Whenever you share a link to your website in your marketing campaigns, it is important to make sure that your links are short & memorable.
To do this, marketers would often use link shorteners like Dub and Bitly to create shortened versions of their long URLs:
| Long URL | Short URL |
|---|---|
yourdomain.com/blog/a-super-long-post-slug | dub.sh/xyz |
yourdomain.com/blog/another-long-post-slug | bit.ly/xyz |
However, there are several downsides to generic short domains like dub.sh and bit.ly:
- Unbranded: They don't reflect your brand or the content you are sharing.
- Security risks: If someone else shortens malicious links using these generic domains, your links can be blocked.
- Vendor lock-in: There is no way to move your links to another link management platform if you need to in the future.
This is where custom domains come in.
Benefits of using a custom domain
There are several reasons why using a custom domain is good for your short links:
Using a custom domain for your short links provides better brand recognition. Instead of generic domains like dub.sh/xyz, your links will look like yourdomain.com/xyz.
This has several benefits:
- Increased trust: Users are more likely to click on links that contain a familiar domain name.
- Consistent branding: Your short links will align with your overall brand identity.
- Improved memorability: Custom domains are often easier for users to remember, especially if they're related to your brand or content.
- Professional appearance: Custom domains give your links a more polished and professional look.
For example, here's one of our customers, Perplexity, that uses pplx.ai as their short link domain on their X profile:
As you can see, the custom domain pplx.ai is a much better brand recognition than a generic short domain like dub.sh.
Generic short domains are also susceptible to abuse.
For example, if someone else shortens a malicious link using these domains, the domain itself can potentially be blocked by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like AT&T or web browsers like Google.
When that happens, your links – however legitimate – will also be blocked, which can negatively impact your click-through rates and result in an unpleasant user experience.
Case in point: AT&T actively blocks most generic link
shorteners
like bitly, goo.gl, and tinyurl.com. If you send SMS campaigns with
these generic short links, your messages will be blocked and potentially
listed as spam.
By using a custom domain, you avoid this issue entirely as you have full control over which links are being created on your domain. Custom domains are also more trustworthy, which can lead to almost 30% higher click-through rates.
Whenever you shorten a link using a generic short domain, you're essentially putting yourself at the mercy of the platform that controls the short domain.
This means that if the platform goes out of business, or if you're unsatisfied with the platform and want to switch to another one, you won't be able to do so and your links will be "held hostage" by the platform.
This is why we always encourage users on Dub to use custom domains for their short links even when we do offer several branded domains like dub.sh, spti.fi and git.new.
Dub is the only link management platform that allows you to add custom domains for free. The number of domains that you can add depends on your plan:
- Free plan: 3 domains
- Pro plan: 10 domains
- Business plan: 40 domains
- Enterprise plan: Unlimited domains
Learn how to add a custom domain to your Dub workspace.
How to choose a custom domain for your short links?
Here are some examples of custom domains that you can use for your short links – based on what we've seen our customers use:
| Option | Format | Real-world examples | Usage on Dub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subdomains | go.domain.com | Clerk → go.clerk.comNuxt → go.nuxt.comCal.com → go.cal.comCausal → go.causal.app | 32.1% |
| Different TLDs | domain.link | Framer → framer.linkSupabase → supabase.linkVercel → vercel.fyiReplicate → replicate.fyi | 6.6% |
| Domain hacks | doma.in | Basedash → baseda.shInngest → innge.stLugg → lu.ggCrowdin → crowd.in | 1.9% |
Option 1: Use a subdomain
This is the easiest option to get started with – especially since you don't need to buy a new domain.
For instance, if you're using domain.com for your main website, you can use a subdomain like go.domain.com for your short links.
Some real-world examples of this are:
- Clerk →
go.clerk.com - Nuxt →
go.nuxt.com - Cal.com →
go.cal.com - Causal →
go.causal.app
At the time of writing, 1,293 out of 4,024 verified domains on Dub.co use a subdomain for their short links – a 31% usage rate.
Option 2: Use a different TLD
Alternatively, you can use a different top-level domain (TLD) like .link or .fyi for your short links. With this option, you get to use a similar length domain – if not shorter – for your short links, with the trade-off being that you'll need to scoop out a few extra dollars for the additional domain.
For example, if you're using domain.com for your main website, you can use a TLD like domain.link for your short links.
Some real-world examples of this are:
- Framer →
framer.link - Supabase →
supabase.link - Vercel →
vercel.fyi - Replicate →
replicate.fyi
At the time of writing, 1,293 out of 4,024 verified domains on Dub.co use a different TLD for their short links – a 6.6% usage rate.
If you're on a Pro plan or higher, you can also use your complimentary .link custom domain as your short link domain (free for 1 year).
Option 3: Use a domain hack
Last but not least, you can get creative with your short link domain by using a domain hack. This is a technique where you split your company name into two parts and use the first part as the domain and the second part as the top-level domain (TLD).
For example, if you're using domain.com for your main website, you can use a domain hack like doma.in for your short links.
Some real-world examples of this are:
- Basedash →
baseda.sh - Inngest →
innge.st - Lugg →
lu.gg - Crowdin →
crowd.in
At the time of writing, 78 out of 4,024 verified domains on Dub.co use a domain hack for their short links – a 1.9% usage rate.
Start using custom domains for your short links on Dub
To sum it up, you should always use a custom domain for your short links when running marketing campaigns. Not only does it gives you a better brand recognition, it also prevents your links from getting blocked and gives you the flexibility to move your links between different platforms if needed.
At Dub, we have one of the most generous custom domain limits in the industry – you can add up to 3 custom domains to your workspace for free, and even more with our paid plans.
Check out some of our help articles to get started:
