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How do I use my WordPress site domain to shorten links?

While it's possible to reroute traffic from your website domain to branded links, we highly recommend using a dedicated custom domain.

With a unique custom domain, you avoid complicated CMS or server configuration, reduce potential points of failure, and remove the risk of your website being misconfigured.

If you decide to use your WordPress website domain to shorten links, the Rebrandly Redirect plugin will get you connected. You will need permissions to access the Admin panel of your WordPress installation and install plugins.

Here are the steps you will take:

  1. Add your domain to Rebrandly

  2. Install the plugin in WordPress

  3. Check your other plugins for potential conflicts

Install and configure the plugin

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel.

  2. Click Plugins.
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  3. Click on Add New. (This button may vary depending on your WordPress version.)
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  4. Search for Rebrandly Redirect.
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  5. Click Install now.

  6. Click Activate.

  7. Once the plugin is installed and activated, click Settings in your Admin panel.

  8. Click Rebrandly.
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  9. Paste the alias domain you copied from Rebrandly.

  10. Click Save.
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  11. Wait for the domain to get verified by Rebrandly. This can take up to 10 minutes. We will send you an email once verification is complete.
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    In rare cases, verification can take up to 96 hours. If it’s been longer, contact us for help. You can also delete the domain from Rebrandly and re-add it, which generates a new alias to enter in your WordPress admin panel.

Test the installation

You can test your setup by manually navigating this link (replace <your domain> with your actual domain name):

https://<your domain>/.well-known/rebrandly

This should always respond with a message:

Rebrandly was here...

If this is responding with something else, please double-check your setup and verify there are no other network components which could interfere with the redirection or with the 404 behavior.

If you are using Cloudflare and this isn't working, contact us and we'll manually verify your domain.

Potential plugin conflicts

There are a number of other WordPress Plugins which can interfere with Rebrandly's plugin. Make sure you have not installed any of the following plugins, or that you configured them in a different way:

  • Rank Math: Set "Default 404" as Fallback Behavior in the plugin settings.

  • SeedProd: Disable the "301 redirects for your 404 page" feature.

  • AIOSEO (All In One SEO): Disable for 404 traffic.

  • Redirection.

  • 404Page.

  • Custom 404 Pro.

  • 301 Redirects.

  • Safe Redirect Manager.

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