Link Management
How to Organize Short Links with Tags
As your list of short links grows, finding the right one gets harder. Tags let you label links by campaign, channel or purpose, then filter the links table down to just the links you need. In URL Shortify PRO, a tag is a reusable colour-coded label you create once and assign to any number of links.
Tags are a PRO feature and are separate from Groups, which are available in the free version.
PRO feature
Tags require URL Shortify PRO. The Tags menu and the per-link Tags field appear only when PRO is active. If you are on the free version, use Groups to organize links instead.
What are link tags?
Tags are custom labels you create and assign to one or more short links. Each tag has a name, an optional description and a colour. On the links table, tags appear as coloured badges, and clicking a badge instantly filters the table to show only links with that tag.
Tags vs Groups
Both organize links, but they work differently and target different plans:
| Tags (PRO) | Groups (FREE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | URL Shortify PRO | Free and PRO |
| Menu | URL Shortify → Tags | URL Shortify → Groups |
| Purpose | Flexible, cross-cutting labels (campaign, channel) | Structured collections with their own analytics |
| Filtering | Filter the links table by tag | Group-level reporting and bulk moves |
Use groups for the primary way you file links and tags for lighter cross-cutting labels. See Link Groups for the free grouping workflow.
Create a tag
- Go to URL Shortify → Tags.
- Click Add New.
- Fill in the tag form:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name (required) | The tag label (for example Social Media, Affiliate, Campaign 2024) |
| Description (optional) | Internal notes about this tag |
| Color | Click the colour swatch to pick a hex colour (default: indigo #6366f1) |
- Click Save.
Assign tags to a link
The per-link Tags field appears on the link form only when PRO is active.
When creating a new link
- Go to URL Shortify → Links → Add New.
- Scroll to the Tags field.
- Click the dropdown and select one or more tags.
- Save the link.
When editing an existing link
- Open any short link for editing.
- Find the Tags multi-select dropdown.
- Add or remove tags as needed.
- Save the link.
You can assign multiple tags to a single link. A link with no tags shows a dash (—) in the tags column.
View tags on the links table
Tags appear as coloured inline badges in the Tags column of the links table. Each badge shows the tag name in the colour you chose.
Filter links by tag
Method 1 — click a tag badge: Click any tag badge in the links table to instantly filter the table to links carrying that tag.
Method 2 — use the filter dropdown:
- Click the Filter dropdown above the links table.
- Choose a Tag from the filter options.
- Apply the filter to view only links assigned to that tag.
Bulk add, change or remove tags
- Select multiple links using the checkboxes on the left.
- Open the Bulk actions dropdown.
- Choose one of the tag actions:
- Add Tag — adds a tag to all selected links without removing existing tags.
- Change Tag — replaces all existing tags with a new tag on the selected links.
- Remove Tag — removes all tags from the selected links.
- Click Apply.
Manage tags
Go to URL Shortify → Tags to manage all tags.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Tag name with Edit / Delete row actions |
| Links | Number of short links assigned to this tag |
| Created On | Date the tag was created |
Actions available:
- Edit — update name, description or colour.
- Delete — removes the tag and all its link associations.
- Bulk delete — select multiple tags and delete them at once.
- Search — search tags by name.
Deleting a tag does not delete the links — it only removes the tag and its associations.
Who can manage tags
The manage_tags capability controls who can access and manage tags through both the admin UI and the REST API. Assign it to the roles you want in URL Shortify → Settings → Access Control. See User Roles and Permissions for the full role matrix.
Tags in the REST API
Tags are also available over the REST API for programmatic management. See the REST API reference for authentication, request formats and endpoints.
Conclusion
Tags give you a flexible, colour-coded way to label short links across campaigns and channels, then filter and report on them from the links table — without the fixed structure of groups. They are a PRO feature; on the free version, organize links with Groups instead. Once your links are tagged, use Smart Reports to compare performance across tags.
FAQs
Are tags available in the free version of URL Shortify?
No. Tags require URL Shortify PRO — the Tags menu and the per-link Tags field appear only when PRO is active. In the free version, use Groups to organize your links; groups also give you group-level analytics that tags do not.
What is the difference between tags and groups?
Groups (free) are structured collections with their own analytics and bulk-move actions — the primary way you file a link. Tags (PRO) are lighter, cross-cutting colour-coded labels you can apply on top, useful for campaigns and channels. A link can belong to groups and carry several tags at the same time.
Can a link have more than one tag?
Yes. One link can carry multiple tags, and one tag can be assigned to many links. Assign tags from the Tags field on the link form, or apply them to several links at once using the Add Tag bulk action from the links table.
Does deleting a tag delete the links using it?
No. Deleting a tag only removes the tag and its associations with links. The short links themselves keep working and simply lose that label. Likewise, deleting a link automatically removes its tag associations without affecting the tag.
Who can create and manage tags?
Access is controlled by the manage_tags capability, which applies to both the admin UI and the REST API. Administrators have it by default; you can grant it to other roles in URL Shortify → Settings → Access Control.