Custom Short Links for Bloggers: When and How to Use Them

Originally published as a Bitly customization tutorial and substantially updated in September 2026. The original community discussion remains below.

Short links can make a long, complicated URL easier to share, remember or track. A customized ending can also give readers a clue about the destination instead of presenting them with a string of random characters.

But short links are not automatically better than normal links. Use them where they solve a real problem.

What Is a Custom Short Link?

A URL-shortening service turns a long destination URL into a shorter redirect. Many services also let you customize part of that shortened URL so it is easier to recognize.

For example, a descriptive ending such as /blogplanner communicates more than a random combination of letters and numbers.

Good Reasons to Use a Short Link

• printed materials where a long URL would be awkward;
• presentations or speaking events;
• podcasts, video or audio where you need to say the URL aloud;
• campaign tracking;
• QR-code destinations;
• social profiles or other spaces where a cleaner link is useful.

When a Normal Link Is Better

On your own website, a descriptive normal link is often clearer because readers can see your domain and search engines can follow the direct destination without an unnecessary redirect.

Do not shorten every internal link simply because you can.

Make the Custom Ending Clear

Keep the wording short, readable and relevant. Avoid clever abbreviations that make sense only to you.

If the link points to a blogging planner, a recognizable phrase is more useful than a mysterious code. If you are using the link for a temporary campaign, make the label specific enough that you will understand it later in your analytics.

Do Not Use Short Links to Hide the Destination

Readers are reasonably cautious about links whose destinations they cannot see. A branded or descriptive short link can improve clarity, but it should not be used to disguise a misleading destination.

For affiliate links, shortening or redirecting a URL does not remove your disclosure obligations or the rules of the affiliate program.

Track Campaigns Consistently

One useful reason to create short links is measurement. If you use different links for a presentation, printed handout or campaign, you may be able to distinguish where clicks originated.

For more detailed campaign measurement, consider consistent campaign parameters and analytics rather than creating dozens of unexplained short links.

Protect Important Links

A third-party short link depends on the shortening service continuing to operate and your account remaining accessible. Do not let an outside shortener become the only record of an important destination.

Keep a simple list of important campaign links and where they redirect. For long-term branded use, a redirect on a domain you control can give you more ownership.

The Tool Is Secondary

The original version of this article focused on the exact Bitly interface. Interfaces change. The durable idea is simpler: use short links deliberately when they improve usability or measurement, make them understandable and keep control of the destination.