Created on 25 March, 2021 | 2,067 views | 4 minutes read

Usage of Short Link

1. They make links more manageable

 

 

What is easier to share?

- This: https://hibio.link/page/usage-of-short-link - Or this: https://hibio.link/short

No, not all of the web's links are that messy. However, many links are long and wordy for SEO reasons. SEO, or search engine optimization, is about ranking higher in Google, and one of the factors Google and other search engines consider are keywords in the URL. This creates a conundrum for the user - the URLs help describe the content, but are lengthy and are not easy to share on emails, web pages, and especially social media services like Facebook and Twitter.

URL shorteners help solve the problem of making links more manageable to share. And certain services, such as ➡.ws allows users to add keywords to describe the link.

2. They can track and compile click data

One of the reasons that bit.ly has received so much attention lately is because of the comprehensive data Bitly provides in the form of live click data, geographic location, the webpage the link where the link was clicked, and more. This type of information is invaluable to webmasters and companies - it shows where customers are coming from, when they are coming, and what interests them.

This type of information helps companies develop better products and webmasters produce more targeted content. Detailed information makes the economy more efficient.

3. They can be transformed into social media services

There was a good piece on GigaOM that discussed how Bit.ly could launch its own version of Digg. While this may or may not be Bit.ly's eventual goal (just like Digg, a URL shortener could be gamed), it's clear that the data that URL shorteners can accumulate, coupled with the rise of short URL sharing on Twitter and other websites, could amount to some innovative social media services that display popular links, rank domains, and act as a filter or aggregate of social media content.

URL shorteners, in their own way, work as aggregates of information. This can lead to some useful mashups and innovations in how people share and digest content.

4. They can provide users useful features

 

Explanation of the DiggBar from Digg founder Kevin Rose on Vimeo.

A new URL shortener, Pagetweet, caught my eye. It's a little more complicated than other URL shorteners (I don't understand why it requires a security code), but when you look at an actual page via Pagetweet, it provides a user interface for sharing via social media, seeing the number of views, and more.

Because it's so easy for companies to enter this space, innovations are constantly being made that improve the user experience. Digg recently launched a DiggBar and Digg URL shortener, which provides information on the number of Diggs and comments any article has received. This is only the beginning.

Users also have a choice - they can follow links that will provide features, or simply choose ones with only the necessary functionality to get them to a web page. All in all, though, URL shorteners can improve the browsing experience.

5. They promote sharing

You can simply fit more links and content in less space with URL shorteners. A tweet can describe and then link to a webpage in under 140 characters, while a full URL might not even come with an explanation.

Even more important is the rise of mobile smartphones, texting, and mobile Internet - it's far easier to text in a short URL than a long one. As Twitter, social media, and mobile Internet become more popular, the need to make sharing web content easier will increase. Shorter URLs are becoming more and more integral to that cause.

Innovation in the world of URL shorteners:

 

 

Despite the useful qualities of URL shorteners, I still have reservations. As Schachter stated in his blog post on URL shorteners, a URL shortening service being hacked could instil havoc across the web: destroying links to websites or (worse) turning them into malware links. This and other possibilities are frightening, which is why entrepreneurs need to lead the way in creating new innovations to make URL shorteners faster, more secure, and more friendly to the users. It's clear that URL shorteners are here to stay: the challenge for the web community is to find ways to enjoy their benefits and protect against their downfalls.

Good news: innovation seems to be accelerating. Bit.ly recently raised approximately $2 million in venture funding, Digg just launched its URL shortener, and StumbleUpon is coming out with its own as well. But more innovations, in the form of WordPress plugins, shorteners not reliant on 3rd party redirects, and social media features, are needed if URL shorteners are to be a mainstay of the web. I predict that there will be a day when every domain has URL shortening capabilities, lessening the load on the web and DNS. And don't be surprised if Twitter comes out with a URL shortener of its own.

Do you have thoughts or predictions on URL shorteners? Want to share an innovative URL shortener? Let us know about them in the comments.

 

Full article credit to Mashable