All URL shortener services have the same goal in mind – shortening the length of a URL in most cases. The main purpose of shortening the link is to reduce its character length so you can construct posts on character-limiting sites like Twitter and still have remaining characters left to add some other text. Internet marketers may use it to conceal affiliate links too. If you require a URL shortener service for those purposes, virtually any service should suffice. However, you should still follow this guide to picking the right service so you won’t have a reason to switch to another link in the future.
Because your real URL will be in the hands of another online service, you have to make sure that service has a proven track record in effectively taking the visitors of these shortened links to their proper destination. If the service ever shuts down due to budget constraints or other unexpected issues, your link will be rendered useless until you update it and that can be quite an issue if you publicized hundreds of these shortened links. Fortunately, the most reputable URL shortener services dominate the top search engine results so you really can’t miss them. Just don’t try to go for the more obscure services just because you want to be unique. Limit your selection to Goo.gl, Bitly and TinyURL unless you require a special feature that none of these services offer.
While URL shortener services are simple in nature, the top services each provide their own unique features which you should consider when making the final choice. Goo.gl could very well be the best for basic use since it is powered by Google making it the least likely service to ever shut down. If you use it while you are logged into your Google account, the service will keep a history of your shortened links too for easier reference. Bitly takes the concept a bit further by letting you see enhanced statistics of each shortened link. The service also has some advanced link management along with some custom branding tools for businesses. TinyURL makes it easy to add an alias to your link even if you don’t have an account. Then there are special services like AdFly which can help you click money although your visitors have to go through an ad before reaching the final link destination.
The best way to determine which URL shortener service is perfect for your needs is to simply try each of them out with the same link and get acquainted with each of the features.