URL Shortening Services have adapted and evolved over the years, helping a variety of brands prosper. It's been employed by both the biggest powerhouse brands and the smallest, blooming businesses.

As you click through links on the internet and surf through the apps on your phone, even you have probably encountered links manufactured by URL shortening services daily.

With such relevance to our daily internet consumption, one may beg the question, "How exactly are short links more effective than just a rebranded link?" or "How can it help my brand?"

Let's check out how short links can become your brand's new "Employee of the Year."

There are several reasons to invest in URL shortening services. But what exactly are these services, and why are they worth your money? Here are five uses to short links that are worth your time.

UTM Tracking

UTM Tracking is one of the most useful advantages to short links in digital marketing. It gives you information on how your users reached your site. It also tells you which platforms give you the most and least engagement.

For example, you can place links with identifying tags on them and post them across multiple platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Etsy, etc. When a user arrives on your website, you will be informed of which platform they came through. The number of clicks a link gets is recorded.

This allows you to save your money, efforts, and time. By being informed of which platform rakes in the most viewers, you can decide to concentrate your efforts and money on the most effective platform. At the same time, knowing which platform provides the least viewers informs you on where you should cut off your paid advertising.

UTM Tracking tells us how our users happened upon our site. Now, what can be done to keep them coming back? That's where link retargeting comes in.

Have you ever tried browsing through the internet, seeing an item you like, and clicking on it only to be constantly reminded by it through ads on whichever site you go to? If you have, then you've been exposed to link retargeting. Link retargeting ensures that your potential clients are constantly exposed and reminded of your brand through ads the minute they click on any of your rebranded links.

Not only will the client be reminded of a service they considered, but they will be more likely to use your service against your competitor's. Why? Because through constant ad exposure, you become familiar, and you will seem to be thriving enough to have ads on multiple sites.

Multiple Custom Domains

Yet another service that a URL shortener holds is the ability to acquire multiple custom domains. What are "multiple custom domains," you may ask? Basically, it's owning several different variations of your site name—all of which lead to one site. It's kind of like internet real estate.

For example, if you owned an online-selling jewelry business called "diamondsforyou.com", you could also own the domain names "diamondsforher.com" or "diamondsforhim.com" that would lead you to the same site. Losing business from people not remembering your exact domain name becomes less of a concern.

Not to mention, it could put you a step above your competitors. If they only acquire a single, exact domain name to lead viewers to their site, their site's discovery and engagement becomes limited. Owning multiple custom domains also means the chances of you coming first on a search engine are higher.

The term "deep link" may sound like it is associated with the dark web or such, but rest assured, it is completely safe. In fact, its purpose is fairly simple yet highly effective. Simply stated, the deep link connects you to in-app locations.

Let's say you have an online business held primarily on Facebook. To help you gain more viewers, you post links on different social media platforms. Now, an Instagram user comes across your link and clicks it, but she is met by a requirement to log into her Facebook before she can see the post. Deterred, she cancels and goes back to browsing on Instagram.

Deep links are here to make sure this common situation never happens. With deep links, clicking on a customized link will lead potential clients to in-app locations on their phones. This saves them from the hassle of logging in and lets them use the mobile-friendly app on their phone instead of the tedious web browser version.

Detailed Statistics

Perhaps the biggest reason you should use a URL shortening service is because of the detailed statistics a single viewer's click can provide you. With the statistics provided, your short link becomes James Bond. Sure, your short link probably can't do complicated fight scenes and attract beautiful women, but it can extract crucial information.

Your user's location, your website's rush hour, and the devices being used are some of the information you receive. It may not seem like much, but this data can make or break some businesses. At the very least, they help you make informed decisions.

Your website's rush hour may tell you when to launch a big sale or fix issues in your site. The majority of your user's locations may say to you what the trends in their place are, what styles they prefer, and more. Information is crucial to your brand, especially from people you want to offer your services to.

URL Shortening Services and the Future

Customized links have been a great service to businesses in the past, and they will certainly continue to be a great service to the businesses of the present and the future. There's no reason you shouldn't start using them for your brand as well.

Educating yourself on its features and using them to your advantage may very well be the step your business needs. When you partner with a URL shortening service, you allow your brand to grow—to thrive.