September 20, 2020
A vanity URL is a useful marketing tool because it creates an immediate moment of trust for users. It’s a way to show people who your brand is and where they will be directed once they click.
Even though it’s a shorter link, it allows you to take ownership of the visitor experience. This can be particularly useful if you have a company with multiple functions (like SUV, vans, and sports cars). In this case, you may want to easily redirect customers to the right page of each division.
People are not going into your marketing blind. They know exactly what they are getting when they follow the link, which also makes them stronger leads.
Using a vanity URL is great but it’s important to know the best times and places to do so. Otherwise, you miss out on more opportunities to use this valuable tool to the fullest effect. Here are some of the top best practices for using a vanity URL today:
Work to incorporate SEO (search engine optimization) strategies with your vanity URL to establish authority, manage keywords, and supervise current link equity levels to funnel more traffic to the critical pages of your domain.
When done right, using vanity links can improve SEO. Combine them with 301 redirects too. They never lower the page rank and still send users to the right page.
When creating a vanity link, use full words to describe the content that someone will see once they click. The clearer and more concise you can be in the link name, the more likely it is people will do what you ask of them and explore further.
Remember, if anything feels misleading or inauthentic about this process, you will lose any earned trust you may have gained. The goal is to be as real as possible, even if you link to third-party sites.
It may seem like every link you have should be turned into a vanity link if they’re so great, but that’s not the case. There is such a thing as oversaturation. The positive effect becomes watered down if you do it in every post or campaign. They make the most impact when your current link does not.
That means, keep it simple. The best vanity URLs tend to be short with 2-3 words max. The longer the link, the more the risk of error. Consider that people will be typing this and punching it into a smartphone or mobile device. The more keys they have to hit, the greater room for mistakes.
Therefore, it’s best to avoid long-winded, complicated, uncommon, or unusual words whenever possible. If your instinct tells you it’s becoming difficult for people to recall, it probably is. Even if your brand consists of a long name, it’s time to get creative with a nickname.
For example, the car manufacturer Lamborghini cannot possibly expect people to spell that, let alone type it out. It is typically shortened to “lambo” as a nickname. That makes “lam.bo” the perfect vanity link for the brand. It’s short, sweet, and people only need to remember where to place the period.
Most people don’t need to type anything in the URL after the “.com,” “.org,” or “net.” So, you’ll need to eliminate all of the slashes from your address. This will help to establish more trust by directing users to a homepage and allowing them to explore the opportunities.
Capitalize every new word in the vanity URL. This makes it easy to remember and more shareable for visitors. This best practice will help to add brand awareness and clarity to your business.
Vanity URLs are a great way to eliminate the past distrust for short links. When used correctly, they are the perfect strategy to drum up revenue, engage a new audience, and see your business to success!
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