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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a URL Shortener?

Section titled “What is a URL Shortener?”

A URL Shortener is a tool that converts long URLs into shorter, more manageable links. These short links are easier to share, remember, and track. When someone clicks on a short link, they are automatically redirected to the original long URL.

How do I use the URL Shortener?

Section titled “How do I use the URL Shortener?”

Simply paste your long URL into the input field, optionally customize the short link with a custom alias, and click the ‘Shorten’ button. Your short link will be generated instantly and ready to share.

Why should I use a URL Shortener?

Section titled “Why should I use a URL Shortener?”

Short links are easier to share and remember, especially where space is limited. With Posty5 you can also change a link’s destination at any time, download a QR image for it, and see how many times it was opened.

Is the URL Shortener free to use?

Section titled “Is the URL Shortener free to use?”

Creating a short link on posty5.com without signing in is free, but you cannot edit or manage that link later. Links you create from your account use credits from your plan, and some options, such as a custom ending, need the Starter plan or higher. The Feature Credits page lists the cost of every action. Feature Credits

Section titled “Can I track visitors to my short links?”

Yes. Each short link’s Analytics tab shows visits and unique visitors per day, how people arrived and their devices. On the Starter plan or higher, it also shows countries, operating systems, browsers, referring sites and browser languages. Bots and link previews are counted apart. How visit analytics work

Section titled “Are short links safe to use?”

Posty5 checks every destination against a public phishing blocklist and refuses links to program and archive files such as .exe, .rar and .zip. Some destinations first open a Posty5 check page that shows visitors where the link goes, with Continue and Cancel buttons. Anyone can report a link, and Posty5 admins review every report. Still, be careful with short links from sources you do not know.

What makes this URL Shortener different from others?

Section titled “What makes this URL Shortener different from others?”

You can change a link’s destination at any time, every link comes with a QR image, links can send Android and iPhone visitors into your app, and you can show visitors a landing page with your own title and description first. Every link also shows its visit count.

Section titled “Can I edit my short link after creating it?”

Yes! One of our best features is the ability to edit the destination URL of your short link at any time. The short URL stays the same, but you can change where it redirects to. This is perfect for updating campaigns or fixing broken links.

Section titled “Is there a limit to how many links I can shorten?”

There is no fixed daily limit. Each link you create from your account uses credits, so how many you can create depends on your plan’s credit balance. The Feature Credits page lists the cost. Feature Credits

What is deep linking?

Section titled “What is deep linking?”

Deep linking allows you to create links that direct users to specific content within mobile apps instead of web pages. This provides a better user experience for app users by taking them directly to the relevant screen or content.

Section titled “Can I earn money from my short links?”

Yes. Open the link in your dashboard, choose edit, enter the new destination and save. The short link and its QR image stay the same, and visitors go to the new destination from then on. A link created without signing in cannot be edited.

How do I access the API?

Section titled “How do I access the API?”

Switch your account to a developer account, then create an API key in the API keys section of your account settings. With the key, your own software can create, update, list and delete short links and read their visit counts. Every request that creates or updates a link with an API key must include a QR template ID. The npm and .NET SDKs and the Posty5 n8n nodes wrap these calls, and the developer documentation lists every endpoint.

What are the alternatives to this URL Shortener?

Section titled “What are the alternatives to this URL Shortener?”

Other services include Bitly, TinyURL and Ow.ly. Posty5 lets you change a link’s destination at any time, gives every link a QR image, can send Android and iPhone visitors into your app, and lets you start for free.

Section titled “Can I customize my short links?”

Yes. On the Starter plan or higher, you can choose the ending of a link when you create it, such as my-campaign, instead of a random code. The ending must be unique and 4 to 32 characters long, using lower-case letters, digits and hyphens. It cannot be changed after the link is created.

Section titled “How do QR codes work with short links?”

Every short link automatically gets a free QR code that you can download and use. The QR code encodes your short link, so when someone scans it with their phone camera, they’ll be directed to your destination URL. This is perfect for print materials, business cards, posters, and product packaging.

Section titled “Do short links expire?”

No, short links created with our service do not expire. They will continue to work indefinitely unless you manually delete them or violate our terms of service.

Section titled “Can I delete a short link?”

Yes, you can delete any short link from your dashboard at any time. Once deleted, the short link will no longer work and will return a 404 error if someone tries to access it.

Section titled “What happens if someone reports my link?”

Posty5 admins review every abuse report. If they find that your link breaks the terms of service, they reject it, and the link and its QR page stop working.

Section titled “Can I use short links for commercial purposes?”

Yes, you can use short links for commercial purposes including marketing campaigns, affiliate links, product promotions, and business communications. Just make sure to follow our terms of service and avoid spamming or deceptive practices.

How accurate is the visit count?

Section titled “How accurate is the visit count?”

Since visit analytics started, bots and apps that fetch a link preview are recognised by how they identify themselves and are left out of the visits, so the count is close to the number of real openings. A bot that pretends to be a browser can still be counted. Unique visitors are counted per day, so one person who comes back on another day counts again.

Section titled “Can I create branded short links with my own domain?”

No. Every short link uses Posty5’s short domain, pst5.com, and you cannot connect your own domain. On the Starter plan or higher, you can choose the ending of each link to make it easier to recognize.

What types of URLs can I shorten?

Section titled “What types of URLs can I shorten?”

You can shorten almost any valid URL including websites, blog posts, videos, social media posts, documents, images, and more. The URL must be publicly accessible and not violate our terms of service.

How do I create a custom landing page?

Section titled “How do I create a custom landing page?”

When you create or edit a short link, turn on Show a landing page and enter a page title and description. Visitors then see a Posty5 page with your title, your description and the destination, and choose Continue to go on. If Posty5 cannot confirm that the destination is safe, the page shows a safety notice in place of your title and description. On the Free plan, the page shows ads.

Section titled “Can I password-protect my short links?”

No. Short links cannot be password-protected, so anyone who has a link can open it. Do not use a short link for content that must stay private.

What browsers are supported?

Section titled “What browsers are supported?”

Our URL Shortener works with all modern web browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. Short links work on all devices and browsers that support standard HTTP redirects.

Section titled “Can I bulk create short links?”

There is no bulk option. The dashboard and the API both create one link per request, but with an API key your own software can create as many links as you need, and the npm and .NET SDKs and the Posty5 n8n nodes make that easy to automate.

Section titled “Can I export my links or their visit counts?”

No, there is no export. You can see each link’s visit count in your dashboard, or read it through the API with an API key.

Section titled “Can I use short links in email marketing campaigns?”

Yes. Short links keep your emails tidy and save space, and you can give each email or campaign its own link and compare their visit counts. Always test your links before you send a campaign.

How can I contact the support team?

Section titled “How can I contact the support team?”

If you have any questions or need assistance, you can reach us through the ‘Contact Us’ page. Our team is available to help you with any issues regarding the URL Shortener or any other Posty5 services.

Why do I see fewer visits than before?

Section titled “Why do I see fewer visits than before?”

Since visit analytics started, openings by bots and by apps that fetch a link preview are no longer counted as visits. The Analytics tab shows them apart as Bot visits, and the total from before that date is kept as it was.

Can I see which countries my visitors come from?

Section titled “Can I see which countries my visitors come from?”

Yes, on the Starter plan or higher. The Analytics tab then also lists countries, worked out from each visitor’s connection, along with operating systems, browsers, referring sites and browser languages. On the Free plan it shows visits, unique visitors, how people arrived and their devices for the last 30 days.