The links in your email
belong on your domain.
A public shortener lends your email the reputation of everyone else who uses it. Short links on a domain you own carry only yours, and still count every click.
Quick answer
Don't use public shorteners such as bit.ly or TinyURL in email. Spam filters judge each link by its domain's reputation, and a shared shortener domain carries every other sender's history, spammers included. If you want short or tracked links, put them on a subdomain of the domain you send from, such as link.yourbrand.com.
Why the link domain matters
Links are judged by their domain
Filters look up every link domain in a message against reputation lists. A public shortener's domain is used by millions of senders, some of them spammers, and you inherit all of it. Spamhaus keeps a separate blocklist zone just for abused shorteners and redirectors.
A hidden destination is a warning sign
Spam hides its real address behind a shortener, so filters and careful readers treat an unexplained short link with suspicion. A link on your own domain says who it is from before anyone clicks.
Matching domains read as one sender
When the links sit on the same root domain as your From address, the message holds together. SendGrid's guidance for branded links is exactly this: the link domain's root should match the From address.
Sources: Spamhaus on its shortener zone, SendGrid on link branding.
Your email platform or Track Link?
Most email platforms can put their own click tracking on your domain. Here is when that is enough and when it isn't.
| Email platform's branded tracking | Track Link on your domain | |
|---|---|---|
| Click counts for one newsletter | ||
| Links sent from Gmail or Outlook, one to one | ||
| Same link in email, SMS, social and print | ||
| Change where a link goes after sending | ||
| Click data per recipient | One link per person | |
| An email when a link you sent is opened | Agency and up |
Sending proposals or files one to one? See proposal tracking. Counting campaign clicks inside your inbox tools? See email link tracking.
How to set it up
- 1Choose a subdomain of the domain you send from, such as link.yourbrand.com. Avoid registering a brand-new domain just for links: it starts with no reputation at all.
- 2Add it in Track Link and create one CNAME record. HTTPS is issued automatically.
- 3In the domain's settings, send the bare domain to your website.
- 4Create your short links there and paste them into your emails, signature or sequences.
DNS steps for Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap and others are in the custom domain guide.
Before you rely on it
What your own link domain does and doesn't change.
It removes a risk; it doesn't fix a bad send.
Authentication, list quality, content and complaint rate decide most of your inbox placement. Gmail's and Yahoo's 2024 sender rules are about SPF, DKIM, DMARC, unsubscribes and spam rates; link domains are a separate signal on top.
Your domain's reputation is now on the line.
That's the point, and also the responsibility. Use the domain only for your own links. Never shorten links for other people or user-submitted URLs on it.
Your email platform may track clicks too.
If your ESP rewrites links for its own click tracking, a click passes through its redirect and then yours, and both count it. That's harmless; turn one of them off if you'd rather have a single source of truth.
Email link shortener FAQ
Are bit.ly links bad for email deliverability?
They are a risk rather than a guaranteed block. Public shortener domains are shared with spammers, so filters treat them with suspicion and some reputation lists score them down. A short link on your own domain avoids the problem entirely.
Should I use a link shortener in email at all?
Only on your own domain. A full link to your own site is always fine. A short link on your domain is worth it when the URL is long or full of tracking parameters, when it appears in plain-text email or a signature, or when you want click counts outside your email platform.
Can I use these links in Mailchimp, SendGrid or HubSpot?
Yes. They are ordinary HTTPS links. Paste them into any campaign, template or sequence, and into one-to-one emails from Gmail or Outlook.
Does my email platform already do this?
Many let you put their click-tracking links on your domain, which SendGrid calls link branding. If all you need is click counts for campaigns sent from that platform, set that up. Use Track Link for links that travel beyond one platform, one-to-one emails, or links you want to change after sending.
Can I see which recipient clicked?
A shared link shows clicks, not names. For one-to-one emails, give each recipient their own link and an open alert can email you when they click it.
Which plan do I need?
Any paid plan. Free links show a short Track Link notice before forwarding, which doesn't belong in a customer email. Starter at $5.60/mo includes custom domains and instant forwarding.
Links on a domain you own
SMS link shortener
Short links on your own domain, the way carriers expect them.
White label link shortener
Every client's links on that client's own domain.
Branded URL shortener
Short links on go.yourbrand.com instead of a shared domain.
Custom domain link tracker
Full click analytics on links served from your domain.
Custom domain setup
Add a domain with one CNAME record; SSL is automatic.
Send links that say who they're from
Starter is $5.60/mo with custom domains, instant forwarding and click tracking on every link.
Set up your link domain