Branded short links: why use your own domain, and how to set one up

A short link does one job: take someone from a post, ad or poster to the right page. A branded short link does that while showing your name in the link itself — go.yourbrand.in/sale instead of a string of random characters on someone else's domain.

Why the domain in the link matters

• Recognition: people can see who the link belongs to before they tap it.
• Trust: in SMS, WhatsApp and email, unfamiliar link domains look like spam.
• Ownership: links on your domain keep your brand in every share and screenshot.
• Agencies: each client can have links on their own domain, so their customers see the client's brand, not yours.

Choosing the domain

You have two options. A subdomain of your main site, like go.yourbrand.in or link.yourbrand.in, costs nothing extra and is instantly recognisable. A separate short domain, like ybrd.in, gives shorter links but you have to buy it and people may not recognise it.

For most brands and agencies, a subdomain is the right choice: short enough, clearly yours, and nothing new to buy.

What the setup involves

• Add the domain or subdomain in your link tool.
• Copy the DNS record it shows you (usually a CNAME or A record).
• Add that record where your domain is managed — GoDaddy, Hostinger, Cloudflare and so on.
• Wait for the record to be verified, then turn on HTTPS for the domain.
• Create links on the new domain.

DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to be visible everywhere. If verification fails at first, check the record type and the exact value, then try again later.

Naming the links themselves

The part after the slash is the back-half. Make it readable and specific: /diwali, /webinar, /riya-reel. Avoid dates and versions you'll want to change; you can always repoint the link to a new page instead.

Change the destination, keep the link

One of the most useful things about your own short links is that you can update where they point. A QR code printed on packaging, a link in an old email or a pinned post can be pointed at this month's page without changing the link people already have.

In Stackly, connect a domain from the Domains page, add the DNS record shown, and new links can use it. Each link still gets a QR code and click analytics, and you can edit the destination, add a password or set an expiry at any time.