While it's possible to reroute traffic from your website domain to branded links, we highly recommend using a dedicated domain for your branded links. With a unique custom domain, there is no complicated CMS or server configuration, few possible points of failure, and no dependency on your website staying configured correctly.
If you decide that you don't want a separate domain, Rebrandly's domain alias feature lets you use the same domain for both your website and your links. Please be aware that incorrect changes could bring your website down. This is a technical process that requires the knowledge and permissions to operate on your website or CMS.
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 to take:
Add the domain to your account
Log in to Rebrandly.
Click Domains.
Click New Domain.
Click Connect a domain you already own.
Enter the domain name.
Select No, it's being used for my website.
Click Use domain directly.
Click Save.
Copy the alias URL to use in your WordPress plugin settings.
You can also find it later from your Domains list by clicking Server Configuration.
Now you can install the WordPress plugin.
Install and configure the plugin
Log in to your WordPress admin panel.
Click Plugins.
Click on Add New. (This button may vary depending on your WordPress version.)
Search for Rebrandly Redirect.
Click Install now.
Click Activate.
Once the plugin is installed and activated, click Settings in your Admin panel.
Click Rebrandly.
Paste the alias domain you copied from Rebrandly.
Click Save.
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.
In rare cases, the verification may take longer, and Rebrandly will attempt to verify your domain for up to 96 hours. If it has been more than 96 hours, contact us for assistance. You could also try deleting the domain from Rebrandly, re-adding it, which will generate a new alias to enter in your WordPress Admin panel.
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.