Whether you're brand new to Bitly or have plenty of experience with the Connections Platform, these best practices can help you get the most out of your Bitly Links, Bitly Codes, and Bitly Pages. These best practices cover:
Formatting your links
When creating your links, the most important thing to know is that Bitly Links are case sensitive.
General tips
- Keep your custom back-halves short and simple. Avoid random numbers, letters, and special characters.
- Make sure the custom back-half is relevant to the destination URL. A link like yourbrand.co/spring-sale-24 is clearer and more likely to get clicks than yourbrand.com/click-here. It's also more specific than yourbrand.co/spring-sale and won't conflict with future campaigns, like for a spring sale in 2025.
- Be consistent with how you format back-halves, especially with dashes and underscores.
Reusing links
- When you edit a link, the older versions still work. To make multiple short links go to the same destination, create a custom link using one version and then edit it to use the other version.
- Or use UTM parameters. You can add UTM parameters to the long link to shorten multiple links to the same destination.
- Be thoughtful with capitalization. It isn't possible to use the same exact custom back-half multiple times, but you can use the same terms with different capitalization. This is a good way to protect against capitalization errors when sharing links (but be mindful of your monthly link limits).
- Use a custom domain. Using a custom domain leads to higher click-through rates and can help strengthen brand awareness and trust. Note that custom domains are only available with paid subscription plans.
Sharing your links and QR Codes
Because Bitly Links, Bitly Codes, and Bitly Pages all work together, you have more options for sharing. Here are some tips for sharing successfully:
- Copy your links rather than manually typing them. To reduce the risk of typos or incorrect capitalization when sharing your links, always copy or share directly from Bitly. This is the best practice for your Link-in-bio URL, too.
- Don't forget about capitalization. Because Bitly Links are case sensitive, be mindful of the font you use to share them. Only use ALL CAPS if the link is indeed capitalized.
- Make sure your QR Codes are scannable. With Bitly Codes, be mindful of color contrast as well. Test your QR Codes before finalizing your design for printed or digital materials.
Keeping your audience safe
Here at Bitly, we work hard to keep your account safe. To help protect your audience, we've outlined the kinds of content that can and can't be shared through our platform in our Acceptable Use Policy.
Here are some additional ways you can help keep your audience safe, as well:
- Don't process personal identifiable information (PII) through your links. Don't process any PII when someone engages with your link, QR Code, or Link-in-bio page.
- Don't share PII through the long URL. Remember that the long URL is public — people will see it when they click through your link or scan your QR Code — so don't include any PII in your long URLs, either.
- Use 2fa. Enable 2-factor authentication on your account to prevent bad actors from gaining access to your links, QR Codes, and Link-in-bio page.