URL Shortener

A URL shortener is a tool that turns long, complex URLs into short, clean links. When someone clicks a shortened URL, their browser sends a request to the shortener and is redirected via a 301/302 redirect to the original address. Short links are easier to share on social media, in emails, SMS, printed materials and inside QR codes. Cuttly adds analytics, branded domains, Link-in-bio pages, surveys and QR codes on top of basic URL shortening.

Yes, URL shorteners are safe when you use a trusted provider. Cuttly uses secure HTTPS redirects, does not inject ads or scripts and does not modify your destination pages. All analytics are anonymized and you always stay in control of your links. As long as you trust the brand or person who shares the short link, using a URL shortener is as safe as using a regular URL.

As with any link online, it’s always good practice to check the final destination page. If a page looks suspicious, asks for sensitive data or feels untrustworthy, simply close it. Staying cautious ensures safe browsing no matter which service you use.

Long URLs look messy, break easily in chats and emails and can reduce trust. A URL shortener makes your links short, readable and professional. Short links improve click-through rates, are easier to remember and work better in SMS, social media posts, QR codes, podcasts, printed materials and ads. With Cuttly you also gain detailed analytics and branded link options, so each short URL becomes a measurable asset in your marketing.

A branded short link uses your own domain (for example yourbrnd.link/promo) instead of a generic one. This makes your links instantly recognizable, increases trust and typically improves click-through rates. With Cuttly you can connect custom domains, create branded slugs, generate QR codes and track analytics for every branded link you share.

A regular URL shortener uses a shared domain, while a branded URL shortener lets you use your own domain. Branded links look more trustworthy, fit your visual identity and make your campaigns more consistent. They are especially powerful in ads, newsletters, SMS and on social media profiles. Cuttly supports multiple custom domains and helps you manage all your branded short URLs from one place.

Yes. Cuttly offers a Free plan that lets you shorten URLs, generate basic analytics, create QR codes, use Link-in-bio pages and build simple surveys. Paid plans unlock higher limits, branded domains, extended analytics history, hourly heat maps, Campaigns aggregation, TRAI SMS tools and Team features. You can start for free and upgrade later as your needs grow.

Short URLs created with Cuttly do not expire automatically. They remain active as long as the link is not deleted. For branded short links, your custom domain must stay registered and correctly connected. The generic cutt.ly domain is maintained by Cuttly, so those links remain active unless you choose to remove them from your account.

Yes. Every short URL you create on Cuttly automatically has a QR code generated for it. You can download it and use it on posters, flyers, product packaging, menus or business cards. On higher plans you can also customize QR designs with logos, colors and shapes, and even apply shared templates across your Team so all QR codes match your brand.

Yes. Cuttly supports dynamic redirects, which means you can update the destination URL of a short link at any time from your dashboard. The short URL and QR code stay the same, but the target page changes. This is useful when you want to correct a mistake, update a landing page or reuse a short link in long-running campaigns.

Cuttly tracks every click on your short URLs and collects anonymized analytics. You can see total or unique clicks, hourly click patterns, devices, operating systems, browsers, languages, traffic sources (such as Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Direct) and geo-location on a map. Higher plans offer extended history, hourly heat maps and aggregated analytics for entire campaigns, not only single URLs.

No. Modern search engines handle short URLs correctly. Cuttly uses standard 301 redirects, which preserve SEO value and signal that the short URL is a permanent redirect to the original page. You can safely shorten long URLs, landing pages, blog posts and product links without harming rankings. For campaign tracking, you can combine Cuttly with UTM parameters and Google Analytics.

Yes. Cuttly works well with affiliate links and does not remove or break tracking parameters. Shortened affiliate URLs look cleaner, perform better in social media posts and emails and are easier to manage. You can also see analytics at the click level to understand how your affiliate campaigns perform across channels.

Yes. You can build URLs with UTM parameters for Google Analytics or other analytics tools and shorten them using Cuttly. UTM parameters are passed through unchanged, while Cuttly provides pre-click analytics such as click counts, sources, devices and locations. Together, UTMs and Cuttly analytics give you a complete view of how your campaigns perform from click to conversion.

Cuttly also includes a built-in UTM builder, allowing you to add UTM parameters to destination URLs — even if the link was originally shortened without UTMs. This makes it easy to enhance existing short links with full campaign tracking at any time.

Yes. Short URLs are essential in SMS marketing because they save characters and look cleaner than long URLs. Cuttly also supports TRAI-compliant SMS headers for campaigns in India and offers ultra-short domains such as 2s.ms. This helps ensure proper delivery through DLT gateways and makes it easier to track click-through rates from SMS.

Yes. With Cuttly Campaigns you can group links by tags and view aggregated analytics for all tagged links. You can see total clicks, hourly activity, devices, operating systems, browsers, languages, geo data and sources for an entire campaign. This is very useful for multi-channel marketing, influencer campaigns or tracking performance across multiple creatives.

A URL shortener with analytics does more than create short links. It tracks every click and provides insights such as where, when and how people click your URLs. Cuttly is a full-featured URL shortener with analytics: it offers hourly heat maps, device breakdowns, sources, geo data, long-term history, Campaigns aggregation and advanced reporting on higher plans.

Yes. Even on the Free plan, Cuttly lets you create short URLs and generate QR codes for them. This makes it easy to start using short links in social media, printed materials, business cards and menus without upfront cost. As your needs grow, you can upgrade to unlock branded domains, custom QR designs and more detailed analytics.

Cuttly is more than a simple URL shortener. It combines short links, branded domains, QR codes, Link-in-bio pages, surveys, advanced analytics, hourly heat maps, TRAI SMS tools, Campaign aggregation and Team collaboration in one platform. This makes it suitable for individuals, creators, marketers, agencies and companies that need professional link management rather than just basic shortening.

Yes. On Team plans and above, Cuttly offers shared workspaces, roles and permissions, multiple branded domains, Campaigns aggregation, built-in chat and a Team API. This allows marketing teams, agencies and companies to collaborate on links, share templates and manage campaigns together while keeping full control over access and structure.

In most cases, yes. Short URLs are easier to read, remember and trust, especially when they are branded with your own domain. They look better in social posts, SMS, ads, emails and QR codes. Many marketers see higher CTR after switching from long raw URLs to clean, branded short links created with a professional URL shortener like Cuttly.