Annoying, super long URLs? Bitly to the rescue!
Yesterday, Twitter tweeted that photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets no longer count toward the 140 character limit. But, that doesn’t eliminate the need to shorten those annoying, super long URLs, does it?
Bitly is a popular URL shortening service used extensively on Twitter and other social media platforms.
| Web address: | bitly.com |
| Registration: | Optional |
| Cost: | Free, upgrade options available |
| App: | Yes |
| Analytics: | Yes |
Why should you use bitly? What is it used for?
- Shorten a long URL using bitly to save characters for tweeting. Use those characters to add valuable commentary that encourages readers to click on the link instead!
- Using a shortened URL also leaves more characters to include hashtags that will help readers interested in your content find you.
Best free Bitly feature? Shorten & share. Best premium Bitly feature? Branded short domains & customized short links for context.
Other URL Shorteners
- Pretty Link Lite
- Goo.gl by Google
- su.pr by StumbleUpon
- is.gd
- tiny.cc
The Bitly Blog: Rethinking the Link
Blog categories include:
- Social Media
- Mobile
- Data
- Content
- Product
2 Responses
I manage the twitter accounts on some of my clients and I have to use this A LOT. They will require a business name plug, a specific hashtag, and a link to their site… before you know it, you’re out of space. This tool give me some play with the 140 characters. If someone does not know about this, they should!
It is really helpful for Twitter, isn’t it? Did you know that you can create a branded short domain too? Thanks for taking the time to share you experience. 🙂