A long web address usually called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is cubersome especially if you’re a Twitter user or your favourite website’s URL is long, this long URLs makes sharing links difficult especially on social networks like Twitter and Facebook, again when sharing an article you found interesting with friends, your friends will see the topic of that article because its URL has been exposed, as such it reduces the amount of friends that clicks on that article as some may have already read that before or worse they may dislike the topic even without reading the full post.
This is where shortening web address steps in, shortening long web address or URL is the norm if you want to share things like links, as it not only increases the volume of people viewing what you shared it also renders a mysterious look to those links, a person that comes across such shortened address will be piqued to go check it out thereby leveraging that individual curiosity. For instance, it’s a proven fact that on Twitter your content can’t exceed 140 characters, what happens if you have a link you want to share and it’s characters along with your own summary exceeds the limit for Twitter updates? The result won’t be good, will take the link out of your hands by shortening it for you, this does not bring out required effect as that link will look show how ugly. It’s best you shorten it yourself. So how can I shorten my links? You’ll need URL shorteners
URL shorteners are usually online based websites that takes long and very long website addresses and turns them into small addresses. This is done via a means called redirection. This means This URL shortening websites serves as conjunctions to websites that has long web addresses, for this to be effective they make use of a service called “Redirect” this takes your new address and redirects it to your old address.
URL shorteners are many some of which are
i. Goo.gl(owned by Google)
ii. Bit.ly
iii. TinyUrl.com
To shorten your links proper you’ll need to visit any of the above URL shorteners, before that copy the web address you want to shrink (shorten), and paste it into the field indicated for it, then click submit or continue to shorten, after that copy your new link and do whatever you want to do with it. Some URL shortening websites allows you to customize your shrinked links, adding your own characters, you can even add your name!
Shrinking links are great not only for sharing on Social networks, but using it in emails and blogs. Great info? Share with others.
