URL shortening will help businesses to keep their website and landing
page addresses concise and easy for customers to memorize. Shorter URLs
also fit better onto mobile screens and enhance mobile marketing
opportunities.
Using a URL shortener provides companies with
several advantages. If customers don't have a handy link to the
company's site or a bookmark, then they will never remember a long URL
when they are on-the-go using their mobile device. A URL shortening
service will take a long address and make it short and memorable.
Customers will input the shorter URL, and the shortening service will
ensure that they are redirected to the appropriate website.
Customers Will Click On Short URLs
Customers look at a lengthy URL and find it unapproachable. Customers
also tend to think that shorter URLs are closer to the main website and
more likely to contain the information that they need. When a URL is too
long, customers may infer that the information on the page will be too
complicated, causing them to search for the same information on another
site. On a mobile device, long URLs may take up the entire page, keeping
customers from getting important content at-a-glance.
Twitter Marketing
Companies that plan to market via Twitter must realize that they only
have 140 characters at their disposal. A long web address will swallow
the entire tweet and leave no room for marketing content. Twitter
followers are unlikely to click on a tweeted link if the company tells
them nothing about the page content.
SMS Marketing
Depending on the recipient's mobile phone service, companies have
between 140 and 160 characters to get their message across. If
recipients do not use smart phones that automatically link them to the
company site, then they will have to re-type the web address into their
browser. The chance for typos is greatly enhanced with a long URL, and
typos mean missed opportunities for the customer to visit the website.
Print Media
When website addresses are included in print media, unless companies
use QR codes, customers have to translate the web address from the
printed page and into their browsers. Companies may advertise on posters
on other media that will require customers to memorize their web
address for later recall. A long URL will be impossible to memorize and
will translate into missed opportunities.
Companies may utilize
a number of URL shortening services that operate on the web. Many of
these make money through advertising, which means that businesses will
pay no money for their service. A short URL is memorable and easy for
customers to put into their mobile browser. This simple change may
result in a significant increase in page views and, by extension, a
significant increase in sales.