URL shortener and how to create a custom short URL

URL shortener and how to create a custom short URL - URL shortening tools are very popular because so many people want to create a short URL for Twitter, other micro social networking sites while maintaining brand name visibility. Innovative minded companies and website owners are succeeding when they receive shortened URLs synonymous with the full domain name.

They do it by creating a custom short URL with their own commercial tools.

Here are some benefits when choosing such tools to maintain your brand in the light version.

• Short URLs promote your brand and are less likely to be confused. TinyUrl has randomly generated names that are hard to remember and easy to confuse.


• The URL looks great and is relevant to the business: it will contain important elements of the full domain name.


• They maintain the brand in tweets and other micro site posts when the URL will be a meaningless combination of letters and numbers.


• Because they are open source, custom tools are free and more tolerant than commercial services, many have disappeared.


• Although free, the service has traffic details related to shortened URLs.


• When shortening URLs with commercial services like TinyUrl, networks like schools and colleges block them. This is because they are known to hide URLs of pornography, online gambling and other illegal websites.

Below is a review of these two currently used to create a custom short URL for Twitter or any other micro website service: YOULS and Bit.ly.

A. Use the Bit.ly method

Bit.ly helps point the short domain names you choose to the website. You will choose a customized short name when using this method.

1. Choose your short domain name

First, choose a small URL: choose your favorite domain finder for this, like Domainsbot or Domainr. When there is a page connected to the European Union or currency. Choose Domainr, these domain names are available: euro.ec - the screenshot below shows available at that time.

Once you have found a domain name, you must first register it with GoDaddy, gandi.net or ENOM. It is important that the name you choose has less than 15 characters or that this name will not work with bit.ly.

2. Register with Bit.ly and Register for DNS Server

Visit Bit.ly and register for a Pro beta account - it's free to join and shorten your URL.

Like other domain names, you must register the domain name to point to a hosting service. Most providers, like GoDaddy, gandi.net or ENOM, make this very easy to do, so follow the steps on the website you use.

For example, with GoDaddy, look for 'A Record' (Address Record) in the tab marked ‘General DNS.’ This record maps domain names to a specific IP address. Each domain service will handle this in a different way, but when there's a problem, support will help you.

With GoDaddy, you find the appropriate box, add DNS records and enter the Bit.ly IP address in the box provided. The IP address to use is IP 168.143.174.97.

They are not sure about this part, so ask for the support of GoDaddy or the domain registration services you have used and they will make sure you get it right. However, there is information on the website about how to do this.

See more :How to create a website with Wix

3. Verify website

Access your Bit.ly Pro account and enter the website's short URL (shortened version). Then follow the instructions to verify ownership. Now, any shortened links from Bit.ly will be converted to the custom short URL you have entered. Shortened URLs will use custom shortened domain names with the trademark.

B. YOULS: Your own URL shortener

YOULS is having PHP scripts that will shorten your own URLs and have URL shortening services without relying on third parties. You choose it to correctly label URLs so they are recognized as belonging to your site. Here's how:

1. a) Download the YOUL source code to your computer.


2. b) Upload it to the website root directory. The easiest way is to use free ftp software like Coreftp.


3. c) Download the plugin as a zip file from the YOULS website - just Google YOULS and you will see it. Upload the plugin to WordPress and activate it.


4. d) Enter the file path to the config.php file in the box that opens when you activate the plugin.

Now you will easily create a short URL without any external third party to maintain the short URL.

There is also a version called Your-Wordpress-to-Twitter that acts as a bridge between YOULS and the website. When you publish a new post, YOULS will create a short URL for it. Automatic tweeting of a post with the short URL feature is disabled in the latest version.

C. Use YOULS to customize a short URL

1. a) Upload the source code as above.


2. b) Select and register a short URL as described above for the Bit.ly method. The new DNS pointer resolves the current web hosting service and then uses the new shortened domain name as an additional domain name for the primary domain. This is done easily in CPanel.


3. c) Create a placeholder website in the root of the new short domain.


4. d) On CPanel, create a new MySQL database. Open the file /user/config-same.php in the YOUL source using the file editor and add MySQL database data (username, password, DB server, etc. as required). Save and rename the file /user/config.php


5. e) Complete the installation by visiting http://yoursite.com/admin and following the instructions.

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Summary of URL shortening tools

Tools like YOULS convert long, complex domain names into short versions. When combined with Bit.ly or YOULS to shorten the URL, the final short URL will be created in the form of branding. Choose a final short URL and register the URL so that only you can use it.

URL shortening tools are not only fun to use but also help identify the brand. They look good and maintain brand visibility even in tweets from Twitter and other micro-sites, where a longer URL will automatically be changed into an unrecognized shorter form.