When You Should (and Shouldn't) Use a URL Shortener

Use them for

Print materials, podcast read-outs, SMS, X posts where length matters, and any time you need click tracking on a link you don't control the destination URL of.

QR codes especially benefit — a shorter URL produces a less dense, more reliable code.

Don't use them for

Email marketing, internal links on your own site, anything where the destination URL itself signals trust ('citibank.com' is more trustworthy than 'bit.ly/x9k2').

Shortened links can also get flagged by spam filters and corporate firewalls.

If you use them, customize

A branded short link ('go.yoursite.com/x') performs much better than a generic one. Self-hosting a shortener takes an afternoon and is worth it for any serious brand.