In a digital world of ever-changing content, digital marketers must stay one step ahead.
To keep up with the changing dynamics of the web, tools such as theURL Shortener and link monitoring services have become indispensable.
These tools not only enable accurate management and monitoring of online activities, but also offer valuable insights into the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and audience behavior.
What is a URL shortener?
It is a tool that compresses or "shortens" a URL, making it more manageable and easier to share on platforms such as Twitter, which limit the number of characters per post.
For example, a URL such as "https://www.ilmiosito.com/prodotti/categoria/sottocategoria/prodotto" can be shortened to "https://bit.ly/1234."
This not only makes the URL shorter and easier to share, but also allows you to track clicks and analyze link performance.
Why use a URL shortener?
There are various reasons for using this type of service including:
- Aesthetics: Shortened URLs are cleaner and more pleasing to the eye. They are also easier to remember and type, especially if the original URL was long and complex.
- Facilitated sharing: Shortened URLs are easier to share on messaging and social media platforms, especially those that limit the number of characters per message or post.
- Click tracking: Many URL shortening services offer tracking features that allow you to track the number of clicks on a given link, the origin of the clicks, and other useful metrics.
- Security: Some URL shortening services also offer security features such as link scanning for malware and protection from malicious websites.
How does a URL shortener work?
The operation is quite simple. When a URL is entered into the shortening service, a unique key is generated, which is then used to create the shortened URL. This shortened URL, when clicked, redirects the user to the original URL.
Many platforms also offer tracking services, allowing users to see how many times the URL was clicked, where the clicks came from, and other useful information.
This can be especially useful for marketers who want to monitor the effectiveness of their campaigns.
The main url shortener service
There are many URL shortening services, the best known of which include:
- ClickTracker.net: a best solution for shortening URLs, tracking links, inserting tracking pixels, creating QR codes and more is no doubt ClickTracker.net. It is super fast and offers useful statistics and details. It is available in both free and premium versions.
- TinyURL: one of the first URL shortening services, TinyURL Is still widely used. It does not offer monitoring capabilities.
- Bit.ly: very popular, Bit.ly offers monitoring capabilities and can generate URLs that are easily readable by humans.
Goo.gl: Google's URL shortening service, Goo.gl offers tracking capabilities and integration with other Google services.Google's service was shut down on March 30, 2019.- Ow.ly: integrated with the HootSuite social networking application, Ow.ly allows not only shortening URLs, but also uploading images and text documents that can be posted via a short URL.
- T.co: is Twitter's automatic service, it cannot be used as a stand-alone application outside the social network.
The URL Shortener and Google Analytics
Although these tools are very useful, it is important to remember that they can impact the data collected by Google Analytics. This is because the shortened URL, being a redirect, can cause the original referrer information to be lost, causing the visit to be recorded as direct traffic.
To get around this problem, you can make use of URL tagging before inserting the link into the platform prompt that will shorten it. By specifying source, medium and campaign (manually or via Google URL builder), you can send the correct information to Google Analytics, avoiding surprises and categorizing visits within the relevant traffic source.
Link monitoring: what is it and why is it important?
Link tracking is a key aspect of digital marketing. It consists of tracking and analyzing clicks on shared links, allowing you to better understand how users interact with content.
Link tracking can provide valuable information, such as the number of clicks on a given link, the origin of the clicks, the time spent on the page after clicking on the link, and more.
This data can help optimize marketing campaigns, better understand user behavior, and improve user experience.
In addition, link monitoring can also help identify and resolve any problems. For example, if a link is not receiving clicks or if the click-through rate is very low, it could indicate a problem with the link itself or with the content to which the link points.
The main link monitoring tools: custom url shortener
There are various link monitoring tools, many of which are integrated with URL shortening services. Here are some of the most popular ones:
- Google Analytics: One of the most popular web analytics tools, Google Analytics offers very advanced link tracking features. It allows you to track link clicks, understand where visitors are coming from, monitor user behavior on the site, and more.
- Bit.ly: As mentioned earlier, Bit.ly does not just "shorten links," but also offers link tracking features. It allows you to see how many times a shortened URL was clicked, where the clicks came from, and other useful information.
- Hootsuite: In addition to being a social networking application and URL shortener, Hootsuite also offers link tracking capabilities. It allows you to track clicks on links shared on social media, see where the clicks are coming from, and monitor the effectiveness of social media campaigns.
- ClickMeter: ClickMeter is a link tracking tool that allows you to track, compare and share click data. It offers advanced features such as real-time click tracking, unique visitor tracking, conversion tracking, and more.
URL shortener and link monitoring: a winning duo
In conclusion, using a URL shortener in combination with a link monitoring service can be a powerful tool for digital marketers.
Not only does it allow links to be shared more efficiently and attractively, but it also offers valuable insights into user behavior and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
However, as with any tool, it is important to use URL shorteners and link tracking services responsibly and with consideration of possible privacy and security implications.
In addition, it is critical to integrate these tools with other marketing strategies and analytics to gain a complete and accurate view of marketing campaign performance.