What is a URL Shortener?
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) shorteners are web services that take long website URL's--the "address," and compact thin into a URL with fewer characters. The advantage of a shortened URL is that it takes up less space regarding character count compared to a full-length URL. Many of these services are free, at absolutely no charge for anyone to use.
Why is a short URL necessary?
Using fewer characters is important when using text in a location where there's a limit on the character count, which occurs on social media sites like Twitter, with its 140 character count limit. Other types of forms and data fields have limits on the number of characters that can be entered and shortened URLs help by saving room for other text. Using the URL in the body of a message allows the author to link to a web page that the reader can click on to read more.
You've probably seen the effects of URL shorteners in your day-to-day life already, especially if you use web services that focus on brevity, like Twitter. Providing links to other websites can be an incredibly useful resource for sharing content with friends, coworkers, or a marketing audience.
URL shortening services provide easy, one-click convenience to change unwieldy addresses into a form that both you and your viewers will appreciate. With that said, let's explore the workings of these services a bit more.
What does it look like?
Let's use a URL shortening service to show you an example of what happens and how it works. To create a short URL go to tinurl.com and paste the full URL into the form on the site, then you'll see the new short URL which you can copy and paste.
Here's a URL for a page on Amazon which has accessories for Amazon devices like the Kindle. The original URL isn't too long compared to some URL addresses, but it's still long at 98 characters.
https://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Accessories-Electronics/b/ref=sv_devicesubnav_5?ie=UTF8&;node=370783011
The shortened URL created by tinyurl.com is only 26 characters.
How they work
Some of the best known and most widely used shorteners are bit.ly, tinyurl.com, and goo.gl, these and many others are free services, available for anyone to use simply by visiting the respective sites.
These sites take the address you provide, convert it into a unique URL that automatically leads to the website of your choice, and provides a shorter link that is much easier to manage. The reader clicks on the shorter link, which sends a message to the URL shortening service, which then sends the reader to the full URL. URL shortener services act as go-betweens.
As mentioned earlier, these services can be very useful for mediums where every character counts.
Examples of how you might use it
If you want to send a recipe you found on a website to a friend through a text message, the exact URL may be so long that it is broken up into multiple messages, making it difficult or useless if it's split across multiple text messages. A URL shortener can provide a much smaller link that works right the first time.
Looking to advertise a service or deal in the local paper or online on a site like Craigslist? A shortened URL that is easy to type into a browser may be the difference between people ignoring your ad versus seeing what you have to offer. Better yet, many shortening services can save your links for future use--which is great if you're a frequent sender.
While you can copy and paste a long URL into an email, if the reader needs to copy and paste that same long URL they might make a mistake and leave off a character, particularly on a smartphone where text fields are smaller than on a desktop. By giving them a short URL, it's easier to select the characters and paste them where needed.
Some additional features
Some sites can let you create a nickname your links, which can be useful if you want your viewers to know, in plain English, what they're getting. The form on tinyurl.com includes the option for creating a custom alias where you can customize the short URL link. By entering the name you want to use in the form field, you can create a short URL that explains the connection like this one, which makes it clear that the URL is for Amazon accessories:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/amazonaccessories
Some URL shortening services have optional services that allow a custom branded URL shortener so when you do use a short URL it includes your brand name in the address like these:
You can see that the benefit of a branded short URL is to create greater visibility and name recognition. Here are some services, some are free, and some paid:
To my way of thinking
Long URLs can cause a break in comprehension for a reader, take up too much space when fitting one into a form or data field, or cause mistakes when someone tries to copy and paste it from one location to another. By using a URL shortener, you can make life easier for yourself when trying to fit things into a tights space or for your readers.
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