Custom domain shortener
Short links on your own domain.
Serve every short link from a domain you own, so shares reinforce your brand instead of someone else's. Connect a domain, verify it with one DNS record, and keep the analytics, aliases, and controls you already use.
Try the shortener on our domain first — the workflow is identical once your own domain is connected.
- Your domain on every short link you share
- One DNS record to verify — no registrar migration
- Custom aliases on top of your custom domain
- Full click analytics, unchanged
- Multiple domains for different brands or regions
- Links keep resolving if you later change plans
Your domain, your brand
Replace a generic shortener domain with your own, so recipients see a name they recognise before they click. The link itself becomes a trust signal rather than an unknown redirect.
Analytics that prove ROI
Branded links report exactly like standard ones — clicks, approximate location, device, browser, and referrer — so you can show which campaigns and channels actually returned traffic.
Control every link
Pause, repoint, expire, or password-protect any branded link from one dashboard. Ownership of the domain means nobody else can create links on it.
How to set up a custom domain shortener
Roughly five minutes of work, then however long your DNS provider takes to propagate — usually minutes, occasionally a few hours.
Pick a domain or subdomain
Use a short domain you own, or a subdomain of your main site such as go.yourbrand.com or link.yourbrand.com. A subdomain is the fastest option because you already control the DNS.
Add the verification record
Add the DNS record shown in your dashboard at your registrar or DNS provider. This proves ownership and points the domain at Shortly.
Start creating branded links
Once verification succeeds, choose the domain when creating a link. Existing links keep working — the new domain is an addition, not a migration.
Generic domain vs your own domain
The mechanics of shortening do not change. What changes is what the recipient sees, and whether the click history belongs to you.
| Generic shortener domain | Your custom domain | |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient recognises the domain | No | Yes |
| Reinforces brand on every share | No | Yes |
| Survives if the shortener shuts down | No | Yes |
| Affected by others' spam on the domain | Yes | No |
| Works in print and on camera | Awkward | Readable |
| Setup effort | None | One DNS record |
| Click analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Custom aliases | Yes | Yes |
Who needs branded short links
Marketing teams
Campaign links that carry the brand across social, paid, and partner placements instead of a neutral third-party domain.
Email programs
Branded links look less like phishing to both recipients and spam filters, which helps deliverability and click-through.
Agencies
Connect a separate domain per client so every deliverable stays on-brand and each client's data stays separated.
Publishers
Share article links on a recognisable domain that readers trust enough to click from social feeds.
Sales teams
Send proposals and demo links on the company domain rather than a generic shortener a prospect may not trust.
Paid campaigns
Keep the display URL consistent with the landing page domain, which matters for both ad policy and conversion rate.
Why a custom domain changes click-through rate
A short link asks someone to click without showing them where they are going. On a generic shortener domain, the only information available is the shortener's name — which tells the recipient nothing about whether the destination is legitimate.
A branded domain closes that gap. When the link reads go.yourbrand.com, the recipient already knows who is behind it. That is why branded short links consistently outperform generic ones in email and social, and why they draw fewer spam complaints.
There is a defensive angle too. Shared shortener domains accumulate abuse over time, because anyone can create links on them. When a domain gets flagged by a security vendor or blocked by a corporate filter, every link on it suffers — including yours. A domain you own carries only your reputation.
Choosing the right domain
The simplest and fastest option is a subdomain of a domain you already own, such as go.yourbrand.com or link.yourbrand.com. You control the DNS already, there is nothing new to buy, and it inherits the recognition your main domain has built.
A dedicated short domain — a brand-adjacent name or a short country extension — reads better in print and on screen, but costs more and starts with no recognition. It is worth it when links appear on packaging, billboards, or broadcast, where every character counts.
Whichever you choose, keep it stable. The value of a branded short domain is cumulative recognition, and changing it resets that to zero while leaving old links dependent on the previous domain.
What happens to links if things change
Because the domain is yours, the links remain under your control. If you move providers, the DNS record points somewhere else and you decide what happens to existing links — rather than depending on a vendor to keep them alive.
Within Shortly, connecting a custom domain does not disturb links already created on the default domain. Both keep resolving, and you choose which domain to use on each new link.
Custom domain URL shortener FAQ
What is a custom domain URL shortener?
It is a link shortener that serves short links from a domain you own, such as go.yourbrand.com, instead of a shared third-party domain. The shortening, analytics, and controls work the same way — only the domain changes.
Do I need to buy a new domain?
No. A subdomain of a domain you already own works perfectly and is the fastest option to set up. A dedicated short domain is worth considering if links will appear in print or on camera.
How long does setup take?
A few minutes to add the DNS record, then however long your provider takes to propagate — usually minutes, sometimes a few hours. The dashboard shows verification status throughout.
Can I use more than one custom domain?
Yes. Connect several domains and choose which one to use per link — useful for agencies managing multiple clients or brands running regional campaigns.
Do branded links still get full analytics?
Yes. Clicks, approximate location, device, browser, and referrer are recorded exactly as they are on the default domain.
Will my existing short links stop working?
No. Adding a custom domain does not affect links already created. Both domains keep resolving and you pick which to use going forward.
Is a custom domain better for email deliverability?
Generally yes. Branded links are less likely to be treated as suspicious than links on shared shortener domains, which are frequently abused and sometimes blocklisted wholesale.
Is a custom domain included in the free plan?
Custom domains are part of the paid plan. Everything else — shortening, QR codes, and click analytics — is available free.
Branded links
Put your brand on every link you share.
Connect a domain with one DNS record and start sending links people recognise — with the same analytics and controls you already use.