As with any strategy, shortlinks aren\u2019t always<\/em> the best choice. In some cases, you may find that you get more clicks when you use a full URL that provides a preview of the page\u2019s content. We\u2019d recommend trying out several types of links, and monitoring your analytics carefully to determine which approach is best for your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may already be familiar with third-party URL shorteners like Bitly<\/a>. However, it\u2019s also possible to create shortlinks directly from your WordPress dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prior to version 4.4, the WordPress editor featured a button that created a shortlink to the page or post being edited. You can easily add this button back with a bit of code. Here\u2019s how!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The code for the Get Shortlink<\/em> button actually still exists in the WordPress files. It\u2019s just been hidden from the editor. You can restore it using a simple hook:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This filter will display the Get Shortlink<\/em> button in the WordPress editor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The hook above needs to be added to the functions.php<\/em> file<\/a> of your WordPress theme. You can find this by heading to your WordPress dashboard, and clicking on Appearance > Theme Editor<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This will pull up the Edit Themes<\/em> screen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find functions.php <\/em>in the list on the right (it\u2019s usually labeled \u201cTheme Functions\u201d), and add the shortlink code snippet to the bottom of the file:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then click on Update File<\/em>. Now, let\u2019s see if it worked!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should now see the Get Shortlink<\/em> button near your page or post name when editing. Here\u2019s what it looks like in the Classic editor<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Selecting the button will display a dialog with the shortlink for the page, which you can copy and paste to share:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note that this method will only show the button in the Classic Editor. If you\u2019re using the Block Editor<\/a>, you\u2019ll have to use a plugin, which we\u2019ll cover next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to shorten your original URL without having to use the Classic Editor, or you just prefer to avoid using code, there are numerous shortlink plugins available for your WordPress website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To show you how this process works, we\u2019ll use the well-rated and user-friendly Pretty Links plugin<\/a> as our example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, head to your WordPress dashboard and click on Plugins > Add New<\/em>. Search for the \u201cPretty Links\u201d custom URL shortener plugin and install it. Don\u2019t forget to activate it after installation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have the plugin installed and activated, a Pretty Links<\/em> item will appear in your WordPress sidebar. Clicking it will bring you to a dashboard, where you can see all the links you\u2019ve shortened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To create a shortlink, click on Add New<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n On this screen, you can enter the long URL you want to shorten and edit the slug<\/a> of the shortlink you\u2019re creating. You can also add any notes you might need for later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Advanced<\/em> tab contains options for setting the link<\/a> to \u2018nofollow\u2019, marking it as sponsored, enabling parameter forwarding, and turning on tracking. You can select the information icon to the right of each option to get more details on what it does:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve created a shortlink, the Pretty Links dashboard will show it, along with some quick options. You can also make a few edits from here, or quickly share the link in a tweet or email:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Upgrading to the Pro version<\/a> of Pretty Links will enable some additional features such as categories and tags, but it\u2019s not necessary if all you want to do is shorten URLs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These methods save you time from relying on Tiny URL or Bitly to convert the long link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shortlinks are an excellent way to clean up your online presence and increase your analytics capabilities. However, there\u2019s a lot more to creating an incredible digital experience than just optimizing your links. <\/p>\n\n\n\n WP Engine is a leader in WordPress hosting<\/a> innovation, offering comprehensive resources<\/a> and a variety of hosting plans of all sizes<\/a> to help you deliver the best experience possible for your users!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever tried to attach a link to a social media post, only to find that it takes up most of your allotted character count? Alternatively, maybe you\u2019ve tried to send a referral link and cringed at the unsightly string of numbers and symbols. If so, you could probably benefit from using shortlinks. Shortlinks…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109554,"template":"","resource-topic":[904,901],"resource-role":[895,906,897,903],"resource-type":[916],"class_list":["post-109548","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Create Shortlinks on a WordPress Website<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 1: Write the Shortlink Code<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
add_filter( 'get_shortlink', function( $shortlink ) {return $shortlink;} );<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 2: Add Your Code to the functions.php File<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/sMxHCmnPBhQTm7wS3o_IRAPadrUf3BNl5sS965a8Ql_ftpAvrqW3PrOkyVYY3Q7BWI6WLDqhRaMELrq0U0DZfduyjMTVWSWbkVaqdZujoNXS1RkmiAVTOaJp6pl71S-QE-8Gzke6\")
![\"How](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/ecb8R7oDDg1nCSxXCIJm3EUceiz8wOfZRJ7BE1LKmjT7YfsjTj4SH3k9rakLibowtrq-Dcx8suKJSUXAOpYPrpMQLaR3iAzsnJLl6qKQHXqC6DJaQbLWWM3EhoQLHAQhyv2VapXP\")
Step 3: Test to See If the Get Shortlink Button Appears<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/8LVec8JtQ4TtTMh8w7l56vJVlHQ1rM_BjYy7DRLp7U4hBU5vS6t38WTB3o2ZZo824_9GKF3zP4WnHfWTCqkzgX-3UwFARljjs7AaTe-zpsuIXATFNoL8L2zN_mxhpcbst-jhZN8N\")
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/tm2XTcUrnuZQLdwwDbT1aVXLikMeY06_fJjrPCzVC0JxV_9yXOo4jj9Y_-c553LcL6MbuJjNpDHPBd8wnJLi3Fy6rRX3qLj131MXhF4HWDtbRVSPtXpPJTElicN2cuQkJwcOGgpP\")
Get Shortlinks Using a WordPress Shortlink Plugin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Pretty](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/T5CX0w0XG6Ip29_ZEjFgQwtrhjfhXwW-qhaGVAHUUpJoxSERpxuuBCQXRBzE1JOr3WgTHKLMhh-DseE1qvbB8GV4ZTkQ1-Ttpsbhbq292TNBx3x99tmGXFnG9ftzMVGWbDiCjD0i\")
Step 1: Install the WordPress Plugin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: Shorten Your Link<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/BZsTfGeMNFBWnE8GKT3vDD0SKBjTNCzrT4psR9GlMR4_-IneY-n2_r_gWjr682b_jnchbab9Q1UBMJtEjynA1e06qPAVE9Hyev7aA2Qr47AtFa-LK_EhGeFv5mYlS2L50b6pcrj2\")
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/IWz86WFOvOEuIOZekZw2Jc0VamDPrGaooU914n-F4iIP_gltnXBkknKAzbmb7Ylz7gxouE2Oz0ITN1AUTdo1vHufiHSju_jvvlybdvkP1TSupbUhpqivAxNrS6Iyo8juaisX8p5P\")
![\"How](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/H9hFjfrxIRFNHmukSGR_8ksTDYEShQgYPgm5xUk1T4tWRvDlSTSf0T6l_vAjDvycuXTJcDhIHEMIN_yhg86elibYhOv0A_kSgDIEU-46ux6G2UuiQVmPgofZoa3rzbgviXs9WIYC\")
Customize Your WordPress Site with WP Engine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n