What is a branded short link?
A branded short link is a short URL on a domain you own. Instead of a string of random characters on a shortener's domain, people see your name and a word that tells them what is behind it:
Long link:
https://example.com/pricing?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=2026_04_spring_sale
Branded short link:
https://go.example.com/springBoth open the same page with the same UTM parameters. The short one fits in a post, reads well on a slide, survives being typed off a printed flyer and still tells Google Analytics where the visit came from.
You may also see these called custom short links or vanity URLs. The idea is the same: a short, readable link on a domain people can recognise.
Why use branded short links instead of a generic shortener
A generic shortener hides the destination behind a domain that anyone can use, including spammers. Some people hesitate to click those links because they can't tell where they lead. A link on your own domain says who sent it before anyone clicks.
- Trust. People are more likely to click a domain they recognise. Your brand is visible in the link itself, not only in the post around it.
- Readable back-halves.
/springtells people what to expect./x7Kq2pLmdoes not. - Your links, your domain. If you ever move to another tool, the domain is still yours. You can point it somewhere else rather than lose every link you printed.
- Clean reporting. Each branded link carries a full set of UTM parameters and records its own clicks, so you see results in two places: in UTM Link and in Google Analytics.
| Compared | Generic shortener | Branded short link |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Shared with everyone | Yours |
| Back-half | Usually random | A word you choose |
| What the reader sees | The shortener's name | Your brand |
| If you change tools | Links stay on their domain | You keep the domain |
Choosing a domain for your custom short links
You have two options. Both work the same way in UTM Link.
| Option | Example | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Subdomain of your main site | go.yourbrand.com | Most teams. Free, instantly recognisable, no new domain to manage. |
| Separate short domain | yrbr.nd | Brands that want the shortest possible link and are happy to buy and renew one more domain. |
Common subdomain names are go, link, l and try. Pick one and use it everywhere. Don't use your bare root domain (yourbrand.com) for short links: most DNS providers won't let you put a CNAME record on it, and your website already lives there.
How to set up a custom URL shortener on your domain
Setup takes a few minutes of work plus however long your DNS provider takes to publish the record. The custom domains guide has screenshots for common DNS providers.
- Add the domain. In the Domains page of your dashboard, enter the domain or subdomain, such as
go.yourbrand.com. Leave outhttp,httpsandwww. The subscription owner adds domains. - Add a CNAME record. At your DNS provider, create a CNAME record. The name is the subdomain part (
go) and the target is the value shown in your dashboard. - Verify. Click Verify. UTM Link looks up your DNS and checks that the CNAME points to the right target. If the record hasn't spread yet, wait a little and try again.
- HTTPS is set up for you. Once the domain is active, a certificate is issued automatically. It can take a few minutes after verification. You don't buy or upload anything.
- Create links. In the UTM builder, choose your domain in the domain picker, fill in your UTM values and save. You get a branded short link back.
The demo above shows the record you would add for the domain you type. New to the builder? Start with creating your first link.
Custom back-half rules
The back-half is the part after the slash. You can type your own or leave the field empty and UTM Link generates a random 8-character code. Custom back-halves follow these rules:
- Lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens only.
- 10 characters or fewer.
- Unique on that domain. The builder checks availability as you type, so you find out before you save, not after.
Uppercase letters are turned into lowercase, so Spring becomes spring. Short words work best: webinar, q2-promo, demo. Because a back-half only has to be unique on its own domain, the same word can exist on two of your domains.
Where branded short links earn their keep
A long UTM link is fine behind a button in an email. It gets in the way anywhere people can see the URL, type it or read it aloud.
- Social posts. A short, named link looks like part of the post instead of a block of tracking code.
- Print, slides and packaging. Nobody types
?utm_source=off a poster. They will typego.yourbrand.com/expo. - Podcasts, video and events. A vanity URL you can say in one breath gets used. Give each show or speaker its own back-half and its own
utm_source, and you can compare them. - SMS and chat. Character limits and link previews both favour short links, and your domain in the message helps people trust it.
- Partner and influencer links. One link per partner, each with its own
utm_content, shows who sent the traffic. You can switch a partner's link off when the deal ends.
Change the destination after you share a link
Links outlive campaigns. A landing page gets renamed, a sale ends early, or someone spots a typo in utm_campaign after 5,000 flyers are printed. With a branded short link you edit the link in your dashboard and change the destination URL or any UTM value. The short link itself never changes, so everything already out in the world follows the new destination on the next click.
Short links on custom domains use a temporary (302) redirect, which tells browsers not to remember the old destination for good. That is what makes later edits take effect.
Pause a link when a campaign ends
Each link has an on/off switch in the links table. Switch it off and the link stops redirecting: visitors see that the link is inactive instead of landing on an expired offer. Switch it back on and the same URL works again, with its click history intact.
This is useful for time-limited offers, partner links you want to withdraw, or a link that went somewhere it shouldn't.
Short links keep your UTM parameters
A short link is only a pointer. UTM Link stores the full destination, UTM parameters included, and redirects the visitor to it. They arrive on example.com/pricing?utm_source=linkedin&..., and Google Analytics reads the parameters from that landing page URL as usual (Google Analytics Help). Your source, medium and campaign reports look exactly as they would with the long link.
That also means the short link does not fix messy UTM values. If your team writes LinkedIn on Monday and linkedin on Tuesday, read our UTM naming conventions guide and set a rule so every link is built the same way.
See clicks on every branded link
UTM Link records every click on a branded short link as it handles the redirect, so you don't have to wait for GA4 to process data, and clicks still count when a visitor blocks analytics scripts. For each link you see total clicks, clicks over time, clicks by country, unique clicks and a log of individual clicks with device, operating system and browser. More on that in link tracking.
QR codes from your short link
Any branded short link can become a QR code you download as a PNG. The code points to your short link, so scans go through the same redirect, land on the same UTM-tagged page and are counted separately from link clicks. If you change the destination later, the printed code follows. See QR codes for details.
Which plans include branded short links
Custom domains and branded short links are available on Pro and Business plans. The free plan builds UTM links without a custom domain.
- Pro: up to 3 custom domains and 500 branded links.
- Business: up to 15 custom domains and 1,000 branded links.
Agencies can give each client its own short domain and still build every link from one account.