Learn everything about URL shorteners — what they are and how they work — in just a few minutes.
The dot-com era was built on URL shorteners. They were a key piece that helped shape the tools and services we use today, making our ride on the internet much smoother — even if we don’t pay them much attention anymore. I still remember when TinyURL launched back in 2002–2003. It was a time when things were much simpler, and that tool was a game-changer. Long, ugly URLs were everywhere, and TinyURL gave us the chance to turn them into short, clean links — sometimes with a custom alias that made them even easier to remember without needing to save them somewhere.
A URL shortener is exactly what the name suggests: a tool that converts a long link into a short one. The short link acts like a mask — when someone clicks it, they’re redirected to the original URL. Simple, effective, and everyone’s happy.
Of course, there are many variations of short links. They can be customized to make them easier to read and remember, or enhanced with features like analytics, password protection, and even redirect delays. For example, some shorteners show a button before sending the visitor to the final link. This is useful because random visitors who aren’t sure why they’re there won’t click through, while genuine users who actually want to reach your content will. In this way, short links can also act as a filter, improving the quality of your traffic.
You simply take your long URL, paste it into the tool, and it generates a unique short link reserved just for that long URL. When someone clicks the short link, they’re instantly redirected to your original page.
Most tools offer the same basic features, like analytics and the ability to set a custom alias for your short URL. But what I love most are the advanced options — like password protection, which lets you share content only with the users you choose.
From my experience, short links have many advantages. Since the early days of URL shorteners, I’ve used them because they’re easy to remember when you set a custom alias. They also help a lot when sharing offers or coupons, making sure visitors actually land on the right page without breaking cookies.
Short links are especially powerful in affiliate marketing. They ensure your affiliate code isn’t stripped from the link, helping you keep your profits intact. You can also protect a link with a password, so only the people you share it with get access. If your offer is time-limited, you can even set an expiration date for the link.
And beyond the features, people simply love short links: they’re easy to share, simple to read, and far less confusing than long, messy URLs. That’s why we designed our URL shortener — to give you all these features, and even more.
As you can see, and from my 22 years of experience with URL shorteners, they remain extremely beneficial and useful — even today in our AI-driven world. They’ll continue to matter as long as the internet exists and as long as we need to share information with others. And I believe that need will never end, as long as we live.
