A link shortener is a web-based service that creates shorter links for websites, social media posts, and other online marketing materials. These services help businesses optimize their branding, keep track of link analytics, and ensure their links are working properly. They also help small businesses and individuals save time, money, and effort when creating, sharing, and managing their links.

Many online shortening services offer free plans that allow users to create, share and track their links for personal use. They may also include basic marketing and click tracking tools that enable users to understand the performance of their campaigns on social media, search engines, and email marketing platforms.

The most popular online shortening service is Bitly, which provides a comprehensive business-grade solution for brand-oriented link management and marketing. It offers a variety of features, including an integrated dashboard for tracking link performance and a QR code generator. It also helps businesses optimize their brand and boost customer experience by allowing them to customize the end of the shortened link with their name, logo, or other information.

Other popular online shortening services include TLinky and Rebrandly. Both provide customizable link aliases and tracking tools for analyzing link performance. They also offer a variety of features, such as social media integration, email integration, and API access. They are able to provide detailed analytics on the number of clicks, geographic location, and devices used by users for a specific link, which can be useful for understanding campaign performance. link shorteners