URL shortening facts for kids

URL shortening is a cool trick on the World Wide Web that makes really long web addresses much shorter. Even though they are shorter, they still take you to the exact same page!

This works by using a special redirect, like a digital signpost, on a short domain name. This signpost then points to the original, longer web page. For example, a long address like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL_shortening can become something much shorter, like http://wrapr.co/GvR7j.

This is super helpful for apps like Twitter or Identi.ca. These apps often limit how many characters you can use in a message. Short URLs let you share web links without using up too many characters. In November 2009, people clicked on these short links over 2.1 billion times!

Why Make Web Addresses Shorter?

Making web addresses shorter has many benefits, especially in today's digital world. It helps make sharing links easier and tidier.

Saving Space in Messages

One of the biggest reasons to shorten a URL is to save space. Social media sites like Twitter used to have very strict limits on how many characters you could use in a single post. A long web address could take up most of your message! Shortening it lets you add more text or other links.

Making Links Look Nicer

Long, complicated URLs can look messy. They might have many slashes, numbers, and symbols. A short URL looks much cleaner and is easier to read. This makes your messages look more professional and less cluttered.

Tracking How Links Are Used

Many URL shortening services also offer tools to track how many times a link is clicked. They can even show where the clicks came from, like which country. This information is very useful for businesses or people who want to see how popular their shared links are.

Easier to Remember and Type

While most short URLs are random letters and numbers, some services let you create custom, memorable short links. This can make them easier for people to remember and type if they need to share them offline.

How URL Shortening Works

When you use a URL shortening service, it creates a new, short web address. This new address acts like a special code.

The Redirect Process

When someone clicks on the short URL, their web browser first goes to the shortening service's server. This server then looks up the short code and finds the original, long web address it's linked to. Finally, the server tells the browser to go to the original long address. This whole process happens very quickly, usually in less than a second, so you hardly notice it!

Popular Shortening Services

There are many different websites that offer URL shortening services. Some well-known ones include Bitly, TinyURL, and Goo.gl (which was a Google service, now mostly for developers). Each service might offer slightly different features, like custom links or advanced tracking.

Images for kids

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  The URL shortener on Meta-Wiki.

See also

In Spanish: Acortador de URL para niños