Advanced Features
Slug & Link Prefix Settings
Two settings shape what your short URLs actually look like: the link prefix that sits before the slug, and the slug rules that decide how automatic slugs are generated.
Both live under URL Shortify → Settings → Links.
Link prefix
A prefix is a fixed path segment inserted before every slug:
https://example.com/go/summer-sale
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the prefix
Set it under Settings → Links → Link Prefix. Enter go to get /go/, or leave it empty for slugs at the root.
Why use one
- It keeps short links in their own namespace, so a link can never collide with a page, post or category on your site.
- It makes short links obvious in analytics and server logs.
Why you might not
- It makes every short URL longer, which works against the point of shortening.
The prefix applies to new links only
Changing the prefix does not rewrite links you already created — the prefix is stored as part of each link's slug. Existing links keep working at their current URLs. To move an old link, edit it and change its Short URL field by hand.
Slug generation rules
When you don't type a slug yourself, URL Shortify generates one. These settings control it.
PRO Feature
The slug character and length settings are available in URL Shortify PRO. The free version generates four-character lowercase slugs.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Slug Character Count | How many characters an automatic slug has. Shorter is tidier, longer gives far more combinations |
| Lower-case characters (a–z) | Include lowercase letters |
| Upper-case characters (A–Z) | Include uppercase letters |
| Numeric characters (0–9) | Include digits |
| Excluded Characters or Numbers | Characters never to use — a comma-separated list |
Excluding characters is worth doing if links are ever read aloud, typed from print, or put on a QR code poster. Removing 0, O, 1, l and I avoids the combinations people most often mistype.
Choosing a length. Each extra character multiplies the number of possible slugs. Four lowercase-and-digit characters give about 1.7 million combinations, which is plenty for most sites; a site with hundreds of thousands of links should use more. URL Shortify checks that a generated slug is free before saving, and lengthens the slug automatically if the shorter space is crowded.
Case sensitive short URLs
Under Settings → General, Case Sensitive Short URL decides whether /AbC and /abc are the same link.
- Off (default) — treated as the same link. More forgiving when someone retypes a URL.
- On — treated as different links. Gives many more usable short slugs, at the cost of links that break if the case is wrong.
Turn it on only if you need the extra combinations and your links are always copied and pasted rather than typed.
FAQ
How do I add /go/ to my short links in WordPress?
Set go as the Link Prefix under URL Shortify → Settings → Links. New links are then created as /go/slug.
Will changing the link prefix break my existing short links?
No. The prefix is stored as part of each link's slug, so existing links keep working at their current URLs. Only newly created links use the new prefix.
How do I make my short links shorter?
Reduce the Slug Character Count under Settings → Links, and leave the Link Prefix empty so slugs sit at the root of your domain.
Can I stop confusing characters appearing in generated slugs?
Yes. Add them to Excluded Characters or Numbers — 0,O,1,l,I is a common choice for links that get read aloud or typed from print.
Should I turn on case sensitive short URLs?
Only if you need far more slug combinations. It means /AbC and /abc become different links, so a mistyped capital gives a broken link.
What happens if a generated slug is already taken?
URL Shortify checks before saving and generates another. If short slugs are running out it lengthens the slug automatically.