Get more clicks with Ow.ly link shortener

Link shortening is a neater, smarter way to share URLs linked in social media posts or profiles. 

A URL shortener trims and tidies links so they don’t take up as much precious caption space. Users are still directed to the original link destination, but they won’t have to waste time copy-and-pasting a long, complicated URL.

All social networks have character limits, and lengthy links can eat into them quickly. On top of that, many social media platforms don’t allow you to put hyperlinks in captions. That means that users have to copy the URL text and paste it into their browser to navigate to the page you’re sharing. Or worse: type it out by hand.

Not only does shortening lengthy URLs with the Ow.ly link shortener help you tidy up your posts and track performance, but it can also boost your credibility on social media. Long links look spammy and untrustworthy, so people are less likely to click on them. Plus, vanity URLs can help boost brand awareness and keep your business top-of-mind.

Hootsuite’s link shortener does more than just truncate links so they look nicer in your social posts. It also adds key information to each link so you can monitor and analyze performance. Ow.ly tracks how much traffic comes from each link. It also helps you identify which networks drive the most traffic and the types of content that win you the most engagement.

We’re partial to Ow.ly, of course, but there are plenty of top-notch link shorteners out there. We’ve put together a list of the best link shorteners to help you decide which one is best for you.

Absolutely! If you already use Bit.ly, you can still easily track your link clicks and performance with Hootsuite Business and Enterprise plans. When you’re in the Composer window within the Hootsuite dashboard, you’ll see an option to add tracking to your Bit.ly links as you’re drafting content.

Ow.ly is found in the Hootsuite Composer. When you add a link to the content box of Composer, Hootsuite will automatically give you the option to shorten with Ow.ly and add tracking parameters.

Very easy. The Hootsuite dashboard is designed to be user-friendly, so shortening links and tracking clicks is a cinch. 

Lots! Hootsuite is the most popular social media management platform on earth and lets you manage all your social accounts in one place, schedule messages in advance, track important conversations, create a link in bio, and, of course, use the Ow.ly link shortener.

We sure do! Hootbio is our link in bio tool that will help you create a tidier look in your Instagram and TikTok profiles. It lets you create a stylish and easy-to-navigate hub that houses links to your blog, website, or referral links. Hootbio is available in Hootsuite Team, Business, and Enterprise plans.

Want more information on how to use Ow.ly to its full potential? Visit the Hootsuite help center.

Yes, you can create custom links with Ow.ly as long as you have a Team plan or above. Create a vanity URL in Hootsuite by navigating to Account & Settings and then selecting Vanity URLs.

Previously, Ow.ly was available to everyone. However, to increase security for our users, we’ve moved the Ow.ly link shortener into the Hootsuite dashboard. To access it, sign up for a free Hootsuite trial here and create a shortened link right away.