Are you searching for a solution to shorten your WordPress web site hyperlinks so you may observe clicks once they’re shared?
In case you have lengthy and unreadable URLs in your web site, then a URL shortener can scale back them to a couple characters. This makes it simpler to share them on any platform. You can too observe what number of occasions they’re clicked and extra.
On this article, we are going to present you the most effective URL shorteners for WordPress to trace hyperlinks.
What’s a URL Shortener and Why Use It on Your Website?
A URL shortener is a instrument that helps convert lengthy WordPress web site hyperlinks into brief and shareable hyperlinks. It simplifies advanced URLs which might be onerous to learn by decreasing a couple of characters and turning them into small hyperlinks.
When a person clicks the shortened URL, they’re redirected to the right web page. They use 301 redirects, which inform engines like google that the hyperlink is everlasting and never going anyplace. Utilizing a 301 doesn’t have an effect on your WordPress web optimization.
Brief URLs are actually helpful for sharing content material on social media. Some social media platforms like Twitter supply a restricted variety of characters that you need to use. In case you have a prolonged hyperlink, then it might take up lots of area.
Utilizing a shortened URL helps save useful character area that you need to use to put in writing compelling copy, get extra clicks, and enhance engagement. For instance, on WPBeginner we use a customized brief URL to share content material on Twitter.
Moreover that, you need to use URL shorteners to transform affiliate hyperlinks into extra readable hyperlinks.
Affiliate hyperlinks are often prolonged, onerous to recollect, and comprise your affiliate ID or username. This makes them advanced, and it seems one thing like this:
https://www.myaffiliatesite.com/merchandise/?product_id=12345&affiliate=123345623456
You’ll be able to convert them into shareable and branded hyperlinks utilizing a URL shortener. Some instruments even allow you to cloak affiliate hyperlinks and make them look extra skilled, like:
https://wpbeginner.com/refer/productname
The most effective half about utilizing URL shortener instruments is that in addition they observe the variety of clicks. This manner, you may see which hyperlink will get probably the most clicks.
That stated, let’s take a look at among the greatest URL shorteners to your WordPress web site.
1. Fairly Hyperlinks
Fairly Hyperlinks is the most effective WordPress URL shortener plugin and the preferred affiliate hyperlink administration instrument. It helps shrink lengthy and sophisticated hyperlinks into shortened URLs together with your model title.
You need to use the plugin for hyperlinks exterior your web site. For example, you’ll be capable of cloak affiliate hyperlinks and switch them into readable URLs. This makes it an amazing instrument for creating shareable hyperlinks for various platforms, like social media.
When shortening a URL, Fairly Hyperlinks offers a number of choices for redirection. You’ll be able to choose 302 and 307 short-term redirects, 301 everlasting redirects, and extra.
Utilizing Fairly Hyperlinks, you may handle all of your shortened URLs from the WordPress dashboard. Within the premium model, there are alternatives to group hyperlinks into classes and tags.
The plugin provides different options as effectively, like an auto-linking function. You’ll be able to add affiliate hyperlinks for sure key phrases and the plugin will robotically insert them within the content material.
Fairly Hyperlinks additionally helps observe the variety of clicks for every shortened URL. It reveals a report contained in the WordPress dashboard, displaying the browser, working system, timestamp, host, URI, and different information for every hyperlink.
Aside from that, the plugin additionally integrates with MonsterInsights. You’ll be able to observe affiliate hyperlink clicks in Google Analytics and higher perceive your customers’ habits.
Advisable For: Fairly Hyperlinks is the most effective instrument for anybody searching for a whole hyperlink administration resolution for his or her WordPress website. You’ll be able to simply handle affiliate hyperlinks, cloak and model them, shorten any URL in your website, and observe hyperlink clicks.
Professionals:
Newbie-friendly plugin for creating customized hyperlinks
Simply handle and arrange your URLs from the WordPress dashboard
Cloaks advanced associates hyperlinks
Use the auto-linking function to robotically add hyperlinks to particular key phrases
Presents social sharing buttons to simply share brief hyperlinks
Seamless integration with different plugins like MonsterInsights
Cons:
It doesn’t supply an computerized hyperlink uncloaking function for Amazon
You can not test if a hyperlink is damaged earlier than publishing it
Pricing: Fairly Hyperlinks premium model costs begin from $99.50 per yr. Nevertheless, there’s additionally a free model of Fairly Hyperlinks you need to use to get began.
2. Bitly
Bitly is without doubt one of the hottest URL shorteners out there. It helps you create brief hyperlinks, QR codes, and link-in-bio pages. The instrument could be very straightforward to make use of, and also you get began totally free.
To shorten a URL, merely enter the hyperlink, and Bitly will create a brief hyperlink for you. Within the free model, you’ll get a URL with a ‘bit.ly’ area title, and it’ll appear to be this: https://bit.ly/3YqTCEH.
In case you improve to the premium model, you then add a customized area and take away Bitly branding from the hyperlinks. At WPBeginner, we additionally use Bitly to create customized brief URLs for our website.
Bitly makes it very straightforward to trace particular person hyperlinks and get analytics inside your account dashboard. For example, the instrument will present the hyperlink clicks, the expertise utilized by your customers to click on on the brief URL, and the placement from the place you get probably the most clicks.
There may be additionally provides Bitly’s WordPress plugin. It’s a free plugin that allows you to shorten a hyperlink for chosen publish sorts. You can too view the variety of clicks out of your dashboard for every shortened URL.
Advisable For: Bitly is ideal totally free customers who need to give link-shortening a strive, in addition to enterprises that desire a strong link-shortening and monitoring instrument. You’ll be able to simply create brief hyperlinks and QR codes for your corporation. Plus, it provides detailed analytics and stories for hyperlink clicks, QR code scans, country-level information, and extra.
Professionals:
Create brief and customized hyperlinks in a couple of clicks
View hyperlink click on stories out of your Bitly account dashboard
Presents a free WordPress plugin
Enables you to create QR codes for hyperlinks
Presents 1 link-in bio web page function
You’ll be able to join a customized area with Bitly
Cons:
The free model has restricted options
It makes use of Bitly branding in brief hyperlinks within the free plan
You can not schedule or auto-link URLs to key phrases
Pricing: Bitly provides a free model that allows you to create 10 brief hyperlinks and QR codes per 30 days. Nevertheless, there are paid plans that begin from $8 per 30 days.
3. ThirstyAffiliates
ThirstyAffiliates is the most effective hyperlink administration plugin for WordPress that allows you to cloak your affiliate hyperlinks. You’ll be able to flip lengthy, unshareable affiliate hyperlinks into stunning brief URLs which might be straightforward to learn.
We’ve been utilizing ThirstyAffiliates on our web sites, together with WPBeginner for over 5 years.
The plugin enables you to handle all of your hyperlinks out of your WordPress dashboard. You’ll be able to simply create branded hyperlinks, add them to your content material, and organize and arrange hyperlinks into classes.
The plugin even tracks your hyperlinks and reveals stories contained in the WordPress admin panel. You get to see full statistics of how your shortened hyperlinks are performing and see top-performing associates.
ThirstyAffiliates additionally integrates with MonsterInsights, so you may observe them in Google Analytics. It additionally tracks geolocation and reveals which area you get probably the most clicks from.
ThirstyAffiliates is greater than only a URL shortener. You need to use it to auto-insert affiliate hyperlinks within the content material, import hyperlinks, test hyperlinks with 404 errors, schedule affiliate hyperlinks, and extra.
Advisable For: In case you’re an affiliate marketer or a blogger utilizing WordPress, then ThirstyAffiliates is for you. It’s very straightforward to make use of, and you may shorten any URL in just some clicks. ThirstyAffiliates can be an amazing various to Fairly Hyperlinks. You’ll be able to see our comparability on Fairly Hyperlinks vs ThirstyAffiliates for extra particulars.
Professionals:
Very straightforward to make use of and shorten URLs
It enables you to select a prefix to your hyperlinks
Simply handle all of your hyperlinks from a single place
Permits computerized key phrase linking
Presents good uncloaking function for Amazon Associates hyperlinks
It robotically checks hyperlinks for 404 errors
Cons:
Dashboard stories aren’t that detailed
It doesn’t combine with eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce
The free model is nice however provides restricted options
Pricing: ThristyAffiliates premium plans begin from $79.50 per yr. There may be additionally a ThristyAffiliates free model you need to use to get began.
4. URL Shortener by MyThemeShop
URL Shortener by MyThemeShop is a free WordPress plugin that helps create brief hyperlinks to your web site. It’s a beginner-friendly plugin that’s light-weight and gained’t decelerate your web site.
You’ll be able to simply create a brief model of your URLs and share them on social media. The plugin additionally helps trim lengthy hyperlinks of exterior sources. This makes your hyperlinks extra readable and shareable.
URL Shortener by MyThemeShop provides a number of redirection sorts to select from. It lets you choose between 301, 302, and 307 reductions. You’ll be able to handle all of your brief hyperlinks out of your WordPress admin panel and in addition arrange them into totally different classes.
The most effective half is that it additionally tracks all of your URLs and reveals the variety of clicks. That is actually helpful you probably have affiliate hyperlinks and need to see which affiliate is getting probably the most clicks and producing income.
Advisable For: In case you’re simply beginning a brand new web site and searching for a free WordPress plugin to shorten URLs and observe them, then URL Shortener by MyThemeShop is the only option. It enables you to customise your brief hyperlink, decide a redirection kind, and provides a number of options totally free.
Professionals:
Person-friendly and light-weight plugin
Presents auto-linking function within the free plan
Set up your hyperlinks into classes
Open brief hyperlinks in a brand new tab or window
Add nofollow tags to your affiliate hyperlinks
Cons:
Click on monitoring report reveals restricted info
Doesn’t combine with analytics plugins like MonsterInsights
You don’t get a hyperlink scheduler or damaged hyperlink checker
Pricing: URL Shortener by MyThemeShop is out there totally free.
5. URL Shortify
URL Shortify is one other free WordPress URL shortener plugin and is a good various to URL Shortener by MyThemeShop and Bitly’s WordPress plugin.
You’ll be able to simply create brief hyperlinks out of your WordPress dashboard, choose redirection kind and even group hyperlinks into classes. The plugin additionally enables you to allow the choice to robotically add nofollow and sponsored tags to your hyperlinks.
Throughout our testing, what made URL Shortify stand out was its dashboard stories. It reveals extra particulars in comparison with different free choices in your checklist.
For example, you’ll see click on historical past, prime areas, referrers, units, browsers, platforms, and extra. The report additionally reveals particulars of every click on, so you understand how your brief URLs are performing.
Advisable For: URL Shortify is an efficient free resolution for affiliate entrepreneurs, bloggers, podcasters, and anybody trying to handle hyperlinks on their WordPress website. The most important draw is for individuals who need detailed stories contained in the WordPress admin space.
Professionals:
Simply customise your brief hyperlinks utilizing your model
Routinely create brief URLs to your posts and pages
Handle and arrange hyperlinks from the WordPress dashboard
Observe hyperlink clicks and get particulars analytical stories
Integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce and Straightforward Digital Downloads
Cons:
There isn’t a damaged hyperlink checker within the free model
You can not create QR codes within the free plan
Pricing: URL Shortify is a free WordPress plugin.
6. WP.me Shortlinks by Jetpack
WP.me Shortlinks is a URL shortener by Jetpack. It enables you to create brief URLs from the WordPress content material editor, so you may simply share them on totally different platforms.
Jetpack is a plugin suite that gives totally different options. Nevertheless, its core focus is on efficiency, safety, and advertising.
You’ll must manually activate the WP.me Shortlinks instruments from Jetpack settings. As soon as that’s performed, you may entry it from the content material editor by clicking the Jetpack icon and heading to the Shortlink choice. The instrument creates brief hyperlinks utilizing the wp.me area.
Whereas the instrument is simple to make use of, it doesn’t supply lots of options that you simply’ll discover in different plugins on our checklist.
For example, you don’t get a dashboard to handle your brief hyperlinks, choose redirection kind, add your customized area to brief hyperlinks, take away wp.me branding from hyperlinks, and auto-link URLs to particular search phrases.
You additionally don’t get built-in dashboard stories to see hyperlink click on stats. You’ll must manually arrange hyperlink click on monitoring in Google Analytics.
Advisable For: WP.me is a good instrument for those who’re already utilizing Jetpack in your WordPress website. This manner, you may rapidly shorten URLs from the content material editor.
Professionals:
It comes prebuilt within the Jetpack plugin
With Jetpack, you get an entire suite of plugins together with a URL shortener
Straightforward to make use of and may be accessed from the content material editor
You need to use it totally free
Cons:
It doesn’t supply a customized branding choice for brief hyperlinks
No choice to pick out the redirection kind
You can not arrange auto-link to key phrases
There isn’t a dashboard to handle and arrange brief URLs
You don’t get built-in stories to trace shortened URLs
Pricing: WP.me Shortlinks is out there within the free model of Jetpack. Nevertheless, there are additionally premium plans that begin from $4.95 per 30 days.
7. TinyURL
TinyURL is a URL shortener software program you need to use to create brief hyperlinks and QR codes. It’s a nice various for those who don’t need to use a WordPress plugin or Bitly and simply need to rapidly condense lengthy URLs.
The most effective half in regards to the instrument throughout our testing is you could create limitless brief URLs within the free model. This makes a budget-friendly choice for brand spanking new web sites and rookies. Nevertheless, your hyperlinks with TinyURL branding within the URL.
So as to add your individual model title within the hyperlinks and entry analytics, you’ll must improve to the premium model. This can unlock stories the place you may see URL click on historical past, dashboard report, time chart of clicks over time, map of the place individuals click on your hyperlinks, and extra.
Advisable For: TinyURL is a budget-friendly choice for companies searching for a premium URL shortener. You’ll be able to customise hyperlinks utilizing your area or subdomain whereas monitoring hyperlink clicks.
Professionals:
Very straightforward to make use of and create brief URLs
Brief hyperlinks don’t have an expiration date
Simply handle your hyperlinks from the TinyURL dashboard
Reasonably priced pricing plans
Cons:
The free model has restricted options and performance
No integration with WordPress plugins or analytical instruments
You can not auto-link, auto-cloak, or schedule brief hyperlinks
Analytical stories present fundamental info
Pricing: The bottom software program is free to make use of. Nevertheless, you’ll want a paid plan to take away TinyURL branding and look at stories. The premium plans begin from $9.99 per 30 days (billed yearly).
Which is the Finest URL Shortener for WordPress?
After reviewing a number of plugins and instruments, we suggest Fairly Hyperlinks as the most effective URL shortener for WordPress.
It’s full of options and helps convert lengthy and sophisticated URLs into readable and shareable hyperlinks. The plugin is tremendous straightforward to arrange and use.
You additionally get a handful of redirection sorts to select from, use the auto-linking function to robotically add hyperlinks to your content material, and handle all of the brief URLs out of your WordPress dashboard.
Moreover that, Fairly Hyperlinks helps observe hyperlink clicks. You’ll be able to combine it with MonsterInsights to trace clicks in Google Analytics as effectively.
However, for those who’re searching for an exterior instrument that shortens hyperlinks and in addition provides a WordPress plugin, then you need to use Bitly.
FAQs about Finest URL Shorteners
Listed here are among the most typical questions individuals have about URL shortener instruments:
1. Which is the most effective free URL shortener?
From our testing, we suggest Fairly Hyperlinks and Bitly as the most effective free URL shorteners. Fairly Hyperlinks is nice for WordPress websites trying to handle their affiliate hyperlinks and observe them. Bitly is nice for those who simply need to shorten a couple of URLs.
2. Are URL shorteners good for web optimization?
URL shorteners gained’t affect your WordPress web optimization and web site visibility in the event that they’re used properly. Brief hyperlinks don’t move the hyperlink juice completely, so that you shouldn’t use them as the principle type of creating hyperlinks to your web site.
3. Do brief URLs expire?
Some brief URLs expire whereas others don’t. It often relies on the URL shortener you’re utilizing. For example, customized hyperlinks created utilizing TinyURL don’t expire.
We hope this text helped you find out about the most effective URL shorteners for WordPress to trace hyperlinks. You might also need to see our information on the most effective web optimization plugins and instruments for WordPress and the last word information to boosting WordPress pace.
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