Use cases

One URL shortener, three very different jobs

A short link is only useful if it tells you something afterwards. Here is what click tracking, custom domains and QR codes are actually for, depending on what you are promoting.

Affiliate marketers

Track every affiliate link and see which ones actually convert

Most affiliate platforms only tell you whether a click converted, not where it came from or which creative drove it. Give every network, banner and social post its own short link and the click data tells you which traffic to keep bidding on.

Cloaking keeps the destination off the landing page you are sharing, and UTM tags keep the campaign attribution intact through the redirect so it still lands in your analytics.

What you get

  • • affiliate link shortener
  • • affiliate link tracker
  • • affiliate link cloaking
  • • link shortener for affiliate marketing
  • • track affiliate clicks by campaign

Local and service businesses

Short links for menus, quotes, booking pages and follow-ups

A printed menu, a quote on an invoice and a booking link in a text message are three very different places to lose a customer. Short branded links keep them tidy and recognisable, and the click count tells you whether the QR code on your window is doing anything.

Set an expiry date on a promotional link and point it at your normal page when the offer ends, instead of leaving a dead discount out in the world.

What you get

  • • short url for small business
  • • link shortener for local business
  • • restaurant menu link shortener
  • • appointment booking link shortener
  • • link shortener for service businesses

E-commerce and content brands

Clean links for product pages, social bio links and campaigns

Product links are long, and the same link ends up in your bio, your emails, your ads and your packaging. One branded short domain makes all of them look like you, and per-link click data tells you which channel actually sells.

Bulk shortening matters most here: paste the whole catalogue and get it back in one go, then generate a QR code for any product page that needs to work in print.

What you get

  • • ecommerce link shortener
  • • product link shortener
  • • link in bio shortener
  • • utm link shortener for social media
  • • link shortener for content creators

Questions about picking a link shortener

Which link shortener is best for affiliate marketers?

You want per-campaign click data and links that survive platform review. ShortURL gives each affiliate campaign its own short link, breaks clicks down by country and referrer, and supports cloaking plus UTM tagging so attribution survives the redirect.

Can a small business use short links for print and packaging?

Yes. Generate a QR code for any short link and download it as a PNG or JPG, or as a scalable SVG on the Pro plan for print shops. Menus, flyers, packaging and receipts are all common uses.

Does ShortURL replace my analytics tool?

No, and it does not need to. ShortURL answers "did anyone click this link, and where did they come from" at the individual link level. Your existing analytics tool still tracks everything after the redirect.

Do I need a custom domain?

No. Every account gets short links on the shared domain. A custom domain is worth it when the brand matters, such as for a link printed on packaging or shared in a bio.