Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Using Bitly
• Method 2 of 3: Using TinyURL
• Method 3 of 3: Using Google URL Shortener
• Tips
• Warnings
• Similar articles

Have you ever tried to send a link that was larger than your message? Some web addresses are overly long and unwieldy. But there are online services where you can shorten a link to a manageable size to be inserted into an email, message, or web page. Short links come in handy when sharing them on social media.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Using Bitly

1. 1 Open the Bitly website. The address of this site is www.Bitly.com. The screen will display a text string and additional information about Bitly's services.
2. 2 Create a short link. To do this, copy the long web address and paste it into the text field - to the right of this field is the Shorten button. Bitly will automatically shorten the link and display it in the same text box where you pasted the long web address.
3. 3 Copy the shortened link and paste it wherever you need it. The Shorten button will automatically be converted to a Copy button; click on this button to copy the short link.
4. 4 Register on the Bitly service (if you want) to be able to use additional features. A free Bitly account will allow you to edit links, share them across devices and platforms, monitor their performance and receive analytics reports.
   • It's pretty easy to make changes to links. Create a short link and the service will automatically redirect you to the edit tab, where you can edit the right side of the link and, if necessary, add a title. To return to the edit tab, click on the pencil icon.
   • A free Bitly account will give you access to copy and share short link options. These functions are located at the top of the edit panel and appear next to any link you have highlighted on your user page.
   • With a paid account, you can create a link that has mobile-specific functionality, view detailed analytics reports, or create and manage marketing campaigns.

Method 2 of 3: Using TinyURL

1. 1 Open the website of the TinyURL service. The address of this site is tinyurl.com. The screen displays a welcome message and a few lines of text.
2. 2 Create a short link. To do this, paste a long web address in the text line that says "Enter a long URL to make tiny" and then click on the "Make TinyURL!" (Create short link) (this button is located to the right of the text line where you inserted the long link). A short link and a preview of it will be displayed on the screen.
   • If the long link contains errors, such as spaces, when you click on the "Make TinyURL!" (Create short link) TinyURL service will display a list with corrected link options.
   • You can change the short link so that it better characterizes the content to which it leads. To do this, before clicking on the "Make TinyURL!" (Create short link) Enter the appropriate text on the line labeled “Custom alias (optional)”.
3. 3 For convenience, create a TinyURL button in the link bar (if you like). This will cause the TinyURL button to be displayed in the link bar of the web browser to create short links quickly. On the main page of the TinyURL service, in the menu on the left, click the Make Toolbar Button button. Then follow the instructions on the screen and drag the specified link to the toolbar. In this case, you can create a short link to the active page by clicking the created button on the toolbar.
   • The link bar is probably hidden in your browser (this depends on your browser settings). To display this panel in the browser menu, click "View" - "Toolbar" and check the box next to "Link Bar".
   • If you can't place the link on the toolbar or want to bookmark it, drag the link to your bookmarks folder.This is recommended for people who use Bitly for business purposes.

Method 3 of 3: Using Google URL Shortener

1. 1 Open the Google URL Shortener website. The address of this site is goo.gl. This service is not as functional as Bitly, but it is perfect for users who only need to shorten the link.
2. 2 Create a short link. Copy and paste the long web address in the text line that says “Paste your long URL here”. Then click the Shorten URL button - this button is located to the right of the mentioned text string. A list of short links is displayed below the text string. To hide unnecessary short links, check the boxes next to them and click the Hide button (this button is below the list).
3. 3 Track link performance. The list of short links has a column that displays information about the number of users who clicked on a particular link. Click Details to display link performance graphs along with information about the countries, browsers, and platforms used by people who click on the links.

Tips

• Links posted on Twitter are shortened automatically thanks to the t.co service. Type or paste a long link in the Twitter text box and it will automatically shorten to 23 characters.

Warnings

• Some users do not want to click on short links, as they believe that this will lead to receiving spam or a virus infection. So add a personalized message to the link to reassure users.

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