Google URL Shortener Alternative – Rebrandly

Finding the Best Google URL Shortener Alternative as the platform shuts down

In March 2018, Google URL Shortener (Goo.gl) announced that it would be winding down its services and eventually shutting the platform down. Immediately, the use of the platform was cut off for any new or anonymous users, while current users were given the year to migrate their links to another link management system. As of April 2019, Google URL Shortener was fully decommissioned, meaning users were no longer be able to create new links.

When looking for a new URL shortener, consider Rebrandly as the Google URL Shortener alternative.

Rebrandly is the most complete and reliable link management platform on the market. Our solution provides the easiest way to create, measure, and manage short URLs with a custom domain name.

Are you a former Google URL Shortener user looking for a replacement link management tool?

First, let's highlight the key differences you can expect between the two services.

With the old Google URL Shortener you can NOT:

Use a custom domain to create short links
Change the destination URL
Use a Custom URL slug
Make your links private
Easily and automatically add UTM parameters
Delete your links

And the list goes on...

Out of these limitations is why we created Rebrandly.

We want you to have full control over every link that you share. Rebrandly offers the above features and more.

Easily Switch From Goo.gl to Rebrandly

The fastest way to shorten links

SignUp Free

Many speculate that the reason Goo.gl is shutting down its services is because of the association between generic short URLs (like the ones Google URL shortener provides) and spam. Generic URL shorteners are often used by spammers to disguise links that lead to malicious sites. Even if you're not a spammer, if you're using the same generic URL shortener (in this case Goo.gl) your link can be banned by certain sites and email servers.

This spamming issue goes even further than Goo.gl. It's a problem in the entire generic short URL industry. As services and sites continue to blacklist these generic links, the solution is to switch to using branded links when shortening URLs.

Here are some of the ways creating branded links with Rebrandly can help your business maximize each and every link.

1. Brand and Customize

Including the brand and a relevant keyword in every link will:

Increase link trust
Increase click-through rate by up to 39%
Make your links stand out
Improve brand visibility
Transform ordinary links into efficient calls to action
Create a consistent experience across different channels
Improve SEO

Have a look at these examples from a few Rebrandly customers:

- Lamborghini chose a cool domain that mimics their brand name: lam.bo

- Jaguar Australia uses jaguarau.click to prompt click-throughs on social media

- Panda Express recreates their brand's name using a TLD: pandaex.press

- Harvard University uses multiple domains for specific departments such as hvrdalum.me for its alumni network and hrvd.me for broader communications

2. Manage Every Link Asset in One Place

With Rebrandly it’s possible to list and control all of an organization’s links in one place. Users can:

Create different workspaces
Allow co-workers, partners, and clients to access branded links
Manage different access levels using SSO and 2FA
Edit destination URLs after the links have been shared Optimize traffic routing
Retarget visitors who click on the links
Manage 404 errors (page not found)
Stop or re-route out-of-date links or even ones that are harmful to the organization Enforce compliance standards for security, communications, and branding
Control which members of the organization can share with certain domains

3. Integrate Rebrandly Into Any Workflow

When choosing any new tool, it’s paramount that it works seamlessly with the tools you’ve already got. At Rebrandly we created tools, integrations, browser extensions and desktop/mobile apps to allow for easily incorporating link management into your current workflow. Rebrandly is already integrated with over 100 of the most popular apps, including...

4. Track Every Click to Drive Better Business Decisions

Which of your communications drive the most traffic? What’s the quality and composition of that traffic like? Which campaigns are working and which need some more work? Email, Twitter, SMS, QR-Codes, display and CPC ads, and print are only a few examples of the channels every business use to market and communicate products to their audience; are you leveraging them effectively?