Shortening Website URLs.
What is shortening a URL?
URL shortening means simply, to make shorter the length of a webpages URL (the full web address)
Where can I use them?
Shortened URLs can be used anywhere you would normally use a URL such as:
- directly in a browser,
- emails,
- text messages,
- web page content,
- instant messages,
- any paper marketing material.
How does it work?
Very simply the shortened URL redirects the user to the original URL location.
Is it always the best thing to do?
No, URL shortening can be useful for both character saving and the aesthetic purposes of hiding an unsightly link. However, there are things to keep in mind that might make it the wrong choice for your Media.
- Shortened URLs over time are more likely to be subject to ‘link rot’
- Tiny URLs are meaningless and don’t compel anyone to click on them.
- If the URL shortening firm goes out of business - so will your link.
- It is a common practice among Phishers to use short URLs to hide the real target.
What does the University Provide?
The University provides a URL shortening service called TinyURL at: http://go.bath.ac.uk. This is a simple and affective URL Shortening service which also creates QR codes.
The TinyURL service is supported by the University and it is encouraged that you use this to shorten University Associated URLs.
What if I want to collect statistics on clicks?
If you want to collate information on link usage patterns there are other tools on the market that allow you to create links and collect statistics at the same time. Some of the better option for this include:
http://cli.gs/
http://budurl.com/
https://bitly.com/
Thing to remember with external URL shortening services:
If the point to your URL shortening is to save space each different tool will shorten URLs to a different number of characters. You may need to research into the one that best fits your needs.