Will You Use URL Shorteners?
Posted by kennith204swanso | Filed under Uncategorized
Recently, the next happened to me, I wrote my frequent monthly newsletter and published it on my web page. Since this was a normal WordPress Web address I’d try using a URL shortener service as numerous other site owners do.
Then I went on and published this shortened website link to Twitter and also mentioned it in my weekly e-newsletter. In a few minutes I started receiving comments and email messages that there’s a mistake because of the URL doesn’t work.
I examined immediately to find out if this was indeed my mistake, but I immediately found that the URL shortener service didn’t work. To compound the issue, I was using the Google URL shortener Goo.gl and since it was Google everyone assumed the mistake was on my part, I mean Google is Google.
Before that I was utilizing the extremely well-known bit.ly but then I switched to Goo.gl simply because like everyone else, I trust Google far more! And everything works far better with Google; this was the first time a thing I used with Google had not worked as planned. Not just mine but every other Goo.gl website link wasn’t working neither. No big loss, unless of course you were backlinking your Black Friday & Cyber Monday targeted traffic through these shorteners.
But this introduces the whole issue of regardless of whether or not you need to use a hyperlink shortener?
A URL hyperlink shortener works by redirecting your shorter link to the longer one you have inserted into their storage system. If it is a permanent 301 redirect, then your SEO features should go through to your longer hyperlink. No harm done. If the shortening service utilizes a 302 short-term link then SEO is not passed thru to your longer link since the search engines only read this link as short-term.
Most of the major shortening services use correct redirects – in case they’re functioning!
I only started using those url shorteners simply because of Twitter which only provides you with 140 characters to create your point. The method to use shortneres also allows you to distribute your url links easier over the internet.
It’s also a great and easy method to mask your affiliate hyperlinks if you are into affiliate marketing. Imagine that, many people publish shortened URLs more simply, because they are somewhat misterious and individuals usually link to funny videos, pictures or stories on social sites with one of these hyperlinks.
There are positives and negatives when utilizing an URL shortener assistance. The easiest way would be to take advantage of them but in a controllable way, for instance by choosing services which have a good track record and are more well-known; but obviously you can (and maybe should) add less well-known ones to the mix also. One other choice would be to spread your url links across a lot of these shortener services so even if one falls for a couple of minutes or hours, a large amount of your links will still function. You can use one assistance for links in your eBook, short reports, etc., then one other for your blog, Twitter and stuff like that.
Tags: URL Cloak, URL Mask, URL Redirect, URL Shortener, URL Shrinker
