For MarketersFor DevelopersFor Product
5 min read

Understanding Short Links

Short links transform long, unwieldy URLs into compact, shareable links. But ULink short links do much more than save characters — they're smart routing layers that adapt to each user's context.

What you'll learn

  • How URL shortening works behind the scenes
  • The benefits of short links for marketing and analytics
  • Best practices for creating memorable short links

What is a short link?

A short link is a compact URL that redirects to a longer destination. Instead of sharing:

https://yourapp.com/products/summer-collection/item-12345?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=launch

You share:

https://ulink.to/summer23

When someone clicks, ULink handles the routing — and captures valuable data along the way.

Key Concept

Short links aren't just shorter URLs. They're intelligent routing layers that can direct users to different destinations based on their device, location, or whether they have your app installed.

How ULink short links work

  1. You create a link — Set your destination URLs for iOS, Android, and web
  2. User clicks — ULink receives the request and analyzes the context
  3. Smart routing — Based on device type, app installation status, and your rules, ULink redirects to the right destination
  4. Analytics captured — Click data, device info, and attribution are logged

Why short links matter

Shareability

Long URLs break in emails, get truncated in SMS, and look ugly in social posts. Short links stay intact across every channel.

Tracking & Attribution

Every click is tracked. Know exactly which channels, campaigns, and content drive engagement and conversions.

Flexibility

Change where a link points after it's been shared. Fix mistakes, update campaigns, or redirect traffic without creating new links.

Gotcha

Once you share a link, you can't change its slug (the summer23 part). But you can always change where it redirects to. Choose slugs carefully — they're permanent identifiers.

Anatomy of a ULink short link

https://ulink.to/summer23
  │         │       │
  │         │       └── Slug (customizable identifier)
  │         └── Your domain (shared or custom)
  └── Protocol (always HTTPS)

Shared domain vs. custom domain

Shared domain (ulink.to): Quick to start, no setup required. Perfect for testing or low-volume use cases.

Best practices for short link slugs

Do:

  • Use readable, memorable slugs: summer-sale, invite, product-123
  • Keep them short but meaningful
  • Use consistent naming patterns across campaigns

Don't:

  • Use random characters: x7k9m2 (hard to remember, no context)
  • Include special characters that might break in some contexts
  • Reuse slugs for completely different purposes

Quick recap

  • Short links are compact URLs with smart routing built in
  • Every click is tracked for analytics and attribution
  • You can change destinations anytime, but slugs are permanent
  • Custom domains improve trust and click-through rates