12 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
12 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

URL Shortening Service?

by theemperor
10 replies
All,

I am toying with the idea of writing a URL Shortening Service, but with so many out there, I wanted to get a feel for what is important, and how I can differentiate.

So my question is do you use URL shortening, and if so, why did you choose the service you use today?

I use bit.ly/... myself but thats is because it is a short domain name, so the entire shortened link is better than say tinyurl.com/...

But other than pure shortness is there any other compelling reason to choose one service over another?

Thanks!
#service #shortening #url
  • Profile picture of the author WD Mino
    I use bit.ly myself I like it gives you the tracking stats for the ctr but it does not give you an average open for emails sent maybe you could write one that gives us the ability to not only track but "spy" on the percentage of emails getting opened as an added feature.

    hard to beat bit.ly with the short url but YOU CAN DO IT!
    -WD
    Signature

    "As a man thinks in his heart so is he-Proverbs 23:7"

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1550683].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author theemperor
      Originally Posted by WD Products View Post

      I use bit.ly myself I like it gives you the tracking stats for the ctr but it does not give you an average open for emails sent maybe you could write one that gives us the ability to not only track but "spy" on the percentage of emails getting opened as an added feature.

      hard to beat bit.ly with the short url but YOU CAN DO IT!
      -WD
      Thanks WD. Maybe great tracking is the big thing then?

      LOL I can get hold of a domain that is two characters shorter than bit.ly. Hence the question.
      Signature
      Learn to code faster, and remove the roadblocks. Get stuff done and shipped! PM me and I can help you with programming tutoring, specialising in Web and the following languages: Javascript ~ HTML ~ CSS ~ React ~ JQuery ~ Typescript ~ NodeJS ~ C#.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1550700].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mahesh2k
    May not be relevant to your expected question but i'm planning to install "yourls.org". Reason is i want to track stats and keep my links private. Instead of using external service i prefer to do it on my own.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1550722].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Eric Boo
      I'd think being able to track is very important.

      Perhaps having excellent reporting features will draw more people to use your service?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1550737].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author craigc1980
      Sounds like a good idea.

      I use su.pr.com

      I like this service because not only does it shorten the url to post on twitter but it also brings in extra traffic from stumble upon.

      If used right you can bring in tons of traffic.

      Good luck on your service

      Craig
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1550738].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Sumit Menon
    If you are trying to start one, here's a tip:

    There are a lot of .it and .in names that haven't been already taken, that can be branded.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1550773].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Steve Powers
    Sorry but I've never heard of such service.Would you mind giving some more details of the url shortening?I'm very interesting and I'll search it later.But still hope I can get some useful tip here.
    Signature
    HostEase Web Hosting
    20% for shared web hosting with coupon code "hostease"! $7.95 per domain with coupon code "695TLD"!
    99.9% Uptime Guarantee! 30 Day Money Back Guarantee! 24/7/365 Customer Support!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1550817].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author DWhyte
    I use cli.gs as they give you the geographical location of the click thru aswell as the site that refered.

    This is the only shortening service I have used.

    David
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1550874].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author pjCheviot
    Banned
    One of the problems with "third-party" url shorteners like this is - they obviously rely on that site being "up" at all times. OK for one or two links maybe.

    If you use this type of system for 100's of your affiliate links all over the internet and the service suddenly goes down . . . . . .

    I would much prefer a self hosted option to keep control of everything.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1550946].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author theemperor
      Thanks for your help.

      I have been thinking more and perhaps this should be a back-burner idea, something for later once I make solid money from the basic stuff. It wont be easy monitising this as many people just want a short url, not to pay for it and not to click any ads. Plus I will need a very good and expensive hosting service for this.

      However if any of you are interested PM me and I will tell you what the domain name is, for free . It is available to register, there are quite a few X.XX domains available.
      Signature
      Learn to code faster, and remove the roadblocks. Get stuff done and shipped! PM me and I can help you with programming tutoring, specialising in Web and the following languages: Javascript ~ HTML ~ CSS ~ React ~ JQuery ~ Typescript ~ NodeJS ~ C#.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1551223].message }}

Trending Topics