9 useful things you didn’t know you could do with bit.ly

Or maybe you knew you could do these things with URL-shortener bit.ly, but then I couldn’t have a provocative, Mashable-style headline. Work with me.

You’ve seen shortened URLs across the Internet, such as fb.me, bit.ly or others. Previously, URL shorteners served the important purpose of saving space when every letter in a URL counted against Twitter’s 140-character limit. The shortened URL then redirected to a full-length URL when you clicked.

Now that Twitter automatically shortens longer links with its t.co shortener, space isn’t an issue. But URL shorteners are still important, because behind every shortened URL there is a rich mine of data that shows what happens to your links.

Here are a few ways I use bit.ly at Marquette University to find, track, save and analyze my links.

1. Create a branded URL shortener

Bit.ly lets you create (for free) your own custom domain shortener, like Time Magazine’s ti.me or the New York Times’ nyti.ms. Even the Dalia Lama has his own ULR shortener (dalaila.ma). At Marquette, we use go.mu.edu. Having your own URL shortener is like the vanity license plate of the Internet.

2. Hook it up to other social media management tools

Bit.ly plays well with other management tools to keep consistency with how your links looks, as well as store all your data together. I added bit.ly to our Sprout Social account so I can shorten my links there without going to another website.

3. Customize the URL

By default, bit.ly will give you a randomly generated letters or numbers at the end of your URL. But if you click on the edit pen button when you’re creating a shortened URL, you can re-name the suffix (as long as it hasn’t been taken by another bit.ly link). Here’s what it looks like:

4. Use bit.ly’s Chrome extension

I could write an entire post just on the functions of bit.ly’s Chrome extension. In short, though, you can add it to your toolbar and use pop-ups to shorten, customize links and get real-time stats without leaving the tab or window you’re on.

5. Get deep stats on all your links

When you log into bit.ly, click on the stats tab. There you can see how your links perform over time, what geographic locations are most popular, and your biggest referrals of traffic (Facebook vs. Twitter, for example). The bars represent aggregate traffic, and you can click on the spikes in traffic to see which links are getting the most traction.

6. Create bundles

With one of bit.ly’s most underrated features, you can organize and share links by groupings called bundles. You could use this for your own organization or share the bundles with others. Think of it as Pinterest boards for your links.

7. View stats on any bit.ly link on the Internet

Are you curious how many people are clicking on a competitor’s link? If it’s a bit.ly link, you can see it too. Just put a “+” sign at the end and it will take you to bit.ly’s stats page. Try it yourself with http://go.mu.edu/YouAreMarquette+

8. Search your link history

Sometimes you can remember an article you tweeted but not sure where you saw it, and a Google search is too broad. In bit.ly you can search keywords of links you’ve previously saved to narrow the scope.

9. Use multiple Twitter accounts

This adds consistency if your institution has multiple accounts, and also lets you easily post from different handles.

There are many other bit.ly tools, including a handy iPhone app, but these are the main ways I use bit.ly. What are your favorite bit.ly tips?

Want to learn more? View my analytics intro video or subscribe to my email list.