Ask HN: What is the purpose of link shorteners? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What is the purpose of link shorteners?

2 pointsmgalka10 comments

This may be a dumb question with a simple answer, but I've spent a while trying to figure it out and still don't see it.

These are the 2 reasons I always see.

1. They track clicks - But is their clickthrough tracking any better than Google Analytics + URL parameters?

2. They make links more shareable / manageable - Twitter counts all links as 23 characters. And all it involves is copy-paste.

They clearly have value for the businesses doing the shortening, so I understand why they exist. But for the person sharing the link, is there some value I'm missing?

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URL Shorteners (particularly the ones that support "friendly naming") can sometimes be used to give simpler URLs to "deep links", particularly for inclusion in things like presentations or printed materials where the person may need to type in that URL from memory or a non-digital reference.

For instance, suppose I want to send people to this Ask HN question. I could include on a slide:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10521663

I could use a shortener with "friendly name" support, let's call this example fake.ly:

http://fake.ly/shorturls

In this way, it becomes a "keyword system" for deep-linking. If my slides use a consistent URL shortener, then all people need to take away/remember from particular examples is the set of "keywords" they are interested in and which shortener I used.

Certainly there are other options in this space (QR codes, for instance), but shorteners with friendly names just work in any ordinary web browser, no need for a separate app.

When sending very long links via email, some programs break the link (or used to) and end users may not know how to fix it. Years ago, this was an issue on email lists that I participated in. Members were not necessarily very tech savvy. Link shorteners avoid being so long that they get broken in some environments.

They also look better than some ridiculously long link would. Some links like a paragraph in size.

It is possible they had more value at some point in the past. I used to use them more than I do these days. Perhaps my life has changed. Or perhaps the internet has changed. Or perhaps a little of each.

I use them primarily to lessen the perceived-burden on the user when I ask them to share something.

For example, imagine you just checked-out on an eCommerce site, and a modal pops up:

"Thanks for your purchase, share it with your friends: [SuperLongLinkThatWontActuallyTakeYouVeryLongToCopyAndPasteButForSomeReasonSeemsLikeAPainInTheAssToDealWith]"

"Thanks for your purchase, share it with your friends! [short.url]"

I'm actually asking them to do the same amount of work. But the first option seems like a bigger 'ask', so I default to the second one.

Thanks. This does make sense. Was trying to figure out if I should be using them when I tweet out a link. Seems like the value is more about when you hand off the link to someone else.

In response to (1), link shorteners provide a very limited amount of clickstream insight and – in most cases – should not be used as a replacement for URL query string parameters.

Several link shorteners may impose their own set of query parameters, unless configured otherwise, which can distort clickstream and referrer data in Google Analytics, Omniture, and so forth.

That said link shorteners are useful for hiding complexity and for quickly and simply tracking how many clicks a link receives. This includes clicks on links to domains that you do not own, or sites for which you would be unable to view visitor and clickstream data.

The shorter links fit into smaller packets. Smaller packets consume less space on the wire, so you can cram more of them into the pipe and increase your bandwidth.

Sorry.

The answer is what you posted above as number 2.

But also, Before Twitter, and in the earlier days of the Internet people were not very good at creating sites with readable urls - so even if you were sending it in email it could be massive and not something anyone could easily dictate or type out. Link shorteners allowed for much easier method of sharing or even telling someone the link over voice or text.

No expert, but I think they make money off the click itself, the impression being shown to the user while they are waiting for redirection to the destination, and in some controversial cases they add their affiliate IDs when the destination link is to an online merchant such as ebay and amazon.

Note, however, that they can also be used to shroud nefarious sites. For example, you get a spoof email masquerading as one from your financial institution; it is easier to spot americanexpress.somewhereelse.com than biy.ly/gibrsh

3. They take up a small, consistent amount of space in a UI

They are a conspiracy to break the web of hyperlinks we all use to navigate.

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