A uniform resource locator, or URL, refers to a website address or another type of internet resource. The term is used because a URL is the specific address assigned to each of the resources available on the network, enabling them to be located and identified. By resources we understand websites, documents, attachments, files, folders etc.

We can’t begin to imagine how many thousands and millions of resources there are published on the internet, with new ones added every day. It’s an immense volume of information and each resource has its own exclusive URL. It’s perhaps no surprise then that most addresses consist of an endless combination of numbers and letters, which are often unpronounceable. One downside when it comes to sharing these addresses is the number of characters they occupy. That’s a problem if we want to share them in a post, or particularly in a tweet, where characters are limited. Long and seeming illogical addresses can also be a bit of an eyesore.

URL shorteners

Because of this, URL shorteners have been around for a few years now. These free pages enable us to paste in the address we want to share and automatically generate another much shorter and exportable link. This address has exactly the same function as the long version, redirecting the user to the original URL.

Another advantage with shorteners is that URLs can be personalised, meaning that after the shortener’s domain we can write the address we want to, making reference to the content of the site the link will take us to. This helps the person clicking on the link to know where they are being redirected to, and also allows for a freer and more creative use of text.

There are plenty of URL shorteners, most of which have generic domains, seeking internationalisation or a short name which is easy to remember. But if you’re looking for more personalised alternatives, there are some which have geoTLDs.

One example is ja.cat, a URL shortener in Catalan which also allows addresses to be personalised. Similarly, i.gal shortens addresses with the Galician domain, and if you’re looking for a shortener in the Basque language then labur.eus is for you.

Other advantages to URL shorteners

Besides the two main advantages mentioned, of reducing the number of characters and personalising the URL, there are other advantages that are perhaps not so obvious.

Some shorteners allow for the extraction of data on interaction with links, meaning that an analysis can be made of the statistics for our sites and others. This data may show the number of clicks, their geographical origin and the number of shares.

Many shorteners also make things easier by offering the option of directly programming posts on social media. URL shorteners don’t affect SEO either as they simply re-path the original address, meaning all the work to position the resource stays intact.