A reliable link shortener is no longer a convenience, it’s mission-critical.
In the world of performance marketing, where every click is tied to a budget and every conversion is carefully measured, infrastructure failures are more than just technical hiccups — they cost real money.
During my time working with a fast-moving marketing team at an investment firm in Iran, I witnessed firsthand how a seemingly minor tool, a link shortener, brought down the momentum of an entire campaign.
It wasn’t a lack of creativity or poor targeting. It was a broken short link.
The Reality: Many Existing Shorteners Just Aren’t Reliable Enough
When marketers launch paid campaigns across platforms like Google Ads, Instagram, Telegram, or newsletters, every link is a critical piece of infrastructure. It’s not just about shortening the URL, it’s about ensuring uptime, getting meaningful analytics, and maintaining brand trust.
Here’s what happened in our case:
- We used a third-party shortener service that looked reliable.
- One day, the service failed, no redirect, no response, no support.
- The landing pages became inaccessible.
- Thousands of clicks turned into nothing.
- Money was burned, leads were lost.
This wasn’t a rare glitch, it was a systemic risk baked into a marketing workflow.
Why Most Link Shorteners Aren’t Built for Marketing
Let’s break down the typical limitations of most free or generic link shorteners:
- No SLA or uptime guarantee
- No meaningful analytics (geo, device, referral)
- No custom domains
- No integration with campaign tools (like UTM builders)
- Poor or non-existent customer support
- Vendor lock-in without data portability
They are either too “dev-focused”, too generic, or not maintained seriously.
So What Do Marketers Actually Need?
From conversations with marketers and experience building internal tools, I’ve identified a gap: a purpose-built shortlink tool that serves the unique needs of marketing teams.
Here’s what it should provide:
- ✅ High uptime and fast redirects
- ✅ Custom branded domains (e.g., go.brand.com)
- ✅ Click tracking with analytics (location, device, timestamp)
- ✅ UTM parameter support and validation
- ✅ Expiration settings and advanced control
- ✅ Clean UI for marketers + API for developers
- ✅ Real support, not just a ghost email form
I’m Building It — With the Right Focus
I’ve started designing and building a new kind of shortlink service that focuses on resilience, marketing usability, and transparency. It’s not just about shortening, it’s about owning your links, insights, and branding.
If you’re a marketer or developer working in a fast-paced environment and have ever been burned by a broken shortlink, I’d love to hear from you.
Your feedback can shape something that helps not just you, but many others struggling with the same blind spot.
You can follow the progress here: [bijanbiria.com/shortlink] (coming soon)
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, the smallest parts of a stack cause the biggest failures.
A reliable link shortener may seem trivial, until it breaks mid-campaign.
I believe there’s room for a better tool, one built with empathy for marketers, reliability for businesses, and extensibility for developers.
If you’re interested, stay tuned. I’ll be sharing more soon.