What is a URL shortener, and how do short links actually work?
A plain-English guide to URL shorteners: how the redirect works, why short links get tracked, when to use your own domain and what to avoid.
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The GoTinyURL team
GoTinyURL is built and run by a small team at TheBigBot LLC. Every guide on this blog starts from a question we have answered in support or a mistake we have watched people make with links, QR codes and campaign tracking. We test each step in the GoTinyURL app before we publish it, date every post, and update guides when the product or the wider web changes. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us through the contact page and we will fix it.
What we write about
URL shorteningQR codeslink in bio pagesUTM and campaign trackingcustom domains and DNSlink analytics
How we work
- Builds and operates the GoTinyURL link platform
- Answers customer support tickets every business day
Posts by The GoTinyURL team
UTM parameters: what they are and how to name them so reports stay clean
What each UTM parameter means, a naming system that keeps Google Analytics clean, real examples per channel and the mistakes that split your reports.
QR code best practices: size, contrast, logos and testing before you print
How big to print a QR code, which colours scan, how much logo is too much and how to test before you print 5,000 copies. A checklist you can use today.
Dynamic vs static QR codes: the difference, and which one to print
Static QR codes hold the content; dynamic ones hold a short link you can change and track. When each makes sense, with a decision table.
Link in bio best practices: 11 ideas that turn profile visits into taps
How to build a link in bio page people actually use: block order, how many links, deep links, scheduling, lead capture and what to measure.
Branded short links: how to choose a short domain and set it up right
Why branded short links earn more trust, how to pick a short domain or subdomain, the DNS record you need, and mistakes that break links later.
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