress plugin such as Pretty Link Lite if you currently have a wordpress website.

    5. There are other paid services such as AdTrackz (recommended for tracking solo ads performance).

    6. You can also use Linktrackr if you want to have the most professional way and you can also get an exclusive domain name strictly for cloaking purposes.

    Hope this helps!

    Sergio
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    My Zero To Hero Marketing Blog
    MarketingWithSergio.com
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  • Profile picture of the author prasanth5
    As an Internet marketer am I supposed to learn the art of shortening URLs?
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  • Profile picture of the author tamalanwar
    There is a plugin in wordpress "Pretty Links" they will shorten/mask url's from your domain.

    So an affiliate link like:

    http:amazon.com/gp/product/0307465357/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=marketingwithsergio-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativ e

    will look like:

    http:yoursite.com/amazon

    This is easy to share, easy for people to remember and to click.

    I have my own branded short URL, that is bkori.com for my blog+business (blogkori.com and blogkoriacademy.com)
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    Tamal Anwar C.
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    into a fresh site of present time     Learn How
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  • Profile picture of the author edhuu
    it's to help you so you don't get confused with all that long url
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    #1 Reason Why Affiliate Marketers Are Broke
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  • Profile picture of the author zlee
    Some of the SEO WP plugins can handle some it as well (i.e. Yoast).
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  • Profile picture of the author leoj888
    shortening url service is easy to use and you can track the statistic about the click
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