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How To Set Up A Branded Short Domain

9/15/2014 By Michael

You work hard to ensure a consistent brand across multiple social media and web sites. However, a key opportunity is often missed and it is one that really makes you stand out: a custom short domain. I decided to set one up for my site MWGblog.

A short domain allows you to shorten long convoluted URLs to something more manageable. To go the extra step, you can set up your own short domain so that the links you post carry your personal brand across the web. As an example, let’s say I want to link to one of the books I wrote a few years back. Now I can link to the Amazon page for the book like this: http://mwgblog.link/ZkYqN5 or I can customize the link further like this: http://mwgblog.link/podcastsolutions.

Here is what one looks like on Twitter:

Example Short Domain Twitter Post

I accomplished this in under 30 minutes using a Bitly account. Here’s how I did it.

STEP 1. Decide on Domain Name

First I had to decide on the domain name to use. I thought about a subdomain of MWGblog, something along the lines of go.mwgblog.com but in looking around I discovered that the .link TLD is now available. GoDaddy, the registrar I usually use, doesn’t offer .link but I found a deal on Hover. I’ve never used Hover, but with .link names on sale for just $5.00 I figured it was worth a try. It was easy and worked like a charm. I quickly set up an account and registered mwgblog.link. After a few minutes I got my confirmation email, confirmed my account and was ready to move on. (Note: Bitly requires that your domain name is 15 characters or less including the ‘dot.’)

STEP 2. Point Domain to your DNS/Hosting

Next I changed the nameservers on Hover to point my new URL to Media Temple where I host my sites. In Hover, go to Manage Your Domains and click to edit your domain. On the Nameservers line click edit and enter the nameservers for your host or DNS service. You’ll need to look these up for your hosting company. Bottom line, you’ll need a service that allows you to manage the DNS records. Here is what mine now looks like.

MWGblog Short Domain nameservers

STEP 3. Set up Domain on Bitly

Next log in to your Bitly account. If you don’t have one just set up a free account. Go to settings in the top right pulldown menu and then click on the Advanced tab. Look for and click on ‘Activate a Branded Short Domain.’ Then fill in the information about the domain you are using.  (Important if you are using a top level domain name this is the only thing you’ll be able to use it for. I.e. you can’t also host a site on it etc. It will just be for your short urls.)

MWGblog Short Domain Bitly Settings

STEP 4. Update DNS A Record to point to Bitly

Now head back to your hosting service and set the DNS A Record to point to Bitly. Bitly has you edit the existing A record for your site so that it points to IP Address 69.58.188.49. Here is a screenshot of mine once it was completed. (If you are using a subdomain here are some additional instructions.)

MWGblog Short Domain Zone Records

Next, depending on your DNS service you may need to wait a bit until it propagates. Some sites say it can take up to 24-48 hours. While this may be true, checking back on the Bitly site I had confirmation mine was working in under 10 minutes.

MWGblog Short Domain DNS Configuration

STEP 5. Start Using your new Branded Short Domain!

Make sure to set your new short domain as the default in your Bitly settings.

MWGblog short domain default setting

That is it, you are ready to start using your new custom short domains. You’ll get all the tracking information you are used to with Bitly. Best of all, you can also use other connected services like the Chrome Browser extension or WordPress Bitly plugin to automatically use your new short domain.

Bonus Points:

For bonus points, set the Branded Short Domain Root Redirect to your main site. This way if someone gets curious about your spiffy new short domain url and types just the main url in their browser they’ll land back on your home page.

MWGblog short domain root redirect setting

$5 Link URL:

Of course you can use any domain name you like. I went with the .link because it fit perfectly for the use case and the price was right for this little experiment. At the time of this post they are on sale for $5 on Hover.

$5.00 Link domain on Hover

Services used: Bitly, Media Temple and Hover
Enjoy.

Filed Under: General, Professional Podcasting Tagged With: Branding, Podcasting

Filed Under: General, Professional Podcasting Tagged With: Branding, Podcasting

About Michael

Michael W. Geoghegan is founder and CEO of GigaVox Media. NewMedia Entrepreneur & Podcast Pioneer/Pundit. Author of two books. Creator of two time James Beard Award winner GrapeRadio.com
My Books on Amazon / GigaVox Media / Grape Radio / Podcast Academy / Reel Reviews Radio

Comments

  1. Terrence says

    9/15/2014 at 10:39 am

    Good stuff! Thanks for the share. I am setting up my branded link shortener now

    • Michael says

      9/15/2014 at 10:41 am

      Great! Let me know how it goes.

  2. Tim Bourquin says

    9/15/2014 at 12:11 pm

    Worked like a charm. I’ve been looking for a solution especially for emailing links which gmail and the rest love to line break and break the link itself.

    Thanks!

    • Michael says

      9/15/2014 at 12:18 pm

      Glad it worked Tim!

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Michael W. Geoghegan is founder and CEO of GigaVox Media.

As a pioneer of podcasting, Michael created some of the first corporate podcasts, including efforts by Disney. Michael is also creator of the 2008 & 2011 James Beard Award winning "GrapeRadio" and "Reel Reviews: Films Worth Watching."

He is editor-in-chief of the Podcast Academy™ book series and co-author of Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Podcasting.

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