URL shortening: The history and benefits of creating shorter URLs for sharing on social media and beyond
We are using URLs almost each and every single day.
URLs, nowadays , have become a basic means of communication in these digital days.
There are around 4 billion internet users all over the world, more than a million websites created, and also there are over 100 million emails sent every single day.
All these numbers are rapidly increasing each and every second. This digital age is improving, and it is amazing to watch
Since its inception more than 20 years ago, URLs have advanced significantly. Particularly with the invention of the URL Shortener, which has become important in maintaining the importance and usefulness of the URL in our ever- evolving digital environment.
In along with shortening links, URL shorteners are now an essential tracking tool that helps marketers improve their campaigns and build their brands
You can use URL shorteners to shorten the URLs.
The Beginning of the URL Shortener
So where did this URL shortening all begin?
The digital world expanded quickly after the World Wide Web's 1991 inception.
People were surfing the internet more frequently and feeling at ease in this virtual environment. Additionally, the URL evolved as digital users evolved throughout time.
People now use URL shorteners on a regular basis to share shortened links on a variety of social media platforms.
Online sharing starts to become a way of life as additional social media platforms enter the market.
People of all ages started exploring this brand-new virtual world, making profiles, looking into other people's lives, and engaging in various activities like commenting and liking.
The social media story is a lengthy one that deserves its own piece, but it undoubtedly influenced the creation of URL shorteners.
Facebook's popular "Like" button, which escaped the boundaries of its website and spread across the Internet, made a big contribution to this social media revolution. Almost anything could now be "liked" or "tweeted," even if you weren't actually on Facebook or Twitter.
More URLs were being shared than ever before as social networking's power became apparent.
The URL shortener industry has expanded in parallel with the rapidly growing social media industry as a whole.
Remember, only 20 years ago, people didn't share articles, write blog posts, or record live broadcasts nearly as frequently as they do now.
Social media companies have been teaching users to regularly produce and distribute content because doing so is what makes any social network profitable.
Therefore, the rise of social media and the shift in user behavior have significantly shaped the URL shortening market.
The URL shortener industry had grown competitive by 2010.
Twitter announced in June 2011 that all of its web pages will now automatically use URL shorteners from the t.co domain.This domain is only accessible for links posted to Twitter and is not open to the public. Now, a t.co wrapper would be applied to every link submitted to Twitter.
Other URL shorteners continued to advance throughout this time. in terms of providing Custom Branded Links and Advanced Analytics, in particular.People today also want all of their tools to function across all platforms and easily connect with one another.Without a desktop extension, a mobile app, and interfaces with all of the major social media tools and platforms, a modern URL shortener is useless.
The 2016 URL shortener has gone a long way, but there is still more to discover. The industry's current emphasis appears to be on Excellent and Extensive Tracking User Experience.
Your audience won't really care how you do it as long as the link is short. It all depends on how frequently you need to create shortened URLs, as well as the level of customisation and analytics you need. Try out each of these link shorteners before settling on the one that complements the rest of your workflows the best; personally, of all the popular URL Shorteners, Tiny URL is my favorite one.
Conclusion
If you use the internet at all, you must use a URL shortener. Whether it may be for any reason such as your own personal use as a productivity trick or if you want to track and report results for your organization... Use URL shorteners at all times.
