Using URL shorteners for Facebook ads is a common practice among marketers. The main reason is that Facebook has a character limit for ad URLs. Facebook allows only a maximum of 2,048 characters for ad URLs. So if your original URL is longer than that, you need to shorten it using a URL shortening service.
Why use URL shorteners for Facebook ads?
There are a few key reasons why marketers use URL shorteners for their Facebook ad URLs:
- To meet Facebook’s 2,048 character limit for ad URLs
- To track clicks and traffic from Facebook ads using the short URL
- To make the URL look cleaner and more presentable in the ad
- To mask or cloak the original URL for security or branding purposes
The 2,048 character limit is the main practical reason most marketers shorten their ad URLs. Very few marketing URLs will be that short. So URL shorteners help squeeze longer URLs into Facebook’s limit.
URL shorteners also allow marketers to track traffic from the specific Facebook ad campaign. The shortened URL acts like a redirect to the original URL. So marketers can see clicks and other stats for each campaign URL.
On top of that, shortened URLs are often cleaner looking and more presentable in the tight ad space. And the cloak the real URL for security or consistency reasons in some cases.
Do you have to use a URL shortener for Facebook ads?
No, using a URL shortener is optional for Facebook ads. If your original ad URL is already under 2,048 characters, then you don’t need to shorten it.
Facebook does not require or enforce shortened URLs for ads. Plenty of advertisers use full original URLs without needing to shorten them.
However, the vast majority of marketers do use URL shorteners for the reasons mentioned above. While optional, it has become a standard practice for most Facebook advertisers.
What URL shorteners work with Facebook ads?
Any major URL shortening service will generally work fine for Facebook ads. Here are some of the most popular URL shorteners used:
- Bitly – One of the most widely used shorteners.
- Rebrandly – Feature-rich shortener optimal for branding.
- TinyURL – A classic shortener that’s been around for years.
- Ow.ly – Hootsuite’s own URL shortener. Good for social media.
- Google URL Shortener – Simple and trustworthy; now discontinued.
- Facebook URL Shortener – Built right into Facebook Ads Manager.
Bitly, Rebrandly, and TinyURL are likely the most commonly used third party shorteners. Ow.ly is popular with social media scheduling tools. Google used to have a shortener but shut it down.
Facebook also provides a built-in URL shortener right within Ads Manager, which can make the process easy.
The key is choosing a reliable shortener that also provides the tracking features you need. Branded shorteners like Rebrandly allow for custom domains and links.
Are there any downsides to shortening URLs for Facebook ads?
There are a couple minor drawbacks to keep in mind when shortening URLs for Facebook ads:
- Shorteners add an extra redirect, which slightly slows down click speed
- Shortened URLs are not as transparent about the destination site
- The links can break if the shortener service shuts down in the future
The main concern is that adding the redirect click slows down clicks ever so slightly since it has to go through that extra step. However for most shorteners, the delay is just a split second and unlikely to hamper performance.
Short URLs also hide the real destination site. Users may be hesitant to click if it’s not clear where they are going. Using a trusted brand shortener can help provide more confidence.
There’s also a very small risk the links could break in the distant future if the URL shortener shuts down. For most major shorteners, this is unlikely, but it is possible. So again sticking with a stable, trusted brand is advised.
However for most advertisers, the benefits of tracking, brand consistency, and meeting Facebook’s character limit far outweigh these minor speed bumps. Just be aware of these limitations as they occasionally factor in.
Should you create a branded shortened URL for Facebook ads?
Creating a branded custom short URL specifically for your Facebook advertising is highly recommended. Here are some benefits of using a custom branded shortener:
- Consistent brand image with your own custom domain
- Cleaner presentation vs random character URLs
- Better clicks and recall with a branded domain
- Easier tracking with campaigns under your own domain
Presenting a professional custom domain like “yourbrand.co/facebookoffer” provides a seamless experience for users. It builds brand recognition for your company when users see that branded link.
Tracking and analyzing also becomes easier when campaigns live under one consistent domain you own and control. Overall, investing in a branded short URL specifically for Facebook ads provides a much more polished and professional result.
Top URL shorteners for Facebook ad tracking
Here are some top URL shorteners that provide robust tracking and analytics for optimizing your Facebook ad campaigns:
Bitly
- Powerful click and traffic tracking dashboard
- UTM builder to track channels, keywords, etc.
- Link retargeting for ad personalization
- A/B testing tools
Rebrandly
- Customizable branded domains and links
- FB and IG tracking with easy UTM codes
- Real-time analytics
- Integration with Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social
Ow.ly
- Owned by Hootsuite, tight integration
- Powerful link click metrics
- UTM code auto-tagging
- Campaign grouping and reporting
Google URL Shortener (discontinued)
- Trusted Google brand
- Simple interface and usage
- UTM tag copying
- Clean number-based URLs (now migrated to Firebase Dynamic Links)
These shorteners make it easy to shorten links, attach UTM tracking codes, create branded custom links, and analyze traffic data down to the campaign level. This allows for full optimization of Facebook ad performance.
How to track Facebook ad clicks with UTMs
To properly track clicks from Facebook ads, marketers need to tag the shortened URL with UTM tracking parameters that specify the campaign information.
Here are the steps to add UTM tags for Facebook ad tracking:
- Shorten the original long URL using Bitly or your preferred tool
- Add ?utm_source=facebook to the end of the shortened URL
- Add additional UTM tags like ?utm_campaign=holiday2021
- Optionally add UTM content, medium, etc. for deeper tracking
- Use the finished UTM-tagged URL in the Facebook ad URL field
This injects the tracking data directly into the link so each click can be identified. The source will always be marked as “Facebook” so you can filter on it. The campaign name allows segmenting performance data for each ad campaign. Other optional UTM tags provide deeper tracking for things like channels, placements, or keywords.
With UTMs applied, the analytics and tracking data for those URLs will provide powerful insight into both overall and campaign-specific Facebook ad performance. This is crucial for identifying top-converting ads and creatives.
Best practices for Facebook ad URL shorteners
Here are some best practices advertisers should follow when shortening URLs for Facebook ads:
- Use a trustworthy, reliable URL shortener service
- Create a branded custom domain for consistent branding
- Make final URLs clean, simple, and descriptive (without UTMs)
- Always add UTM tracking parameters to the URL for analytics
- Keep both original and shortened URLs live and stable
- Check shortened URLs for errors before launching ads
- Use the Facebook URL shortener feature for quick shortening
The keys are choosing a reputable shortener, branding the custom domain, simplifying the final URLs, properly implementing UTMs, thoroughly testing before launch, and keeping the links stable throughout the campaign.
Following these best practices will provide the best results when deploying shortened URLs in Facebook advertising campaigns.
Conclusion
URL shorteners are commonly used by Facebook advertisers to meet the platform’s character limits, better track ad performance, improve branding, and mask underlying URLs.
All major URL shorteners generally work well for Facebook, but choosing a trusted provider with robust analytics is advised. Creating a custom branded domain provides a seamless and professional user experience.
Proper use of UTM tracking parameters allows deep analysis of clicks and conversions by campaign, placement, referrer and other facets. This enables full optimization of Facebook ad campaigns using the shortened URLs.
When leveraged correctly following best practices, URL shorteners bring invaluable benefits to measuring and improving Facebook advertising performance. The extra layer of tracking, consistency, and compliance with Facebook requirements make shorteners a best practice in most Facebook ad implementations.