What are the risks of third-party link shorteners?
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Using services like bit.ly, tinyurl, or other public link shorteners in email is risky for deliverability.
Shared reputation risk: These domains are used by millions, including spammers and malicious actors. The domain's collective reputation affects everyone's links. When spammers abuse bit.ly, your bit.ly links become more suspicious.
Blocklist vulnerability: Shortener domains frequently appear on blocklists due to abuse. This can cause your emails to be filtered or links to trigger security warnings.
Spam filter signals: Many spam filters specifically flag common shortener domains because of their abuse history. Using them adds negative points to your spam score.
Destination obscuring: Shorteners hide where links actually go. This is exactly what phishing attempts do, making filters suspicious of all shortened links.
Link rot: Third-party services may expire links, change policies, or shut down. Your sent emails become broken archives.
Better alternatives:
Use your ESP's tracking links (at least reputation is managed)
Set up branded short links (go.yourbrand.com) using services like Rebrandly or Bitly's enterprise offering
Use full URLs when length isn't critical
Don't ship your cargo through a harbor known for smuggling. The association alone invites inspection.
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