I use shortened URL services such as TinyuRL, Bit.ly, and su.pr on a daily basis. These services are great, but would you like to create something similar yourself? Properly configuring such a service is a trivial task. If you're using WordPress, it also comes with a plugin that works seamlessly.
And one of the benefits of setting up URL shortening is online branding for your site, and the more people see your brand name, the more likely they will remember it. For this reason, we recommend having a URL that includes your brand name.
You can also configure the shortener to display statistics and other useful details.
There are various online resources that shorten long URL links and make them easier to share on social services. But with the increasing need for short URLs, having a good URL shortening script can help.
So today I'm going to talk about different ways to self-host a URL shortening service with your own domain name. If you own a domain, creating one is very easy with little technical skill required.
Introduction:
To get started with this, go to Shortener.godaddy.com & log in with your GoDaddy account. If you don't have an account, go to GoDaddy's main page to buy a domain name. The most interesting thing about GoDaddy's URL shortening service is that you can use your own domain name to create short URLs.
We recommend buying a 5-4 character domain name to keep your URLs short. You can also transfer your existing domain name from another registrar to GoDaddy and then use GoDaddy's URL shortening service.
Steps to create a URL shortener using GoDaddy tools on your domain name:
After visiting Shortener.godaddy.com, click Settings at the top.
To get your A&TXT records, first click Help on the settings page you need to update. This will point your domain to GoDaddy's URL shortening service.
Editing records and TXT values on GoDaddy:
Log in to your GoDaddy account and click Domains
Click the domain name you want to set as your branded shortened URL
Click Done on this page, then Save Changes on the next page.
Add a Custom Domain to GoDaddy's URL Shortening Service
Changes typically take effect within 5 minutes.
Go back to GoDaddy's URL shortening service and click Settings. There you will find two fields other than domain name .
They are:
Base redirects you to: Leaving this field blank redirects the user to the shortener. If you enter another domain, it will go there instead.
Case Sensitivity: Case-insensitive shortened links treat upper- and lower-case links the same, but choosing case is a completely different scenario.
"Domain not verified. This may take a few minutes."
Another way to create a branded custom domain URL shortener:
1) YOURLS (your own URL shortening service):
One popular method is to use the YOURLS script available on Github. With us you can create something similar to TinyURL or Bit.ly.
The nice thing about YOURLS is the plugin seconds. You can add a lot of functionality to your URL shortening service using these plugins. However, running the YOURLS script requires more technical skills than the previous method.
If you're comfortable with FTP, using databases, and modifying core files, you should have no problem configuring YOURLS. I recommend trying it on a local installation of PHP server and MYSQL server first. See the guides below for local PHP and MySQL server configuration.
2) Bit.ly :
Another popular method is to use Bit.ly to create shortened URLs. I've been using it for a while, but after the news that Bit.ly adds affiliate tokens to many shortened URLs under free accounts, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Conclusion: How to create a URL shortening service with domain name 2023
Among all the methods given, the GoDaddy method is very easy to use and very user-friendly, so you can start your branded URL shortening service in no time. Let us know in the comments section if you are using any URL shortening method. Show your love and support by sharing this article on your social media platforms. It may help others as well.
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