Google URL shortener
The Google URL Shortener at goo.gl
is a service that takes long URLs and squeezes them into fewer characters to
make a link easier to share, tweet, or email to friends. For example, the short
URL http://goo.gl/l6MS is a
convenient shorthand representation for the long URL http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/making-urls-shorter-for-google-toolbar.html.
After reading this article, if you still have questions about the
Google URL Shortener and want to learn more, or would like to give us your
feedback, see the Google URL shortener discussion group.
How do I use the Google URL Shortener?
Go to goo.gl and paste the long
URL you wish to shorten into the input box at the top of the page. Click
"Shorten" and to the right of the box you’ll see a short goo.gl URL that can be
copied and pasted anywhere you’d like to share it.
If you’d like to track the analytics of your shortened URL, please sign in to
your Google Account before shortening your URL. Your shortened URL will
automatically be added to your goo.gl history.
Why use the Google URL Shortener?
People share a lot of links online. This is particularly true as
microblogging services such as Twitter and Google Buzz have grown in popularity. With character limits in
tweets, status updates, and other modes of short form publishing, a shorter URL
leaves more room to say what's on your mind.
Our primary goal in making this service publicly available to all users is to
harness Google’s global production infrastructure to provide users with the
following benefits:
- Stability - reliable service with good uptime
- Security - warning message if the short URL points to a suspected malware, phishing, or spam website
- Speed - fast resolution of short URLs (in a few milliseconds)
