Google’s URL shortener, Goo.gl will be no more after this year (2019) so here are the best alternatives available. But first, what are URL shorteners? These are digital tools which enable you to take a long link and create a new, shorter one that takes people to the same location.
Bitly
This is one of the most popular shortener tools available. Not only can it create shorter links, but can also help to optimize and keep track of link analytics. You can create a free account by logging in with a Gmail account, Facebook or Twitter.
Rebrandly
This is a URL shortener which focuses on customizing and branding short URLs. It helps you to set up a new domain to use for short URLs in minutes. It can also help you to set up your current website domain name to use with your short URLs. The free plan allows you to create and track up to 1,000 branded links, using up to five custom domains.
Bl.ink
This is a full-featured URL shortener service that you use it to not only shorten long URLs but also track the traffic coming from your links. Its dashboard shows trending links and general statistics, while the analytics page lets you dive into traffic by device, location, and referrers. Tags, which you can add to your shortened links, let you view your link traffic in new and custom ways.
Tiny URL
Using this URL shortener is pretty simple. Simply go to TinyURL.com and follow the instructions. You can quickly fill in the link you want a short URL for, as well as a custom alias. If no one uses your alias, the link you will get will look something like “tinyurl.com/alias.” Related Article: How to get a custom URL on YouTube
Ow.ly
This was developed by the social media management platform Hootsuite. It is included in every free Hootsuite account. With Ow.ly, you can distribute your links and track their performance metrics directly in the Hootsuite platform, which allows you to shorten every single link you post to all your social media profiles. It is best for anyone who already uses Hootsuite as their social media management platform.
T2M
Also known as T2Mio, T2M is a full-service URL shortener where you can see a dashboard of activity and other statistics for tracking URL traffic. It has two dashboards, one for geographic data and one for device and platform. When you place a URL, T2M also automatically generates a QR code. It also has a tool that helps you target specific geographic locations where you want your URLs to have an effect.
Is.gd
This is another simple and straight forward tool. You simply paste in the long URL, and it brings back a short URL. You can also add custom text to the short URL once created. Is.gd is meant to be simple, so you shouldn’t expect a strong dashboard or an account to manage.
Branch.io
This helps you optimize and shorten your mobile links for better accessibility. It is a handy shortening tool that also allows you to create deep-links, integration with other applications, and link tracking. All of these features come with the initial shortening tool, which makes it a quality set that helps make your mobile SEO more effective.
Bit.do
This is a simple yet powerful link shortening tool. In addition to easy link shortening, you can use the service with your own domain, customize the characters at the end of your links, get real-time statistics and even see which countries your clicks are coming from. You can use this tool with or without an account.
Buff.ly
The Buff.ly link shortener is a part of your dashboard of the Buffer social media management tool. You can quickly generate links and add tracking to any of your campaigns. One of the cool features with Buffer is that you are able to see when people are most active with your content. You can see what days and hours of the day where your link gets the most views and clicks in what countries. This makes it easier to customize content across all of your channels.
