URL Shortener & Link Management Blog
EngineeringURL Encoding Explained: Which Characters to Escape
URL encoding replaces a character with a percent sign and two hex digits so it cannot be read as URL syntax. Which characters need it, and where it breaks.
7 min readurl encoding · percent encoding · encodeuricomponent
TutorialsQR Code for a Phone Number, SMS, and Email Address
A phone QR encodes tel: and opens the dialer with your number filled in. The exact payloads for calls, texts and email, and the catch nobody mentions.
6 min readqr code for phone number · sms qr code · email qr code
TutorialsInstagram QR Code: How to Create, Share, and Track It
Instagram gives every profile a built-in QR code that any camera can scan. Where to find it, what it encodes, and why a printed campaign needs your own.
6 min readinstagram qr code · qr code for instagram · instagram profile link
TutorialsShorten a Facebook Link: Cut fbclid, Track the Clicks
Three different Facebook links, three fixes: claim a Page username, cut the fbclid and __cft__ noise from a shared URL, or wrap an outbound link you can track.
7 min readshorten a facebook link · fbclid · facebook page url
Tutorials301 Redirect in .htaccess: Rules, Order, Query Strings
A 301 redirect in .htaccess is one line of mod_alias. Here is that line, when RewriteRule is the right tool instead, and why order beats line position.
8 min readhtaccess 301 redirect · apache redirect · mod_rewrite
FeaturesDo QR Codes Expire? What Breaks and How to Prevent It
The printed pattern never expires. What expires is the redirect behind a dynamic QR code - the five ways that happens, and how to survive all of them.
8 min readdo qr codes expire · qr code expiry · dynamic qr code
TutorialsShorten a Link for X (Twitter): What t.co Does to It
Every URL on X counts as 23 characters, so shortening saves you nothing. Here is what a branded short link actually buys, and how the double wrap behaves.
7 min readshorten a link for x · twitter url shortener · t.co
TutorialsSafe Links: Why Outlook Rewrites Your Campaign URLs
Microsoft Defender rewrites every link in inbound mail to safelinks.protection.outlook.com. What that does to your click numbers, your previews, and your links.
6 min readoutlook safe links · safelinks.protection.outlook.com · email link rewriting
TutorialsOpen Graph Image Size: One File for Every Platform
1200x630 covers Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Slack, and WhatsApp. The specs, the safe zone that stops text getting cropped, and why an updated image refuses to show.
6 min readopen graph image size · og image size · og:image
TutorialsHow to Redirect a URL: Six Ways, and When Each Is Right
A redirect is an HTTP response, so the real question is which layer answers the request. Registrar, server, CMS, platform, client side, or a managed short link.
8 min readhow to redirect a url · domain forwarding · url forwarding
FeaturesBarcode vs QR Code: Which One Belongs on Your Product
A barcode identifies an item to a system that already knows it. A QR code connects a person to content. Capacity, scanners, and the 2027 retail deadline.
7 min readbarcode vs qr code · 1d barcode · 2d barcode
TutorialsAdd to Calendar Link: Build One That Works Everywhere
An add to calendar link is either a provider URL with the event in its query string or a hosted .ics file. Both, done properly, plus the timezone trap.
6 min readadd to calendar link · google calendar link · ics file
TutorialsQR Code for a Google Form: Create, Track, and Repoint It
Google Forms has no QR generator built in. Encode the form link via a short link so the code stays editable after printing, and read scans against responses.
8 min readqr code for google form · google form qr code · google forms qr code generator
EngineeringRedirect Loop: How to Find and Fix ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS
A redirect loop bounces the browser between URLs until it quits. Trace the redirect chain in one command, name the rule that disagrees, and fix it for good.
11 min readredirect loop · err_too_many_redirects · too many redirects
FeaturesWhat Is a QR Code and How Does Scanning Actually Work?
A QR code is a 2D barcode that stores text a camera can read. Here is what the squares mean, what a code can hold, and what happens between scan and page.
5 min readwhat is a qr code · how do qr codes work · qr code meaning
TutorialsUTM Parameters Not Showing in GA4: Causes and Fixes
Why UTM parameters are missing in GA4, how DebugView separates a tagging problem from an attribution one, and the redirect that silently drops the query string.
5 min readutm parameters not showing in ga4 · ga4 source medium not set · ga4 unassigned traffic
TutorialsUTM Parameters for TikTok and LinkedIn Ads: A Guide
TikTok fills UTM values with macros, LinkedIn makes you type them. That asymmetry decides your naming convention. Templates and the syntax each platform uses.
4 min readutm parameters for tiktok ads · linkedin ads utm tracking · tiktok utm macros
EngineeringURL Shortener CLI: Shorten Links From the Terminal
Shorten a URL from the command line with curl and jq, wrap it in a shell function, copy to the clipboard, and shorten a whole file with xargs in parallel.
5 min readurl shortener cli · shorten url command line · curl url shortener
TutorialsHow to Shorten a YouTube Link (and Keep the Timestamp)
Shorten a YouTube link with the Share button, keep the ?t= timestamp intact, and see when a branded short link beats youtu.be for tracking a campaign.
5 min readhow to shorten a youtube link · youtu.be short link · youtube link with timestamp
TutorialsHow to Shorten a LinkedIn Link (Profile and Posts)
Two different jobs share one question: customizing your LinkedIn profile URL, and shortening links you post without LinkedIn rewrapping them as lnkd.in.
4 min readshorten a linkedin link · linkedin url shortener · customize linkedin profile url