How to Create a Branded Short Link in 2026 Step-by-Step: Domain Setup, DNS, Custom Slug, QR Code and Analytics

A branded short link takes about 15 minutes to set up from scratch.
After that, every link you create takes about 30 seconds.

The setup involves four steps that you do once: choose a domain, configure two DNS records, verify the domain and create your first link. Everything after that is just creating links — selecting the domain, entering a destination URL, choosing a slug and saving. The QR Code is generated automatically. The analytics start immediately.

This guide walks through every step in detail, including DNS configuration, domain choice considerations, what to do if propagation is slow, and how to make the most of each link once it is live.

---

Before You Start: What You Need

Before creating your first branded short link, you need three things:

1. A Cuttly account. The free plan is sufficient for setup and basic use. Create one at cutt.ly/register — no credit card required.
2. A domain or subdomain to use for your links. This can be a subdomain of a domain you already own (e.g. go.yourbrand.com) or a newly registered short domain. See the section below on choosing the right domain.
3. Access to your domain's DNS settings. You need to be able to add an A record and a TXT record. This is done in your domain registrar's control panel (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Google Domains, etc.) or in your DNS management interface if you use a separate DNS provider.

That is all. No server setup, no web hosting, no SSL certificate installation — Cuttly handles the infrastructure. Your job is to point the domain at Cuttly and verify that you own it.

Step 1: Choose Your Branded Domain

The domain you use for branded short links is the domain that will appear in every link you share. It should be short, clearly associated with your brand and easy to read at a glance. There are two main approaches:

Option A: Subdomain of Your Existing Domain

If you already have a domain (e.g. yourbrand.com), the simplest approach is to use a subdomain of that domain for your links. You do not need to register anything new — you just configure a subdomain in your existing DNS settings.

Common subdomain patterns:

• go.yourbrand.com — short, action-oriented, widely used
• links.yourbrand.com — descriptive, clear purpose
• click.yourbrand.com — action-oriented
• l.yourbrand.com — minimal length
• s.yourbrand.com — minimal, stands for "short"

The trade-off with a subdomain: the full branded link includes the main domain name, which may make it longer than a dedicated short domain. go.yourbrand.com/campaign is longer than ybr.nd/campaign. For most use cases this is acceptable — the brand recognition benefit outweighs the extra characters. For SMS marketing where character count is critical, a shorter dedicated domain may be preferable.

Option B: Dedicated Short Domain

A dedicated short domain is registered specifically for link shortening. It is shorter than a subdomain of your main domain, and the brevity makes it particularly suitable for SMS campaigns and print materials where space is limited.

Patterns for dedicated short domains:

• yourbr.nd — abbreviated brand name on a country-code TLD
• yourbrand.link — dedicated .link TLD, clear purpose
• ybr.link — initials + .link TLD
• mybrand.co — short with .co TLD
• brand.io — if brand operates in tech/SaaS context

Register the short domain at any domain registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare Registrar, Google Domains, etc.). Most short domains on country-code or new gTLDs cost between $10 and $30 per year.

Step 2: Configure DNS Records

This is the only technical step in the process, and it requires adding two records in your DNS settings. Log in to your domain registrar or DNS provider and navigate to the DNS management section for your domain.

Record 1: A Record

The A record points your custom domain or subdomain to Cuttly's server. When someone clicks a branded short link, their browser looks up this A record to find where to send the request.

Record 2: TXT Record

The TXT record is used for domain verification. It proves to Cuttly that you own and control the domain you are trying to connect.

Important: Cuttly uses A record + TXT record for custom domain configuration, not CNAME records. Do not add a CNAME record — it will conflict with other DNS records on the same host name.

Save both records. DNS propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours depending on your registrar. Most modern registrars propagate within 15–60 minutes. You can check propagation status with a public DNS lookup tool (search for "DNS lookup" and enter your domain name) — once the A record resolves to Cuttly's IP address and the TXT record is visible, you are ready to proceed.

Step 3: Verify the Domain in Cuttly

Once DNS propagation is complete:

1. Log in to your Cuttly dashboard
2. Go to Settings → Domains
3. Click Add Domain and enter your custom domain (e.g. go.yourbrand.com)
4. Cuttly will display the A record IP and TXT verification value — confirm these match what you configured
5. Click Verify
6. Cuttly checks the DNS records. If the A record and TXT record are correctly set and propagated, the domain is verified and activated immediately

SSL is issued automatically by Cuttly via Let's Encrypt once the domain is verified. Your branded links will use HTTPS from the moment the domain is active — no additional SSL certificate purchase or configuration is needed.

If verification fails, the most common reasons are: DNS propagation is not yet complete (wait and retry), the TXT record value was entered incorrectly (check for extra spaces), or the A record points to the wrong IP (compare with the value shown in the Cuttly dashboard). The Cuttly support team is available via live chat if you need help troubleshooting.

Step 4: Create Your First Branded Short Link

With the domain verified, creating a branded short link is straightforward:

1. From the Cuttly dashboard, click Shorten URL or use the link creation panel
2. Paste the destination URL — the long URL you want to shorten. This can be any URL: a landing page, a product page, a PDF, a video, a form, any web address
3. Select your branded domain from the domain dropdown — your verified custom domain will appear as an option alongside the default Cuttly domain
4. Enter a custom slug — the part after the slash that identifies this link (e.g. summer-sale, report-2026, demo). Keep it short, relevant and readable. No spaces — use hyphens between words
5. Optionally add a title or label to identify the link in your dashboard
6. Click Shorten (or Save)

Your branded short link is now live: go.yourbrand.com/summer-sale redirects to the destination URL you entered. Anyone who clicks it is redirected immediately. Every click is tracked.

Step 5: Download the QR Code

Every link in Cuttly has a QR Code generated automatically. To access it:

1. Open the link in your Cuttly dashboard (click the link title or the analytics icon)
2. Find the QR Code panel — it is displayed alongside the link's analytics
3. Click Download to save the QR Code as a PNG or SVG file

The downloaded QR Code can be inserted into printed materials, presentation slides, packaging, event signage or any other medium. When scanned, it redirects to the same destination as the short link — and every scan is counted as a click in the analytics.

Because the QR Code is dynamic (it encodes the short link, not the final destination), you can update the destination of the link at any time without the QR Code changing. Any already-printed or already-distributed materials continue working correctly after a destination update.

Step 6: Share and Track

Your branded short link is ready to use across any channel. The same link works in:

• Email newsletters and campaigns — paste the short link into your CTA button or inline text
• SMS messages — paste the short link into the message body
• Social media posts and bios — paste the short link directly or add it to your Link in Bio page
• Printed materials — print the short URL as text, or use the QR Code for scan-to-destination
• Presentations — add the short link as a clickable element or display the QR Code on the final slide
• Partner content, press releases and external mentions — any external link pointing to your brand's domain builds on your domain's reputation

Analytics start immediately from the first click. Access link performance by clicking the analytics icon next to the link in the Cuttly dashboard. You will see:

• Total clicks and unique clicks
• Click timeline (hourly, daily)
• Device type breakdown (desktop, mobile, tablet)
• Operating system (with version)
• Browser (with version)
• Country (geo location)
• Referrer source (direct, social, email, other)
• Social media source breakdown (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn)
• Interface language of the visitor

Optional Advanced Settings

Once a link is created, additional settings are available depending on your plan:

Updating the Destination (Starter plan and above)

Open the link in the dashboard, click Edit and update the destination URL. The short link and QR Code stay the same. All previously distributed links and printed QR Codes automatically route to the new destination from the moment you save the change.

Link Expiration (Single plan and above)

Set a date or a maximum click count at which the link stops redirecting. After expiry, the link can show a custom page or a 404. Useful for time-limited offers, event registration pages that close on a specific date, or promotional links that should deactivate automatically.

Password Protection (Single plan and above)

Require visitors to enter a password before being redirected. Useful for sharing confidential documents, internal resources or access-controlled content through a branded link without requiring the recipient to have an account on another platform.

A/B Rotation (Single plan and above)

Split traffic between two destination URLs. Enter URL A and URL B; Cuttly alternates which destination each visitor is sent to. Use for split-testing landing pages, comparing two offers or testing different content formats.

Retargeting Pixels (Single plan and above)

Attach a Facebook Pixel or Google Ads pixel to the link. Anyone who clicks is automatically added to the corresponding retargeting audience, even if they do not take any further action at the destination.

Mobile-Specific Redirects (Single plan and above)

Route iOS and Android users to different destinations from the same link. The most common use is app store routing: iPhone users go to the App Store, Android users go to the Play Store.

Managing Multiple Branded Domains

If you manage links for multiple brands, clients or product lines, Cuttly supports multiple branded domains simultaneously in one account. Each domain is configured separately via the same A record + TXT record process. When creating a link, you select which domain to use from the dropdown.

For agencies managing many client domains, Team Enterprise at $149/month supports up to 99 branded domains with unlimited team members — all in one shared workspace with campaign analytics scoped per domain or per tag.

Troubleshooting Common Setup Issues

Domain verification fails after adding DNS records

Most likely cause: DNS propagation is not yet complete. Wait 30–60 minutes and try verification again. If it still fails after an hour, check that the TXT record value matches exactly what Cuttly provided (no extra spaces, no missing characters) and that the A record is pointing to the correct IP address shown in the Cuttly dashboard.

Links return an error after domain verification

If the domain verifies successfully but links return an error, check that the A record is active and the DNS has fully propagated. Use a DNS lookup tool to confirm the A record resolves to Cuttly's IP. SSL provisioning happens automatically after verification but may take a few minutes — if you see an SSL error immediately after verifying, wait 5 minutes and reload.

Custom slug is already taken

Slugs are unique per domain — the same slug can be used on different branded domains, but not twice on the same domain. If your preferred slug is taken (by a previous link on the same domain), choose a variation. Good practice: use a consistent naming convention across all links, such as campaign-name-channel (e.g. summer-email-1, summer-sms-1), to keep slugs organised and avoid conflicts.

CNAME record conflict

If you previously added a CNAME record for the same subdomain and are now trying to add an A record, remove the CNAME first. A and CNAME records cannot coexist on the same hostname. Delete the CNAME, add the A record, then add the TXT record.