#short-links — Why short links matter, how branded ones outperform generic shorteners, and what happens when the platform you depend on disappears
5 posts tagged #short-links.
A short link is a 302 redirect with a short URL. Trivial technology. The decisions around it are not.
Should the link live on a generic shortener (bit.ly/abc) or your own domain (yourbrand.com/spring)? Published case studies put the click-through-rate lift at 25-40% for branded — measurable revenue in any campaign with volume. Should you self-host the redirect or use a SaaS? Depends on your scale, your print exposure, and how willing you are to operate a server. What happens when the platform you've trusted with five years of links shuts down?
These posts cover all of it. The mechanics of short-link platforms (DNS, redirect server, rule database). The CTR math for when branded pays back the setup cost. The four levels of "owning your link infrastructure" — from "everything is theirs" to "everything is yours" — and which level fits your situation. The white-label angle for agencies running short-link products under their own brand.
If you're picking a short-link platform, evaluating whether to migrate, or thinking about how to make your link strategy survive a vendor outage, start here.
Why you should own your link infrastructure
Every link you've shared is a bet on a redirect host staying up. When that host goes away, the bet pays out badly. Here's what owning the layer underneath looks like.
Branded short links — why your domain beats bit.ly
A short link on your own domain looks different, performs different, and ages different. The reasons matter more than they sound on paper.
White-label short link software — what to pick
A short-link service under your own domain looks simple but the picking criteria are non-obvious. Here's the checklist that actually matters before you commit.
URL QR codes vs short-link QR codes — what changes
A QR code that encodes a long URL works but ages badly. A short link inside the QR is sparse, brand-friendly, and editable later. Here's what changes.
Static vs dynamic QR codes — when to use which
Static QR codes are permanent and free; dynamic QR codes route through a short link you can repoint and track. Here's the trade-off, and which one belongs on which print job.