Custom and Branded URL Shortener
Turn a generic short link into a vanity URL that carries your brand. With QRLinkify you can name every slug yourself, and on paid plans put your short links on your own custom domain, so the link looks like it belongs to you because it does.
- Custom domain (go.yourbrand.com)
- Custom slugs free on every plan
- Click analytics and geo data
- QR code for every short link
Your branded link
Live previewCustom domain
go.yourbrand.com
Custom slug
Readable, on brand
More clicks
Trust earns the tap
QR included
Every link gets a QR
What is a vanity URL
A vanity URL is a short link you have deliberately shaped to reflect your brand. Instead of an anonymous string on a shortener domain, a vanity URL uses recognizable words, your own domain, or both. The address go.yourbrand.com/sale is a vanity URL. A generic code like genericshortener.com/a8d2k is not.
The word "vanity" undersells it. This is not decoration, it is signaling. When a link clearly belongs to a brand the reader knows, the link borrows that brand credibility. The reader sees who is behind the link before they click, and that single piece of information is often what decides whether they click at all.
A custom URL shortener is the tool that produces vanity URLs at scale. QRLinkify gives you two levers: custom slugs, which let you write the readable end of every link, and custom domains, which let you replace the shortener domain with your own. Use one or both, depending on your plan and your needs.
How a custom domain works in 3 steps
One DNS record stands between you and fully branded links.
Add your domain
In QRLinkify, enter the domain or subdomain you want to use for short links, for example go.yourbrand.com. A dedicated short-link subdomain is the common choice.
Update one DNS record
QRLinkify shows you the exact DNS record to add at your domain registrar. You make that one change, and QRLinkify handles HTTPS automatically.
Shorten on your own brand
Once the domain verifies, every new short link you create can use it. The destination still works the same way, but the visible link is now yours.
Branded short links get clicked more
This is the practical reason to brand your links, not the cosmetic one. Across the industry, branded short links consistently outperform generic ones on click-through rate, with reported lifts often in the range of a third more clicks. The mechanism is simple. People click links they trust, and a link that openly shows a brand they recognize is more trustworthy than an opaque one.
Generic short links also suffer from association. They are the same format spammers and scammers use, so cautious readers hesitate or skip them entirely. A branded link breaks that pattern. It looks like a considered piece of communication from a real company, because it is.
The effect compounds where it is hardest to win attention: paid social, cold outreach, SMS, and printed material. In all of those, the link is exposed and the reader is skeptical. A vanity URL on your own domain is one of the cheapest credibility upgrades available, and it applies to every link you send.
Custom slugs on every plan
Custom domains are a paid feature, but custom slugs are not. Even on the free QRLinkify plan, you can write the slug on every link you create. That is the personalized half of a branded link, and it costs nothing.
A custom slug means choosing a name like /q3-report over a random code. The link becomes readable, repeatable, and honest about where it leads. For the AI-assisted version, QRLinkify can read your destination page and suggest slug ideas, so even the naming step is fast. When you are ready for full branding, add a custom domain on Pro for one domain or Business for up to five, and your slugs move onto your own brand without losing any of the work you have already done.
Who brands their short links
Anyone whose links represent them is a candidate for branded links.
Brand and content marketers
Put a vanity URL in every campaign so the link reinforces the brand instead of diluting it. Across a year of posts, that consistency is its own kind of advertising.
Sales teams
Send branded links in outreach where trust is everything. A prospect is far more likely to open go.company.com/demo than an unfamiliar short string from someone they have never met.
Publishers and media brands
Share branded links so every story that gets reposted carries the publication name, turning each share into a small piece of recognition.
Personal brands and creators
Use a custom domain to make even a one-person operation look established, with a memorable vanity URL for their bio, their offer, and their booking page.
Frequently asked questions
Answers about vanity URLs, custom domains, and branded links.
What is a vanity URL or branded link?
A vanity URL is a short link shaped to reflect your brand, using a readable slug, your own domain, or both. A branded link is the same idea: a short link that visibly belongs to you rather than to a generic shortener.
What is the difference between a URL shortener and a branded link shortener?
A plain URL shortener gives you a short link on its own domain with a random code. A branded, or custom, URL shortener lets you control the slug and use your own domain, so the link carries your brand and earns more trust.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes, on paid plans. Pro includes one custom domain and Business includes up to five. You add a domain in QRLinkify, update one DNS record, and HTTPS is handled for you automatically.
How do branded links improve click-through rates?
Branded links show the reader a recognizable name before they click, which builds trust and removes the hesitation generic links cause. Industry data consistently shows branded short links earn meaningfully more clicks, often around a third more.
Is there a free custom link shortener option?
Yes. Custom slugs are free on every plan, including the free plan, so you can personalize the readable part of every link at no cost. Custom domains for full branding require a Pro or Business plan.
Can I still track and edit branded links?
Yes. Branded links include the same real-time click analytics and editable destinations as any QRLinkify link. Branding changes how the link looks, not what it can do.
Will a branded short link still work as a QR code?
Yes. Any branded link can be turned into a QR code, and the QR will carry your custom domain too. QRLinkify also offers a custom QR editor and an AI QR generator for branded codes.
What domain should I use for short links?
Most brands use a short, dedicated subdomain such as go.yourbrand.com or link.yourbrand.com. It keeps short links separate from your main site and signals clearly that the link is a deliberate, branded one.