How to Create Branded Short Links in WordPress (Step by Step)
tutorial branded links custom domain url-shortify wordpress

How to Create Branded Short Links in WordPress (Step by Step)

By KaizenCoders

A branded short link is a link that carries your name instead of a generic shortener's. yourbrand.com/deal instead of bit.ly/3xQ9z. It looks more trustworthy, gets more clicks, and reinforces your brand every time someone shares it. The best part: on WordPress you can create them yourself, keep all the click data, and never depend on a third-party platform.

This guide shows you exactly how to create branded short links in WordPress, from your first cloaked link to serving links off your own dedicated short domain.

  • Trust and click-through. Clean, branded links read as safe. Long parameter-stuffed URLs and anonymous shortener domains read as suspicious — and people hesitate before clicking.
  • Brand recall. Every shared link is a tiny ad for your domain.
  • Owned data. When you create links in WordPress, the clicks live in your database — not a SaaS dashboard you rent.
  • Control. You choose the slug, the redirect type, and what happens when a link changes.

What you need

  • A WordPress site.
  • The URL Shortify plugin installed and activated — see Installation.
  • (Optional, for a separate short domain) a domain or subdomain you can point at your site.

Switching from another link plugin? Bring your existing links across first with One-Click Import — it reads Pretty Links, ThirstyAffiliates, Redirection, and more directly, no CSV needed — then brand and track them with the steps below.

  1. Go to URL Shortify → Links → Add New.
  2. Enter a Title (for your reference) and the Target URL (where the link points).
  3. Set the slug — the part after your domain. Keep it short and meaningful: /deal, /guide, /go/elementor.
  4. Choose the redirect type — 301 for permanent links you want to pass equity, 302 for campaign and affiliate links you may repoint later.
  5. Save.

Your branded link is now live at yourdomain.com/your-slug. Full options are documented in Create a Short Link.

Step 2: Choose a slug convention (do this once)

Consistency is what makes branded links feel professional. Pick a prefix system and stick to it:

  • /go/ or /recommends/ for affiliate links
  • /deal/ for promotions
  • /r/ for resources

A convention also keeps your link list tidy and makes tags and reports easier to scan later. See Link Tags for organising at scale.

Using yourdomain.com/deal is already branded. But many brands want a dedicated short domain — like yose.fy or brnd.co — so links are tiny and branded. URL Shortify supports custom domains:

  1. Register a short domain (or pick a subdomain like go.yourdomain.com).
  2. Point it at your WordPress site with the redirect setup described in Custom Domains.
  3. Add the domain in URL Shortify at URL Shortify → Domains.
  4. Create links on that domain — they'll resolve as go.yourdomain.com/deal.

This is the step that turns "short links on my site" into a real branded link system.

A branded link should preview well on social and chat apps. URL Shortify lets you control the Open Graph link preview — the title, description, and image that appear when your short link is pasted into Facebook, LinkedIn, or Slack. Set these so a shared link shows your branding, not a blank card.

Step 5: Turn on tracking and keep the numbers clean

Branded links are most valuable when you can see how they perform.

  1. Confirm tracking is on at URL Shortify → Settings (the Tracking option) — see Link Tracking.
  2. Exclude your own traffic so testing doesn't inflate counts — Exclude IPs.
  3. Filter bots so crawlers don't pollute stats — Filter Robots.

Now every branded click is recorded with referrer, country, and device — yours to keep.

Step 6 (optional): Add a QR code for offline branding

For print, packaging, or events, generate a QR code from any branded link. The QR points at your branded slug, so even offline scans flow through your tracked, branded URL.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Inconsistent slugs. /go/elementor on one post and /elementor-page-builder-review on another makes your links look ad hoc. Pick a convention.
  • 301 on links you'll repoint. Use 302 for affiliate and campaign links so you can change the destination without redirect-cache headaches.
  • Forgetting to exclude your own IP. Your testing clicks will quietly distort early numbers.
  • No branded domain. Branded slugs are good; a dedicated short domain is the polish that makes links memorable.

Conclusion

Creating branded short links in WordPress is a five-minute setup that pays off on every share: more trust, more clicks, and click data you own. Start with a clean slug on your main domain, add a custom short domain when you're ready, turn on tracking, and you've got a branded link system that rivals any SaaS shortener — without renting it.

FAQs

Yes. URL Shortify serves links from your main domain by default, and supports a dedicated custom short domain — see Custom Domains.

They're neutral-to-positive: clean branded links improve click-through and trust, and with the right redirect type they don't harm SEO. Use 301 for permanent links, 302 for links you may repoint.

A self-hosted plugin means no per-click SaaS fees — you own the links and data on your own domain. See Best Bitly Alternatives for WordPress.

Yes — every branded link records clicks, unique clicks, referrer, country, and device. See How to Track Link Clicks in WordPress.

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