How to Shorten URLs

Published January 13, 2025 · GoTo.now Team

TL;DR - Shortening a URL takes about ten seconds: paste the long link into a shortener, get back a short one that redirects to the same place. Do it with a free account and you also get a custom ending, private click stats, and a QR code.

Key points

• A short URL redirects to your original page - Same destination, tidier link
• The whole process is paste, shorten, copy, share
• Custom endings like goto.now/my-shop are free with an account
• Every shortened link counts its clicks privately for you
• Always test a link once before sharing it widely

You've seen short links everywhere - In tweets, texts, on posters. Making one yourself is easier than you'd think, and once you know the few small tricks, your links come out better than most. Here's the full how-to.

What shortening a URL actually does

A URL shortener takes a long address like:

https://www.example.com/articles/2026/07/how-to-shorten-urls?utm_source=news

and gives you a compact one like:

goto.now/shorten-guide

When someone clicks the short version, they're instantly redirected to the original page. The long URL still exists and still works - The short link is just a clean, shareable pointer to it. That pointer is the magic: it fits anywhere, it's readable, and (on a good service) you can change where it points later.

How to shorten a URL, step by step

Here's the whole process using GoTo.now - Other services work similarly, but this one's free and the links never expire:

1. Copy your long URL. Grab it straight from the browser's address bar.
2. Paste it into the shortener. The input box is right on the homepage.
3. Customize the ending (do this). Swap the random suggestion for something readable - Goto.now/menu beats goto.now/x8Tk2. Custom endings are free with an account.
4. Create and copy. One click, and your short link is on your clipboard.
5. Test it once. Click your new link and confirm it lands on the right page before you share it anywhere.

That's it. First time through takes a minute; after that, ten seconds.

Picking a service that won't burn you

Not all shorteners are equal, and the differences only show up later - Usually at the worst time. Google's goo.gl shutdown broke millions of links and taught everyone the lesson. What to check before you commit:

GoTo.now's answers: never, everything above, yes, yes (dashboard-only, visible to nobody but you), and yes - A free QR code generator with colors and logo options is built in.

Habits that make your short links better

The mechanics are easy; these habits are what separate tidy link users from everyone else:

• Describe the destination. An ending like free-quote sets expectations and earns clicks.
• One link per channel. Shorten the same page separately for your newsletter, bio, and flyer - Then the click counts tell you which channel works.
• Lowercase everything. Nobody remembers capitalization.
• Verify before big sends. Paste any link into the link checker to see exactly where it leads - Useful for your own links, and for suspicious ones other people send you.
• Reuse instead of remaking. When a page changes, edit the existing link's destination. Your click history stays in one place.

What you get beyond a shorter link

Here's what surprises most first-timers: the shortening is almost the least of it. Every link you create with an account comes with click statistics - Totals, sources, countries, devices - In a dashboard that's private to you. Share a link Monday, and by Friday you know whether anyone cared.

Each link also carries a QR code, which means the same link works in the physical world - Flyers, packaging, print advertising of any kind. And because destinations are editable, a link (or printed code) can be fixed or repurposed long after it's out of your hands.

You now know how to shorten URLs - So shorten one

Reading about it takes longer than doing it. Grab the ugliest link you've shared recently - A product page, a form, a map location - And run it through the steps above with a real name on the end.

Ten seconds of work gets you a link that's easier to share, impossible to mangle, and quietly counting every click. Once you've done it twice, you'll never paste a raw 200-character URL anywhere again.