When you share links online, the domain name matters more than you might think. Generic shortened links often look suspicious and can hurt your click-through rates. Branded short links solve this problem by displaying your company name in every URL you share, building trust while keeping links clean and trackable.
What Are Branded Short Links?
Branded short links use your own custom domain instead of generic shortener services. Rather than sharing a link that looks random and unfamiliar, you create URLs that instantly communicate who you are and where the link leads.
Branded vs Generic Short Links
The difference becomes clear when you compare examples side by side. A generic link might look like this, bit.ly/3xK9mP2 while a branded version could be nike.run/spring-sale. The branded version tells users exactly who is sharing the link, giving them confidence before they click.
Generic shorteners offer convenience but provide zero brand value. Every time someone sees your link, they're exposed to another company's brand instead of yours. Branded links flip this equation, turning every shared URL into a marketing touchpoint.
Why CTR Increases with Branded Links
Trust drives clicks. When users see a recognizable brand name in a URL, they feel safer clicking it. This psychological factor translates directly into performance metrics. Studies consistently show that branded short links receive significantly higher click-through rates than their generic counterparts.
The improvement ranges from 34% to 39% depending on industry and audience. Beyond the immediate CTR boost, branded links also improve brand recall. Even if someone doesn't click immediately, they remember seeing your brand name in their feed or inbox.
The Business Case: Real Numbers
CTR Improvement Benchmarks
Marketing teams that switch from generic to branded short links typically see immediate results. Email campaigns show some of the strongest improvements, with branded links outperforming generic ones by an average of 35%. Social media posts follow closely behind with 30-34% improvements.
These numbers compound over time. A campaign sending 100,000 emails with generic links might generate 2,000 clicks. Switch to branded links, and that same campaign could deliver 2,700 clicks without changing anything else about the email.
Trust and Brand Recognition Impact
User testing reveals that people rate branded short links as 25% more trustworthy than generic alternatives. This trust factor becomes especially important for financial transactions, account registrations, and any action requiring personal information.
Brand recognition compounds with every link you share. Each URL exposure reinforces your brand presence, creating familiarity that pays dividends across all your marketing channels. This cumulative effect means your thousandth branded link performs better than your first.
Step-by-Step: Creating Your First Branded Short Links
Step 1: Choose Your Custom Domain
Your domain choice shapes how people perceive your links. The best domains are short, memorable, and clearly connected to your brand. You have several approaches to consider.
Some brands use their name with an action verb, like brand.run or brand.shop. This approach works well because it's intuitive and action-oriented. Users immediately understand they're about to visit something related to your brand.
Abbreviating your brand name offers another path. Think nke.com for Nike or msft.to for Microsoft. These ultra-short domains save characters while maintaining clear brand association. Just make sure the abbreviation is widely recognized.
Campaign-specific domains work for major initiatives. A political campaign might use vote2024.info while a seasonal sale could justify sale.brand.com. This approach requires managing multiple domains but provides laser focus for specific campaigns.
Domain extensions matter too. Popular choices include .link, .to, .ly, .co, and .io. These extensions are short and modern, though traditional .com still carries the most universal trust.
Step 2: Select a URL Shortener Platform
The platform you choose determines what features you'll have access to. Different tools excel in different areas, so match your choice to your specific needs.
Enterprise teams often need collaboration features, role-based permissions, and advanced analytics. Individual creators might prioritize simplicity and cost. Developers may want API access and webhook integrations.
Look for platforms that support custom domains as a core feature, not an expensive add-on. Quality analytics are essential—you need to see clicks, geographic data, referrers, and device breakdowns at a minimum. Integration capabilities matter if you use marketing automation or CRM systems.
Step 3: Configure DNS Settings
Connecting your custom domain requires adding DNS records. This technical step sounds intimidating, but it follows a straightforward process that most platforms document clearly.
You'll typically add a CNAME record in your domain registrar's control panel. The record points your domain to your shortener platform's servers. The exact values come from your platform's documentation and usually take this format:
- Record Type: CNAME
- Host: Either @ for the root domain or your chosen subdomain
- Value: The destination provided by your platform
- TTL: Usually 3600 seconds or automatic
After saving these changes, DNS propagation takes anywhere from one to 48 hours. During this time, your domain gradually becomes accessible worldwide. Most changes are complete within a few hours, though the full 48 hours ensure global consistency.
Step 4: Create Your First Branded Link
With your domain connected, you're ready to create links. The process varies slightly by platform but follows these general steps:
Start by entering the full destination URL where you want people to land. This could be a product page, blog post, landing page, or any web destination.
Select your custom domain from the available options. If you've configured multiple branded domains, choose the most appropriate one for this particular link.
Add a memorable slug—the part after your domain. This is where strategy matters. Choose something that hints at the destination while remaining short. Compare brand.link/sale with brand.link/summer-clearance-event-2025. The first is cleaner and easier to remember.
Consider adding UTM parameters if you need detailed campaign tracking. These tags help you understand exactly where clicks come from in tools like Google Analytics.
Generate the link and test it immediately. Click it yourself, share it with a colleague, try it on different devices. Verify that it redirects correctly and quickly.
Step 5: Test and Optimize
Before launching any major campaign, thorough testing prevents embarrassing mistakes. Test your links across different browsers, devices, and network conditions. Make sure redirects work smoothly without delays or errors.
Verify that your analytics tracking fires correctly. Generate test clicks and confirm they appear in your dashboard with accurate data about device, location, and referrer.
Run small-scale A/B tests comparing branded and generic links with real audience segments. While industry benchmarks predict improvement, your specific audience may respond differently. Measure actual performance to justify rolling out branded links across all campaigns.
Real Examples of Effective Branded Short Links
E-commerce: Product Promotions
Nike uses nike.run for athletic product launches, creating URLs like nike.run/air-max-2025. The domain itself reinforces their brand positioning around movement and athletics , while the slug clearly identifies the product.
Sephora shortened its name to seph.com, enabling links like seph.com/beauty-sale for seasonal promotions. This abbreviation maintains brand recognition while maximizing character savings.
Best Buy leverages bestbuy.link for major shopping events with URLs like bestbuy.link/black-friday. The straightforward approach leaves no doubt about who is sharing the link or where it leads.
Media & Publishing: Content Sharing
The New York Times created nyti.ms for article sharing. Links like nyti.ms/politics-analysis Compress their brand into five characters while remaining instantly recognizable to their audience.
ESPN shortened to es.pn, producing ultra-compact links like es.pn/nfl-scores that fit perfectly into character-limited environments like Twitter while maintaining clear brand association.
TED uses its simple three-letter name directly with links like ted.com/talks/innovation. Their short brand name eliminates the need for abbreviation while providing excellent clarity about the content type.
SaaS: Feature Announcements
Slack employs slack.link for product communications, creating URLs like slack.link/new-features that clearly indicate where users are heading before they click.
Zoom uses its main domain with structured paths like zoom.us/join-meeting for instance, meeting access. The functional clarity helps users understand exactly what action they're about to take.
Dropbox was created db.tt as an ultra-short alternative, producing links like db.tt/file-share that maintain brand recognition in just five characters of the domain.
Non-Profit: Campaign Awareness
UNICEF uses uni.cf for fundraising campaigns with links like uni.cf/donate-now. The trusted brand name reduces hesitation around financial transactions, crucial for donation conversions.
The Red Cross leverages its full domain with clear paths like redcross.org/emergency-response for crisis campaigns. Using their established .org domain maximizes trust during urgent appeals.
World Wildlife Fund creates cause-specific links like worldwildlife.org/save-tigers that that combine brand recognition with a clear campaign purpose, helping potential donors understand exactly what they're supporting.
Best Practices for Branded Short Links
Keep Slugs Short and Memorable
The slug portion of your branded link should aim for 3 to 15 characters when possible. Shorter slugs are easier to remember, simpler to type manually, and more practical for sharing verbally in presentations or podcasts.
Compare these two approaches for a sales campaign. It brand.link/sale It is clean, memorable, and versatile. brand.link/summer-clearance-event-2025 Provides more context but becomes unwieldy and harder to remember. In most cases, the simpler version performs better.
Use Descriptive Keywords
Your slug should give users a reasonable idea of where they're going. Mystery links reduce click-through rates because people hesitate when they can't predict the destination.
A random slug like brand.link/x7k9 offer no context and looks computer-generated. brand.link/pricing Immediately tells users they're heading to your pricing information. This clarity builds confidence and increases clicks.
Balance brevity with descriptiveness. You don't need to explain every detail in the slug, just provide enough context to reduce uncertainty and set accurate expectations.
Maintain Consistency Across Campaigns
Develop a naming convention and follow it religiously. Consistent patterns make your links instantly recognizable and dramatically easier for teams to manage at scale.
A simple convention might look like brand.link/[channel]-[campaign]-[month]. This structure produces links like brand.link/email-sale-dec that are self-documenting and easy to organize.
Document your convention and share it with everyone, creating links. Consistency prevents confusion and helps you spot unauthorized or off-brand links quickly.
Avoid Special Characters
Stick to lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens for maximum compatibility. URLs are technically case-sensitive, meaning Sale andThere sale are different destinations. Using only lowercase eliminates this confusion.
Avoid underscores, which are harder to see and less common in URLs. Never use spaces, which get converted to %20 and look broken. Skip special characters like exclamation points, question marks, or ampersands that can break links in certain contexts.
This conservative approach ensures your links work correctly everywhere—in emails, social media posts, SMS messages, and even when typed manually.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Creating overly long slugs defeats the entire purpose of URL shortening. If your shortened link is barely shorter than the original, you're not gaining the benefits of brevity and memorability.
Generic slugs like "click-here" or "link" waste your branding opportunity while providing zero context. Every slug should earn its place by adding either brand value or descriptive clarity.
Inconsistent capitalization creates duplicate links and confusion. Decide on lowercase-only and stick to it. This simple rule prevents dozens of potential errors.
Failing to test links before campaigns launch has embarrassing consequences. Broken links destroy trust faster than branded links can build it. Test thoroughly every time.
Skipping analytics integration means flying blind. If you can't measure CTR improvements, you can't prove the value of your branded link strategy or optimize based on data.
Neglecting HTTPS security in 2025 is unacceptable. Insecure links trigger browser warnings, destroy user trust, and harm your brand. Always ensure your custom domain uses SSL certificates.
Measuring Success: Analytics and KPIs
| Metric | What to Track | Success Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| Click-Through Rate | Percentage of impressions that result in clicks | 30-40% increase vs generic links |
| Brand Recall | Survey users on link source memory | Higher brand attribution in surveys |
| Trust Score | User perception surveys on link credibility | Increased confidence ratings over time |
| Conversion Rate | Actions taken after clicking through | Improved post-click conversions |
| Link Lifespan | How long links continue generating clicks | Extended performance for evergreen content |
| Share Rate | How often recipients share your links | Increased viral coefficient |
Track these metrics consistently across campaigns to build a data-driven understanding of how branded links perform for your specific audience and channels. Compare performance before and after implementing branded links to quantify ROI.
Conclusion
Branded short links transform every URL you share into a brand-building opportunity. The setup requires initial effort—registering a domain, configuring DNS, and establishing naming conventions—but delivers lasting returns through improved click-through rates and stronger brand recognition.
Start with your highest-traffic campaigns to maximize impact and build your case for broader implementation. Measure performance carefully, comparing branded against generic links to quantify improvements for your specific audience.
The data consistently shows that branded links outperform generic alternatives by 30-40% in click-through rates. Combined with increased brand recall and trust, this strategy pays for itself many times over. Register your custom domain this week and create your first branded short link—then let the performance data prove the value.
FAQ
- How much does setting up branded short links cost? Domain registration typically runs $10-50 annually, depending on the extension you choose. URL shortener platforms range from free tiers with basic features to $20-100 monthly for enterprise capabilities. The total cost for a small business might be $100-300 per year.
- Can I use a subdomain instead of buying a new domain? Absolutely. Subdomains like
go.yourbrand.comorlink.yourbrand.comwork perfectly and avoid the need for additional domain purchases. This approach also inherits trust from your established main domain. - Do branded short links help with SEO? The short link itself doesn't pass direct SEO value since it's a redirect. However, branded links increase click-through rates from search results and social shares, driving more traffic to your site. This increased engagement indirectly benefits SEO through behavioral signals and expanded reach.
- How long does it take to get branded short links working? Domain registration takes just minutes. DNS propagation requires 1-48 hours, though it often completes in just a few hours. Platform setup and configuration takes 10-30 minutes. From start to finish, expect 1-2 days before your first branded link is live.
- Should I use different branded domains for different campaigns? For most brands, one consistent domain builds stronger recognition. Large enterprises sometimes use multiple domains for distinct business units or major initiatives, but this requires careful management. Start with one domain and expand only if you have clear strategic reasons.
- What happens if my URL shortener platform closes down? This risk makes domain ownership crucial. Always register domains in your own name, not through the platform. Choose platforms that allow domain export or use self-hosted solutions for complete control. If a platform closes, you can migrate your domain to a new service without breaking existing links.