Long addresses happen naturally: a shop appends a product id, a calendar encodes a date, a marketing tool adds tracking parameters. The result is often over a hundred characters and useless in a text message, on a poster or read out loud. Shortening a URL solves exactly that: a long address is replaced by a short one that redirects to it.
How to shorten a URL on skrat.im
- Open skrat.im and paste the long address into the field. If you forget
https://, it is added for you. - Click Shorten. You get an address like
skrat.im/h7k2pq. - Click Copy and paste the link wherever you need it.
No sign-up is needed. The link is remembered in the browser where you created it, and under My links you find its statistics and settings.
A custom alias instead of random characters
A random alias is short but says nothing. For a poster, a slide deck or a radio spot a custom alias is worth it: people remember skrat.im/concert and type it without mistakes. Open the extra options in the form, type the alias and see immediately whether it is free. If it is taken, the form offers the second domain krat.im, where the same alias may still be available.
A good alias has three properties:
- short, ideally one word or two joined with a hyphen,
- ASCII only, because accented characters turn into percent codes in an address,
- descriptive, so people can guess where the link leads.
When shortening pays off
- Print and posters: a short link can be copied from paper, a long one cannot. Every skrat.im link also has a QR code.
- Social media and SMS: wherever characters are counted or a long address looks suspicious.
- Campaign measurement: a short link counts clicks, so you know how many people came from the poster and how many from the newsletter. Create one link per channel.
- An address that will change: when the destination is not ready yet or will move, the short link stays and you change the destination later.
What to watch out for
A short link hides its destination, which is why scammers like them. A serious recipient appreciates a note about where the link leads, or a custom alias that hints at it. You can inspect the destination of any skrat.im or krat.im link yourself by adding a + after it.
Do not bother shortening an address you want readable in the text (a press release, say), or links inside your own website, where long addresses bother nobody and search engines read them directly.
Frequently asked questions
Is a shortened link safe?
A short link is just a redirect. Safety depends on the destination. On skrat.im you can inspect the destination of any link by adding a + at the end (for example skrat.im/abc+).
Can a short link be changed later?
Yes. Change the destination, name and expiry under My links. The short link stays the same, so it keeps working on printed material.
How long does a short link work?
On skrat.im indefinitely, unless you set an expiry by date or by click count.