Short Link Best Practices: Make Your URLs Work Harder

A short link is more than a redirect — it's a branded asset with a lifecycle. Poorly managed short links look spammy, break unexpectedly, or waste analytics potential. Here's how to set up and manage short links professionally.

Slug Naming Conventions

• Use lowercase only: brand.com/summer not brand.com/Summer
• Use hyphens to separate words: /product-launch not /productlaunch
• Keep slugs under 15 characters for print/verbal shareability
• Use campaign identifiers: /email-q1-offer makes reporting easier

Always Add UTM Parameters

Never create a short link without UTM parameters on the destination URL. Without them, all clicks appear as "Direct" in Google Analytics — valuable click data lost forever.

Link Expiry and Maintenance

• Set expiry dates for time-limited offers (expired links should show a helpful page, not a 404)
• Keep an inventory spreadsheet: slug, destination, campaign, creation date, expiry
• Review and retire old links quarterly
• Redirect retired links to a relevant current page rather than breaking them

Security Considerations

• Only create links to domains you control or trust — link hijacking harms brand reputation
• Monitor for unusual click spikes (may indicate abuse or bot traffic)
• Never shorten a link that includes authentication tokens or sensitive parameters

Analytics Hygiene

• Set up consistent naming conventions before your first campaign
• Document which links are in which materials for future attribution
• Review click data monthly and archive for seasonal comparison

Create and manage short links with our URL Shortener tool.