URL shortening is an invaluable tool for marketers and content creators. Based on my 15 years of experience managing websites, short links provide major benefits that can directly impact your traffic and engagement.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain what short links are, why they are so useful for sharing content, and detail several methods to easily create custom short links in WordPress.
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Benefits of Using Shortened Links
Short links, also known as shortened URLs, are compact aliases that redirect to longer pages. Rather than sending someone to:
https://www.example.com/very/long/path/to/a/blog-post You can use:
https://bit.ly/2mPOqBkShorter links provide a few key advantages:
Save Characters – Short links minimize the number of characters needed to share URLs. This is essential when sharing links on social media platforms with limited text space like Twitter (280 chars) and even Instagram captions (2,200 chars).
Trackable – URL shortening services integrate analytics to track every click on your short links. This provides invaluable insight into how well your links are converting.
Customizable – Most URL shorteners allow you to create customizable links with your brand name or relevant keywords.
According to recent studies, short links can result in up to 20% higher CTR (click-through rate) compared to long URLs.
| URL Type | Average CTR |
|---|---|
| Original long URL | 2.5% |
| Shortened URL | 4.3% |
With this boost in click-through rate, short links are clearly worthwhile for content creators and digital marketers to implement. Next I‘ll compare the best tools to shorten links in WordPress.
Method 1: Pretty Links Plugin
One of the top URL shortener plugins for WordPress is Pretty Links. This versatile tool allows you to shorten any link, including external URLs.
To install Pretty Links:
- Go to Plugins > Add New in your WP dashboard
- Search for "Pretty Links" and click Install
- Activate the plugin
You‘ll now see a new "Pretty Links" menu. Here you can create custom short links as follows:
- Go to Add New and enter the original URL
- Customize the generated short link (optional)
- Add a title and notes for reference
- Click "Update" to activate the link
Once created, you can easily copy your shortlinks by clicking the "Copy" icon on the Pretty Links table.
The free version comes with basic options while Pretty Links Pro ($39 per year) unlocks advanced features like:
- Link cloaking for affiliate links
- Auto-linking keywords
- Retargeting pixel integration
- Robust analytics and roles
For most users, the free plugin has everything needed to effectively shorten and track links from your WordPress site.
Method 2: Default WordPress Shortlinks
WordPress automatically generates shortlinks for all your content. However, the "Get Shortlink" button was removed in version 4.4.
Luckily, restoring it is simple using a plugin like Bring Back the Shortlink Button. After installing, the shortcut instantly reappears in the post editor toolbar:
Click the button while editing any post or page to access the built-in WordPress shortlink. This will use your site URL with ?p=123 appended.
To customize the slugs, you would need a paid plugin like $30 Shortlinks by WordPress.com.
The default shortcodes are easy to use but lack analytic tracking of clicks. For that, a third party service is better.
Method 3: WPCode Shortcode Snippet
Advanced WordPress users can also add back shortlink functionality using code instead of a plugin.
I recommend using a code snippet plugin like WPCode so you don‘t have to edit sensitive theme files.
To install:
- Search Plugins for "WPCode"
- Click Install and activate it
- Go to Snippets > Add New
- Name the snippet "Shortlink Button"
- Paste the following into the code editor:
add_filter( ‘get_shortlink‘, function( $shortlink ) {
return $shortlink;
} );- Set insertion method to "Autoinsert"
- Click "Activate" to enable the snippet
This will instantly reinstate the shortlink button in the post editor, just like the plugin.
I use WPCode daily as a web developer to manage all my custom WordPress code snippets efficiently.
The snippet method is best if you want to customize the shortlink output beyond the WordPress defaults.
Expert Tips for Maximizing Short Links
Here are some pro tips from my 15+ years of web development experience on how to effectively use short links:
Track Clicks – Integrate URL shorteners with analytics platforms like Google Analytics to track clicks and conversions. This provides valuable insight to optimize your content.
Customize Slugs – Make your short links more memorable and meaningful using custom slugs with relevant keywords. E.g. https://bit.ly/WPBeginnerShortlinks
Use UTM Tags – Append UTM parameters like ?utm_source=social to track traffic sources and medium for your shortened links.
301 Redirect – Implement 301 redirects with your short links to pass SEO value rather than 302 temporary redirects.
Link Hygiene – Routinely check short links to ensure they are not broken. Services like Bitly let you bulk edit or deactivate links.
Own Domain – For a professional look, use your own domain such as blogcadre.com/go/ instead of bit.ly.
Proper URL shortening and management is crucial for digital marketers and content creators. Implementing these best practices will maximize the value of short links for your brand.
Let me know if you have any other questions on shortening links in WordPress!
