Branded Links Brings the Spotlight to Your Brand
First came bit.ly, then rebrand.ly and now pxl.to is my favorite. They all do the same thing - make long links, short!
First published March 23, 2021 at https://techiemamma.com/how-to-make-it-as-a-big-star-with-branded-links/
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I am a self-professed app junkie and proud of it. For years I've been looking up apps to do this or to do that and trying to always find the next best thing. I used to love going to SXSW simply because all the newest apps and features would be released during that time. I left the festival with 20 new apps on my phone and 50 new signups. I know nuts!
Although I love trying out new apps, switching 100% to something new is still rather difficult. I am set in my ways and change is hard. This year though I have managed to switch several platforms and have not looked back.
Switching Apps
I switched from Canva to Stencil, and CloudApp to Droplr. Project Management and Contact Management apps are the hardest to switch and yet there is so much to benefit. I switched over the years from Harvest to Freshbooks and then this year to Dubsado. Each jump has up-leveled my business in different ways. For project management, each app I believe has a unique way to approach things. I have switched from Asana to mostly Trello and most recently I added ClickUp to my arsenal. I find ClickUp especially helpful for managing goals and priorities and tasking each day, while I still use Trello to manage projects in collaboration with others. I am on the verge of making one more switch! I have used bit.ly for years and recently stumbled upon rebrand.ly and have enjoyed the features so far! My little side note about apps but let’s get into branding links.
Update 5-22-24 I am back to using Canva, am still in the search for project management and tried so many more! Still using Droplr! Last but not least I scored pxl (affiliate link) in a lifetime deal (affiliate link) and love it for short links or branded links!
Branded Links
So what exactly is pxl.to, bit.ly and rebrand.ly and many others like tiny.url and Google’s URL Shortener. Short URLs have recently been hurt with the reputation that it hurts SEO, but in fact, they don’t and have many benefits for your brand. This video and article, Will a URL shortener help or hurt your SEO? - OnCrawl describes the way link shorteners work and how they are treated as 301 redirects by search engines and SEO.
Twitter's (now X) need for short URLs is the most famous reason for URL shorteners. Though now Twitter shortens all links themselves and increased the characters of all tweets to 280 characters. So why use a URL shortener?
The focus for modern URL shorteners boils down to several things:
- Link branding - staying on brand with all URLs you share
- Link retargeting - helping set pixels so users return back
- Link tracking and analytics - tracking different networks and campaigns with different URLs
- Embedding UTM parameters using a URL Builder - tracking various campaigns for Google Analytics
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What is a URL Shortener
URL Shorteners became popular with Twitter's rules for only so many characters. Modern tools though offer so much more than the random short link that older tools did 5-10 years ago.
Rebrandly has some good videos describing URL Shorteners and the more modern Branded Links.
Rebrandly may have been the first to market branded links but now there are many tools that push a similar sort of ideal. My latest tool pxl, sets up short links (or branded links), QR codes, and custom microsites. It truly captures all of your branded identity needs.
Shorteners Compared
Bit.ly
Bit.ly is great starting out and you can set up a custom domain for your branded links and do a limited number of custom slugs for things. Setting up your custom domain is fairly simple with great tutorials available, How to Set Up Bitly Branded for Your Custom Domain in 12 Mintues or Less: 12 Steps. The free version though holds several things back and to upgrade it is a whopping $495 a month on their low plan. That is 10x more than all their competitors! It may be time to move on and get to know a new tool!
Rebrand.ly
Rebrand.ly tools have a very flexible free option with 5 branded domains included and when one is ready to upgrade their plans start at a reasonable $29 / month. Still need some other options to check out the article, The 6 Best URL Shorteners and How to Choose The Right One?
Update 10-11-24 Rebrandly no longer offers a free plan according to their website. The paid plans start at 13 / month for 250 links and 1 branded domain.
pxl.to
My newest tool, pxl.to (affiliate link), also has a free plan that allows for 20 links per month, 5 branded QR codes, and 2 branded microsites. The paid plans start at $7.50 per month which allows for 200 links, 20 QR codes, and 5 microsites.
Bit.ly has been around for years and is well recognized by many. Rebrand.ly and pxl.to are newer tools on the market that are emphasizing brand over just shortening long URLs. These days it is assumed that we all have multiple domains for our brand. After all it takes to build up a brand we don’t want someone having a similar name and taking over.
Search for the Perfect Domain
If you want a super cool short domain like momte.ch or my new domain, techie.mom check out Namechk, which let's you check social media accounts and more, to find your perfect domain and then register the domain on namesilo (affiliate link), porkbun, or spaceship (affiliate link). Instant Domain Search also let's you search in real time for a domain to see if it's available.
There are so many new TLDs (or extensions) that are now available! With 882 extensions you can find something unique and cool to promote your brand. What will your short and / or branded URL be?
Further Reading, Tools, and Resources
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