What Is a URL Shortener?

A URL shortener is an online tool that takes a long web address and turns it into a shorter link that still leads to the same page. This makes sharing URLs easier, easier to remember, and fits better on platforms with character limits like social media or messaging apps.

Think about when you want to share a really long link with friends—it can look messy and be hard to manage. URL shorteners solve this by creating a neat, compact link. For example, instead of sending “https://www.example.com/articles/2023/10/18/what-is-a-url-shortener-and-how-does-it-work,” you can use something like “https://bit.ly/xyz123.” It’s cleaner and much simpler to share or remember.

URL shorteners are especially useful on sites like X (Twitter), where you only have a limited number of characters. They also make printed materials look tidier when you include web addresses. Plus, some URL shortening services offer analytics, so you can see how many people clicked your link and where they came from.