Using Link Shorteners That seems like an overpowering list of reasons to not use a link shortener, but is it? In 2011, the bit.ly address was set to redirect to bitly.com.[clarification needed] The .ly TLD is controlled by the Libyan government, which has previously removed one domain deemed incompatible with Muslim law.[12] Any shortened URL generated with bitly can also be accessed by replacing that domain with any one of the following: bitly.com j.mp (registered to bitly, and using the top-level domain of the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth of the United States). We want tracking to work everywhere so I recommend using a library with robust cross-browser event handling. You'll also get detailed statistics for every link when you sign up for an account, and you're paid via PayPal for payouts as low as $5. More » Bit.do Bit.do is another great alternative that's both simple and powerful. If you notice a difference in how links perform against each other, you may decide to change how your emails are laid out, or you may start to pay more attention to which pictures or phrases you use.
Adding tracking directly to your site If you have added the Analytics tracking code directly to your site, you can copy and paste the script below into your own pages to set up Event tracking for outbound links. In addition to using bit.ly as a tool integrated into third-party tools you can also use it directly at the bit.ly website. With most shortened URLs, you have no idea what website the link is really associated with. The distributed link tracking service also attempts to maintain links in the preceding situations even when they do not occur within a domain, that is, they are cross domain or within a workgroup. Shortcomings[edit] Short URLs often circumvent the intended use of top-level domains for indicating the country of origin; domain registration in many countries requires proof of physical presence within that country, although a redirected URL has no such guarantee. It’s a good way to package up multiple links into one link.
This is something you’ll often hear from link shortener detractors. And http:// www.tiny.cc is not a required format because the tiny.cc site happens to be configured without a subdomain (www. was made optional). is shorter and boiled down to only the required parts that make a URL functional: protocol + domain + top level domain (http:// + tiny + .cc). Use this example as a model for your own links: Check out example.com Analytics Events Was this article helpful? Alternate and Custom Domains Do you love our service, but hate our domain name? All links will automatically be rewritten when they are included in your emails, wrapped in a unique tracking URL that uses the Link Domain you have set on your Settings Page. To activate link tracking for a given template or campaign, within its settings, simply ensure that the Link Tracking option is set to Yes. We recommend turning on link tracking; if link tracking is disabled, the attribution described above will not function.
Tracking ID You can either manually type your unique Google Analytics ID into this field (ex: UA-########-1) or use a convenient macro that plugs this in for you. Undo Undo Shorten URL @ShortenURL 3 Jul 2011 More Statistics for Sunday, July 3, 2011 Thanks.
NOTE: Google Analytics also provides an HTML tracking code that you can copy and paste into the code for specific web pages (like your personal website) to track pageviews. If you are using WordPress, you can take advantage of the default permalink structure to shorten URLs. Tracker ID The tracker ID is the six-character code after the domain, but before the query string. In April 2009, TinyURL was reported to be blocked in Saudi Arabia.[27] Yahoo! Add them with a slash before the URL in your address bar, and you're good to go. If you need assistance with your account, please contact our support team.Track outbound links Find out when users click a link to leave your site. Whatever URL shortening service you use, you should probably read through their help to determine whether they also make their links permanent. Creating a shortened page slug is simple in WordPress.