How to shorten a URL in three steps.

Step 1 — Paste the long URL

Sign in to your OpenMyLink dashboard and click Shorten Link. Paste the long URL into the input field. The Shorten button activates as soon as the field contains a valid URL.

The URL can be any length, any path, with any query parameters. We preserve everything you paste, so if your original URL has UTM tags or fragment identifiers (#section-3), those are kept intact.

Step 2 — Customize (optional but recommended)

Three customizations make the resulting short link substantially better than the default:

• Custom alias — replace the random slug with something memorable. oml.link/spring-sale beats oml.link/Xy7Q9k every time.
• Branded domain — if you've configured a custom domain (setup guide here), pick it from the dropdown. The short URL will use your domain instead of oml.link.
• UTM parameters — open the Advanced section and fill in source, medium, and campaign. These get appended to the destination URL on every redirect so your analytics platform picks them up.

Channel presets save you from retyping UTMs. Set up a Channel once (e.g., "Email — Q2 launches") with default UTM values, then every link created under that Channel inherits them automatically. See the UTM tracking guide for the conventions.

Step 3 — Hit Shorten and share

Click Shorten. You get back:

• The short URL — ready to copy and paste anywhere
• A QR code generated automatically (PNG, SVG, or PDF download)
• A share dialog with Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and email options
• A new entry in your dashboard's recent activity feed

Analytics start accumulating from the first click. Open the link's Statistics view to see click count, geographic distribution, device breakdown, referrer source, and time-of-day patterns — all updated in real time.

After: what to do once the link is live

• Edit the destination any time without changing the short URL — useful when a landing page URL changes mid-campaign.
• Attach a tracking pixel (Meta, Google, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.) so conversions get attributed back to the link. See pixel setup.
• Pause or expire the link when the campaign ends — visitors get a graceful "this campaign has ended" page instead of a 404.
• Repoint for A/B tests — change destinations to test different landing pages with the same printed short URL.

Three common mistakes

1. Tagging internal links with UTMs — UTMs are for inbound campaign tracking only. Putting UTMs on internal links overwrites the original acquisition source in GA4. Tag campaigns, not navigation.
2. Using a shortener that strips query strings — some free shorteners drop everything after ? on redirect, which means your UTMs never reach the destination. Test once before committing: shorten a URL with UTMs, click it, check the destination URL bar.
3. Random slugs in printed materials — oml.link/Xy7Q9k is unmemorable and untypeable. For anything that hits print, packaging, or OOH, always use a custom alias.