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October 20, 2019

The Primary Benefits of Using a Vanity URL

One of the main statistics floating around about vanity URLs is that they increase the click-through rate by almost 40%. Beyond the data, there are a variety of benefits a business can gain from using vanity URLs in their marketing campaigns.

Why do You Need a Vanity URL?

There are many reasons to use a vanity URL besides convenience. Although it takes a few extra steps then simply copying and pasting a link, it’s well worth the effort. Here are some key motivations for creating vanity URLs:

Vanity links help a brand maintain continuity and consistency with their messaging. It consolidates data and creates easier manageability. To better understand the reason for using a short, branded link, you should look at the advantages it brings to a business.

The Main Benefits of a Vanity URL

There is an abundance of benefits to developing vanity URLs and infusing them into your marketing campaigns. Here are a few to start:

Brand Reinforcement

Vanity URLs are a divine vehicle for branding. They’re much more powerful than content with text or a link made of alphanumeric gibberish. If you own the links, you should be using your brand. It’s as simple as that.

This is particularly important when it comes to social media. Brand visibility is imperative to staying ahead of the competition. Vanity links increase brand awareness and encourage audience participation. Not to mention anyone who shares the link is further promoting your brand name.

Increased Trust

In the past, short links have been utilized by hackers and spammers for mal intent. This led to many people refusing to click a short link for fear of being phished. Vanity links build trust because you’re plastering a brand name all over the short link. Who would do that with malicious content?

When a short link is identifiable it completely changes the game. Especially when the link leads to a good deal or discount. People will begin to associate your vanity links with a positive experience. There is nothing better when it comes to building brand trust.

Efficient Link Management

Using branded short links and vanity URLs gives you solid control over link management and empowers your analytics. Short links can be redirected, edited, or used in virtually any type of campaign. They come in particularly handy during print media as the analytics produced is one of the only ways to truly test the efficacy of physical advertising.

Vanity links can also be used for integrated link retargeting and UTM tools. A business can add people who click on their vanity links to a retargeting list. Even if the short link leads to a third-party website.

These individuals have demonstrated enough interest to become prospects and enter your sales funnel. Research shows this can increase top of the funnel traffic by up to 500%. You can also build UTM parameters while creating branded short links.

Search Engine Optimization

Vanity links benefit a business by improving SEO. Adding keywords as a slug to your links gives you an edge over the competition. Especially when it comes to ranking on search engines. People search Google with pain points. Your brand will come up high on the search results if you use vanity links.

Vanity URLs are effective because they use real words that people can relate to. They are also incredibly useful when analyzing the performance of marketing campaigns. It’s a quick trick that goes a long way and creates a memorable brand experience.

 

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