In this article I will share with you a method which we require while sharing links from affiliate programs or CPA platforms on any social media sites or website.
When you share links of third parties, you're are adviced not to share the direct link mainly because
These links are generally long url's with random numbers and characters. This may give search engines an impression that they may be spammy links.
Also if they include keywords which may be of sensitive nature or content it will force the social media engines to remove these links.
There is also another resaon that when you share links from third parties there may be chances of breach of copyright contracts to avoid these you can mask these links and perform the required action you are carrying out.
I am sharing five such tools known to be best in the market, which are free of cost and available online, which will shorten the url along with providing other features like analytics and bulk link shortening. You will have to bear in mind, since these are free tools there may be variations in the services from what is mentioned on the website. Below is a table which shows the major service differences with FREE Versions.
Let us begin with features of these tools :
Bitly : This website has been around for sometime now. This website projects itself as a link management system. It provides social media and omnichannel presence with its branded link management. URL tagging is also made available. You can also create customizable links. The links analytics and performance is available for 30 days with the free version. While free version of the tool provides around 1000 links per month, the upgraded version has some cool features too. There is also a provision for QR code creation and synching. User management and Bulk shortening using csv are available only for paid version. It also provides integrations with other apps and extensions. People say the links deactive after a while, this may not be consistent for all users, since I have used these links for 90 days and they work fine during this period. You can build security around links with 2 factor authentication. I have been using the free version and to be honest for basic marketing work even the free version is a complete package.
Tiny URL : This tool is webservive which has 3 domains for creating url also with free version you are allowed to use subdomains like "yourname.coffee.like". It also provides a feature to preview the URL before clicking by appending preview to the URL. With upgraded versions, you will be able to also map user regions. Though this webservice claims to provide unlimited link creation with clicks, it is observed there is a limit of few thousands which seems sufficient with free version, while bulk shortening is available only with upgraded versions. This tool considers URL to be active only if it has 3 or more clicks which is mainly considered for billing purposes. While link customization is available with free version, you will be allowed to tag group URL's with upgraded version of the tool.
Rebrandly : This is one of the services which provides destination URL editing and QR codes with free version. This service provides link retargeting with pixels/scripts directly from branded links on social media. It provides custom domains even with free version. The analytics is also one step further involving location and other factors providing customized reports. This tool also provide workspace and team management. It is a convenient tool for marketing teams with specific targets. This tool provides a way to control the presentation of content to users who view the URL when shared on social media. It is one of the adavnced URL shortening tools.
Cuttly : This tool provides bulk shortening upto 10 with free version. It is one of the shortening tools which provides A/B/C testing very much required for campaign analysis for marketers. This tool provides QR codes and UTM builder with free version. You can resest analytics on a link. API integration available with free version. Indepth analytic reports available with free version of the tool. The tool also allows team management with upgraded version with team size from 3 to 20. It allows password based links as well. It provides QR codes for bulk links with free version.
Linkly : This tool also provides addons with GoogleSheets, Firefox ,Chrome & Zapier. It has traffic splitting feature for spreading traffic between destinations. It also provides geotargeting and pixel retargeting. You can integrate google analytics with Google Analytics UTM Tag Builder. It also provides Platform targeting which targets by operationg system and device eg: iOS, Android, Windows, Linux or Mac. It also provides robot tracking and fraud detection. The free version provides 250 links with 1000 clicks per month. This tool is suitable for small businesses wanting to track theor online presence. No doubt it is an advanced tool but the documentation is not elaborate.
This article was meant to share my experience with these tools. If you find value with this content Please like and subscribe so that I can create more content of this sort in the future.
Wishing my readers Happy Reading!
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