Picking Your Personal Url Shortener Domain Name
Personal is pretty simple, as you should most likely go with yourfullname.link . But, if youre ready to spend a couple dollars more, you do have more options than that
Check to see if your first name happens to be available in these domains:
.cool a little corny, but it is still kinda cool. If you have a more common name, you can do something like johnis.cool. We bought brandonis.cool
.tips If you have a massive content or educational marketing angle Or if you share a lot of tips on your social channels.
.marketing If youre marketing to marketers and are trying to build a personal brand as a marketer.
.social if you are a social media marketer and think you will be in this industry for a while .
For my personal sharing, I use derric.link, and thats where I keep all of my social accounts organized and where I share things specific to myself and my personal brand. Want to follow me on your favorite social network, just go to derric.link/your fav social network. Here are all my favorites:
Think Outside The Box
When picking a domain for your custom short links, creativity matters. If you want to stand out, youll need to be quirky or clever. Creative URLs can make your brand memorable and grab consumers attention even in the most crowded newsfeed.
An easy way to communicate a cheeky brand personality is through a standout TLD. What domain name relates to your brand while making a fun statement? How can you communicate your quirks while still being cohesive?
Some fun domains you could consider using include:
- .PIZZA
- .NINJA
- .GAMES
But every brand is different so its worth brainstorming ways you could use TLDs creatively. For example, a jewelry shop which has a young target audience might find the .DIAMONDS TLD too formal for their brand. But .ROCKS could hit the right note with customers.
Or a website for sports fans might use Letsgo.Team as the route to share each NFL teams latest stats. Check out this list of TLDs for some inspiration during your brainstorm.
Download Configure And Upload Yourls
Download the latest version of YOURLS and extract it to your desktop. Go to the user folder and rename the file config-sample.php to config.php
Now, open up config.php in Notepad or whatever editor you use and edit the following settings:
define define define define define $yourls_user_passwords = array
The setup is much similar to our VPS setup. You just have to edit the config.php file to match your data. All the lines are pretty self-explanatory. When you are done editing the file, save it.
The next step is to upload all the files and folders you just downloaded for YOURLS via FTP. You can use the online file manager via your control panel or you can use an FTP client like FileZilla. Just upload all the folders and files to your root directory.
After you are done uploading the files, navigate to http://examp.le/admin and finish the installation.
Read Also: What To Do After Buying A Domain
How Much Should You Spend
Probably not much
Certainly not over $50 unless youve got a big budget and are positive that you will use the domain a lot.
The truth is, there are plenty of domains available for as cheap as $2, so theres no reason to get your heart set on something too expensive.
That being said, some domain extensions cost more than others. I bought a .tips domain for $22, and a .wtf for $35. I felt like those extensions are fun and worth the extra costs, but you dont have to splurge like me if you dont want to.
At Rebrandly, weve secured partnerships to give you domains starting at $2. If youre on a budget, stick to those domains.
If you do have the budget, expand outside of the cheap domains.
What Happens After The Deadline
Nominet have contacted registrants over the Right of Registration period through direct contact, webinars, regular promotion and registrar initiatives. Look out for an advertising campaign in May.
Eleanor Bradley, COO of Nominet, said: For some companies, they will really want to secure the shorter domain for their own use, now or in the future, or to guarantee nobody else can use it.
Others are happy with the domain they have and dont want to register or use another. Its important to stress to those people that the existing domain will continue as normal, and no action is required.
The global domain name system rules that the same set of characters before the dot can appear in names with different suffixes. So, the same name with .co.uk, .org.uk and .com can belong to three different people.
Bradley adds: In the vast majority of cases, very similar domains co-exist with no problems. But for the rare cases where someone is abusing their domain or using it for illegitimate purposes, we have safeguards in place so action can be taken swiftly.
Recommended Reading: Why Are Some Domains So Expensive
How To Choose A Domain For A Custom Link Shortener
Thinking of which branded domain to choose for shortening links is the primary task before creating URLs. Further success is based on the choice you’ll make.
A short link with a generic domain hides the brand name and content you share. While using generic short links, you intensively promote another brand instead of your own. Unless you use a branded domain to tell others about the content, youre missing out on a massive branding opportunity.
So today, on the Short.io blog, well take a closer look at the main tips for a perfect custom domain name.
1. Branded
A domain name should be based on either a company name or a business line. The domain should characterize the brand. It lets users develop the associations. Branded domains are memorable and increase brand trust so that customers at once see who promotes or shares a link.
The example of a reliable branded domain is Adidas that owns a custom domain, a.did.as.
With a domain devoted to brand name, it is easier to scale up activities to other lines, if there is no link to the subject of business.
2. Short
A domain of three or more words is difficult to read and remember. That won’t seem to be a short domain. It will look like a long URL. Find a clear name consisting of 12 short words. If the name has several words, write them together, or replace spaces with dashes.
3. Unique
4. Having the best TLD
5. Easy to pronounce
How to Drive Traffic from Audio Sources
Where can I buy a domain?
Url Shortener For Shopify Stores
10. URL Short Link Generator
Best for: Shopify users.
If you run an ecommerce store on Shopify, it can be a pain to manage all of your links in a third-party application.
Instead, check out URL Short Link Generator by Identix Web. This app helps you to create and track short URLs from within your Shopify dashboard.
Recommended Reading: How Much For A Domain Name Per Year
Create An Apache Virtual Host For Your New Yourls Installation
We are not quite done with Apache. Even if you have Apache installed, youll still need to add your new domain in Apache. Dont forget to point your short domain to your server IP!
First, create a new directory for your YOURLS installation:
mkdir -p /var/www/examp.le/public_html
Create virtual hosts directories :
mkdir /etc/httpd/sites-availablemkdir /etc/httpd/sites-enabled
To finish the virtual hosts directories setup, run:
nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
And add the following line at the end of the file:
IncludeOptional sites-enabled/*.conf
Now, create a virtual host file for your short domain:
nano /etc/httpd/sites-available/examp.le.conf
And add the following:
< VirtualHost *:80> ServerName examp.le ServerAlias examp.le DocumentRoot /var/www/examp.le/public_html < Directory /var/www/examp.le/> AllowOverride All Order Deny,Allow Allow from all < /Directory> ErrorLog /var/www/examp.le/error.log CustomLog /var/www/examp.le/requests.log combined< /VirtualHost>
Enable the virtual hosts file with:
ln -s /etc/httpd/sites-available/examp.le.conf /etc/httpd/sites-enabled/examp.le.conf
Restart Apache for the changes to take effect:
systemctl restart httpd.service
How To Create Your Own Customized Short Url For Your Blog
Last updated on March 26th, 2021 by Editorial Staff | Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. See how WPBeginner is funded, why it matters, and how you can support us.
Do you want to use branded short URLs for your blog? We use wpbeg.in to create our own branded custom short URLs. These short URLs are easy to remember and strengthen your brand recognition among users. In this article, we will show you how to easily create your own customized short URLs for your blog.
Why Use a Branded Customized Short URL in WordPress?
You may have noticed how popular websites like The New York Times, Twitter, Facebook, TechCrunch use branded short URLs on social media.
The New York times uses nyti.ms, TechCrunch uses tcrn.ch, and WPBeginner uses wpbeg.in domain name for shorter customized URLs.
These branded domain names are called domain hacks. They are created by combining the brand name and a domain TLD to cleverly spell a brand name.
Since most websites use .com as their primary domain, this is a good way to create a short url for your WordPress site. See our tips on picking the best domain for your blog.
Using your own customized short URL improves brand recognition among your users. It also allows you to create shorter URLs for easy sharing on social platforms. Most importantly, you can easily track these URLs to see how many clicks you got when you shared a URL.
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Benefits Of Long Domain Names
If you are thinking about a long domain name, it might not be a bad idea! Long domain names have a number of benefits that shorter domain names do not have. For starters, you are able to use your entire brand name which is convenient if you have a longer company name. Secondly, given the sheer number of domain names that are registered in 2021, there is a much higher chance that you will be able to register the domain name that you want.
As of 2021, there are no domain names with four characters or less currently for sale on the market. For instance, we would have loved to register the domain name safari.com.au, however, given the name had already been registered to an existing company, we had to register safaridigitial.com.au. When you register a longer domain name, your chances of getting a brand name that you want is much higher than a shorter domain name.
One of the most overlooked benefits of choosing a longer domain name is that you are able to put your target keywords in them. As of 2021, websites that include their target keywords in them still receive preferential treatment in the search engine results pages. For instance if you were to register your domain name as brandname+service.com.au it would be easier to rank than just a brand name. By adding your keywords to the URL, you are giving Google a clearer picture about what they can expect to find on your website.
What Is A Url Shortener
A URL shortener is an online tool that takes a long, hefty URL and provides a shortened URL that sends the user to the exact same spot. Some URL shorteners can also help you track and manipulate those links, with features like click analytics, UTM parameter support, and retargeting.
URL shorteners help you create shorter, more aesthetic URLs, as well as benefit from those tracking and retargeting features. In a previous post, we also answered to the basic question: what is a URL.
Also Check: How To Figure Out Who Owns A Domain
Shorten The Domain Name For Users Of O 365/sharepoint Online
Question: When we decided to implement Office 365/SharePoint online, we found out that some rando is squatting on our company name domain already. Our IT organization found an available domain and chose that. But, its long and clunky.
We have the E3 license.
What are our options for letting our internal users get to the sites/share links without using the full domain name?
I understand that we will also hit the URL length limit faster now that our domain is:
companynameandlongerlegalparenttitle.sharepoint.com
Option : The Fully Hosted Way
Setting up your own URL shortener is a three-step process.
1. Register a domain
The first step involves registering a domain name to keep in with the trend of many of these sites, its an idea to keep the URL as short as possible. Ultimately, this means youll need to look to international domains, given that the likes of .com, .net and .co.uk domains are in short supply.
You can even get creative and think of a way of incorporating the domain extension into the overall URL name, for example is.gd, goo.gl and su.pr. Its worth noting that some country code top-level domains can cost a lot a .pr domain can cost about $1,000 USD to register per year, hence many good names are still available in Puerto Rico.
At the time of writing, you can secure stub.by from Belarus for $145 USD per year. Whereas tinie.st from São Tomé and Príncipe is yours for a mere $79 USD.
If it becomes possible to register domains in Eritrea, youll need to be quick to secure the likes of small.er or less.er. And the same goes for the Catalonian domain .cat which is limited to local parties at present, meaning you cant secure trun.cat quite yet.
2. Find a hosting service
As a general rule of thumb, if your web host can handle a WordPress blog, itll cope with a server-based URL shortening web application such as YOURLS just fine. The server should run PHP 4.3, MySQL 4.1 at the very least.
3. Install your URL shortening webapp
Read Also: How Much To Purchase A Domain Name
Adding Custom Domain To Godaddys Url Shortener
Usually, the changes take effect within 5 minutes.
Go back to the GoDaddy URL shortener & click on Settings. There you will find two fields other than the domain name.
Those are:
- Base redirects you to: By leaving this field blank, users will be redirected to our shortener. Enter another domain, and theyll go there instead.
- Case sensitivity: Shortened links that are case insensitive will treat upper and lower case links the same while selecting sensitive will be a whole different scenario.
You may see this error Your domain hasnt been verified. This can take a few minutes.
It means the changes have not been replicated and you need to wait for sometime. Also, ensure that you dont have a duplicate record. You can also use a DNS lookup to check the updated record. Once everything is ready and configured, you can start shortening your URLs under your branded domain name.
Think About Choosing A Domain With A New Tld
When choosing a domain name, you should pick one that will reflect your brand and communicate its message. Doing so will give viewers immediate information about your business and grab their attention.
You can choose a TLD that is associated with your brand, one that is eye-catching, or one that indicates something about the content youre sharing. Or, like us, you can use several.
The chances are, youre already using a .COM domain for your businesss main websiteso the ideal .COM domain is likely not an option . That makes New TLDs a great option to explore for your brand. New TLDs can communicate meaningful details about your brand or the content youre linking to, and because they are new, its more likely that your brand name will be available to purchase.
With New TLDs as part of your short links, you can spread your brands name far and wide, while giving customers a little direction.
For example, the John Doe PR Agency could use JohnDoe.Agency to link followers to pages on its main website. But it could also use JohnDoe.Events to promote various upcoming events or .MEDIA to share client press coverage.
The idea here is to indicate to consumers what kind of content youre linking them to in order to improve CTR and trust.
At Rebrandly, our main website is Rebrandly.com. But we use Rebrandly.Support to send out FAQs to users. Rebrandly.Blog lets our followers know when were linking to one of our articles.
Also Check: How Much Do Domains Cost Per Year