Create Your First Short Link
Linkkit makes it easy to create branded short links that are both powerful and flexible. Every link can be customized with features that help you improve user experience, organize campaigns, and measure performance.
When creating a short link, you can take advantage of features such as:
- Custom URL aliases
- UTM campaign builder
- Branded custom domains
- Device-based redirects
- Geographic targeting
- Password protection
- Link expiration dates
- QR code generation
- Custom social media previews
- Real-time analytics and click tracking
Whether you're sharing links through email, social media, advertising campaigns, or printed QR codes, Linkkit gives you complete control over how your links behave and how they perform.
In this guide, you'll learn how to create your first short link and explore the customization options available in Linkkit.
Step 1: Open the Link Builder
There are several quick ways to create a new short link in Linkkit.
Option 1: Use the Create Link button
From your dashboard, click Create Link to open the link builder.
Option 2: Use the keyboard shortcut
Press C anywhere in the dashboard to instantly open the link builder without using your mouse.
Tip: Keyboard shortcuts are a fast way to navigate Linkkit and speed up your workflow.
Option 3: Paste a URL
The quickest way to create a short link is to simply paste a valid URL into the dashboard.
Linkkit will automatically detect the URL, open the link builder, and populate the destination field for you—saving you an extra step.
Once the link builder is open, you're ready to customize your short link, choose a branded domain, generate a QR code, and enable analytics before sharing it with your audience.
As you configure your short link, Linkkit provides a live preview of how it may appear when shared on popular platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networks. This helps you verify your title, description, and preview image before publishing your link.
Step 2: Enter Your Destination URL
In the Destination URL field, enter the web address you want your short link to redirect to.
You can paste a URL with or without the https:// prefix. Linkkit automatically validates and formats the URL to ensure it works correctly before the link is created.
Examples:
https://example.com/product
or
example.com/product
Both formats are accepted and handled automatically.
Tip: Always verify that your destination URL points to the correct page before sharing your short link.
Step 3: Customize Your Short Link
The Short Link field allows you to personalize the ending (slug) of your URL. While Linkkit can generate a unique slug automatically, you can also create one that is easier to remember and better reflects your content or campaign.
You can choose to:
- Create a custom slug using your own words or campaign name.
- Generate a random slug for a quick and unique short link.
- Let Linkkit generate a suggested slug based on your destination URL (if available).
For example:
go.yourbrand.com/summer-sale
is more memorable than:
go.yourbrand.com/a8XkP2
Using descriptive slugs makes your links easier to recognize, improves brand consistency, and can increase user confidence when clicking your links.
Step 4: Customize Your Link Preview
Goal: Control how your short link appears when it's shared online.
Linkkit allows you to customize your link preview so you can create a more engaging and professional sharing experience. Personalize elements such as the title, description, and featured image to better represent your content and encourage more clicks.
Your custom preview can be displayed when the link is shared on platforms such as:
- X (formerly Twitter)
- Slack
- Telegram
- Discord
- iMessage
- Other applications that support Open Graph metadata
A well-designed link preview helps improve brand recognition, increases user trust, and can boost engagement across your marketing campaigns.
Step 5: Organize Your Links with Tags (Optional)
Goal: Keep your links organized and easy to manage.
You can assign one or more tags to your short link to categorize campaigns, group related links, and quickly find them later using search or filters.
Tags are especially useful for organizing links by campaign, marketing channel, client, project, or any custom category that fits your workflow.
Analyze Links with Tags
Tags don't just help organize your links—they also make reporting more powerful.
Use tags to filter your analytics and view performance for specific campaigns, projects, teams, or marketing channels. This makes it easy to compare results and understand which campaigns are driving the most engagement.
Congratulations!
You've successfully created your first short link in Linkkit.
Your link is now ready to share, monitor, and optimize using Linkkit's built-in analytics and management tools.
Advanced Link Features
Linkkit includes a range of advanced features to help you create smarter, more flexible short links for every campaign.
UTM Campaign Builder
Automatically add UTM parameters to your links for accurate campaign tracking in your analytics tools.
Learn more →
Link Cloaking
Display a clean, branded short URL while directing visitors to your destination page.
Learn more →
Password Protection
Restrict access to sensitive links by requiring visitors to enter a password before viewing the destination.
Learn more →
Link Expiration
Schedule links to expire automatically on a specific date and time.
Perfect for limited-time promotions, events, and seasonal campaigns.
Learn more →
Device Targeting
Redirect visitors to different destinations based on their device, such as iOS, Android, desktop, or tablet.
Learn more →
Geographic Targeting
Deliver different destination URLs based on a visitor's country or region, helping you create localized marketing experiences.
Learn more →
Search Engine Controls
Control whether search engines can discover and index your short links using configurable indexing settings.
Learn more →
Link Notes
Add private notes to your links to store campaign details, reminders, or internal information for your team.
Learn more →
Edit a Short Link After Creation
Yes. You can update your short link even after it has been created.
To edit an existing link:
- Open the Links page.
- Find the short link you want to modify.
- Click the ⋮ (More) menu.
- Select Edit Link.
The Edit Link page allows you to update various settings, including:
- Destination URL
- Link title
- Custom slug
- Tags
- Link preview
- Password protection
- Expiration settings
- Redirect options
- Other available configurations
Simply save your changes, and the updates will take effect immediately.
Note: You can update the destination URL of your short links whenever needed, making it easy to redirect traffic without changing the shared short URL. This is especially useful for ongoing campaigns, corrected destinations, or content updates.