Link shorteners are an important tool for enterprises that use short links on social media, marketing campaigns, and advertising. URL Shorteners are needed to turn long URLs into attractive tiny URLs. In turn, short links attract attention and garner more clicks, making them a necessary part of any marketer’s toolbox. They also provide a quick and easy way to share files or screenshots with co-workers and customers. Overall, short URLs are an integral form of digital communication for any business. As such, it is important to use the best link shortener for your team.
Since enterprises deal with large amounts of content and data, they require additional security and management features in their link shorteners. Let’s go over some of these features below and figure out which is the best link shortener for enterprises.
The Most Important Features in the Best Link Shorteners for Enterprises
Branded Links
The best way to attract users to your links is through custom branding. Branded links are short links that include your own custom domain or subdomain. So, the links you create will include your brand’s name instead of the name of the URL shortener.
Branded links advertise your brand and assure users that the links they click are associated with your brand. According to Bitly, branded links receive a 34% higher click-through rate than their non-branded counterparts. So, if you want your links to reach a wide audience and market your brand, you should use a link shortener that includes custom branding.
Recommendations: Rebrandly, Droplr, BLINK
Enterprise-level Security
Enterprises need enterprise-level security for their data. You don’t want your sensitive information falling into the wrong hands! This is true in the case of link shorteners too–you don’t want someone to hack your links and edit them or redirect their traffic elsewhere. As such, the best URL shorteners for enterprises also include enterprise-level security.
Look for link shorteners that include two-factor authorization and single sign-on (SSO) to keep your accounts safe. You will also want a link shortener that is compliant with security regulations like GDPR and SOC 2 and that uses SSL/TLS encryption for data transfer. Finally, enterprises will want a shortener that includes admin controls so admins can implement company-wide regulations and monitor employee use.
Recommendations: Droplr, Bitly, Rebrandly, BLINK
Link Management
There are times when you may want to edit a link to change its address or redirect. In these cases, you will need access to a URL shortener that includes link management services. These services let you edit links after you’ve created them. You can also delete links that you no longer want to use or set links to self-destruct after a given amount of time.
Enterprises will want access to link management features so they can control their links and redirects. This way, enterprises can edit or delete links that are underperforming in terms of click-through rate or number of views.
Recommendations: Rebrandly, Tinycc
Detailed Analytics
Of course, to track whether or not a link is performing well, you need access to detailed analytics. Fortunately, many link shorteners include analytic reports that can tell you how your link is performing in terms of impressions, clicks, CTR, and more! Some also include demographic information so you can determine if your links are appealing to your target audience. Some analytic services for enterprises also let you analyze the contributions of individual employees; you can check how many links they’ve created and how well those links are performing.
You can’t improve your link management strategies without data. Link analytics are vital for enterprises that use short links for marketing campaigns. Ultimately, to create the best short links possible, you need detailed analytics to show you what does and doesn’t work.
Recommendations: Bitly, Droplr
Picking the Best Link Shortener for Enterprises
We’ve mentioned a few URL shorteners in the above section that provide excellent features for enterprises. Let’s go over these shorteners in a bit more detail so you can determine which is best for your own enterprise’s needs. You can read more about the above link shorteners and others in our article on the 5 Best URL Shorteners.
Bitly is one of the best-known URL shorteners on the market and is used by many enterprises. This name recognition is certainly a plus for enterprises that want to use custom Bitly links, but Bitly isn’t perfect. Bitly pricing charges per custom domain and number of branded links, which can lead to high costs for enterprises. They also charges extra for Bitly link management services. Still, Bitly enterprise provides one of the most detailed analytic packages of any shortener and offers full security coverage to boot.
Rebrandly is a top competitor to Bitly that focuses on providing custom link services. In fact, Rebrandly offers a full 5 custom domains in just its free service, with more offered in higher price tiers. Rebrandly is an excellent and cost-effective choice both for branded links and link management. However, its analytics are not as robust as Bitly’s, and it imposes limits on the number of clicks tracked per month. If you want to keep tracking after you’ve reached the limit, you’ll have to pay extra. So, if you want to choose between Bitly vs Rebrandly, you will have to consider whether you prefer more custom domain options or better link tracking.
Droplr is unique in this list in that it offers more than just a URL shortener. It also includes a screenshot and screen recording app and a cloud-based file sharing platform in addition to a link shortener. Droplr’s link shortener is an excellent choice, with unlimited short links, high-end security, and the ability to set your own custom subdomain or domain. It also has the best link self-destruction service as you can set when your links self-destruct down to the hour. Droplr includes Premium Analytics that gives admins the ability to analyze and manage the links of everyone on their team. Overall, Droplr is a solid multi-use tool for enterprises and a good cheaper alternative to Bitly or Rebrandly.
Tinycc isn’t the best link shortener on this list, but it is among the least expensive. It offers custom domains, link tracking, and link editing for a low monthly cost. Tinycc is particularly good for link management as it provides an unlimited number of link redirects on any plan.
Like Rebrandly, BLINK is an excellent choice for branded links. BLINK’s URL shortener offers a high number of custom domains on any paid plan. BLINK also includes robust link management services with unlimited link redirects as well as excellent security features. Unfortunately, BLINK’s analytics are weaker than some of the competition, with a limited number of clicks tracked per link.
Which of the above URL shorteners works best for you will depend on what features your enterprise prioritizes. You should research any that seem promising or try out their free trial period. Be sure to check with the rest of your team before solidifying your choice.