Boost Click-Through Rates with Branded Short Links

Short links tidy long URLs — but branded short links do more: they communicate credibility. When recipients see a link with your brand, they're more likely to click. For marketers, that uplift in trust often translates to better CTR and conversion rates.

Why Branded Short Links Work

• Trust & Recognition: A branded domain (example: go.yourbrand.com or yourbrand.link/offer) signals legitimacy.
• Branding Opportunity: Every click is also a brand impression; short, memorable slugs reinforce campaigns.
• Better Deliverability: Branded links are less likely to be flagged as suspicious in email or messaging apps.
• Analytics & Control: You own the domain and analytics, not a third-party shortener.

How to Choose a Branded Short Domain

Picking the right domain is critical. Follow these rules:

• Keep it short — fewer characters are easier to read and type.
• Keep it recognizable — use something clearly tied to your brand (abbreviations are fine if they're common).
• Prefer readability — avoid ambiguous letters / numbers that look like each other.
• Choose the right TLD — .com/.in/.co/.link/.app are options; pick one that fits your audience and budget.

Crafting High-Performing Slugs

The slug (the tail after the domain) is an opportunity to increase relevance and clicks:

• Be descriptive: /spring-sale outperforms /p=1234.
• Use CTAs: /join-now or /get-discount provide a micro-CTA.
• Keep it concise: 6–20 characters is a good sweet spot.

Examples — Good vs Bad

How Marketers Use Branded Links

• Email campaigns: Replace long tracking URLs with branded links for cleaner copy and improved deliverability.
• Social ads: Use readable slugs to increase relevance and prevent ad disapproval.
• Influencer partnerships: Provide influencers with branded links so clicks are clearly attributed and conversions tracked.
• Offline to online: Use short, branded slugs in print and QR codes for easy typing and recall.

Measuring Impact: What To Track

To know if branded links help you, track these KPIs:

• CTR — clicks / impressions
• Conversion rate — clicks that convert
• Bounce rate & time on page — quality of traffic
• Source breakdown — where clicks come from (email, social, QR)

Step-by-Step: Set Up Branded Links with BlinkURL

1. Register a short, brand-connected domain (e.g., go.yourbrand.com or yourbrand.link).
2. Point DNS to BlinkURL per our docs (or add as a custom domain in the dashboard).
3. Create a short link and set a descriptive slug (e.g., /blackfriday-50).
4. Add UTM parameters to the destination before shortening for clean analytics.
5. Use BlinkURL analytics to monitor CTR, referrers, and conversions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using overly long branded domains that defeat the purpose of shortening.
• Neglecting UTMs — you’ll miss where traffic actually comes from.
• Reusing slugs for different campaigns — keep them unique for proper tracking.