Viraly’s link shortening feature creates clean, trackable URLs for your posts. Shorten long links, track clicks, and understand which content drives the most traffic.
How Link Shortening Works
When you add a URL to your post, Viraly can:
- Detect the link automatically in your caption text
- Generate a shortened URL that’s easier to share
- Track every click on the shortened link
- Show click analytics so you know what’s working
Shortened links use the vrl.link domain (e.g., https://vrl.link/abc123). They’re cleaner, take up fewer characters (helpful for platforms with tight limits), and give you valuable click data.
Shortening Links in Posts
To shorten a link when creating a post:
- Add a URL to your caption
- Viraly detects the link and shows a preview
- Enable Shorten Link in the link options
- The shortened URL will be used when the post publishes
Link Preview
When you add a URL, Viraly automatically fetches:
- Page title
- Description
- Preview image
This preview shows how the link will appear when posted.
Click Tracking
Every shortened link tracks clicks automatically. View click data to understand:
- Total clicks on each link
- Which posts drive the most traffic
- Click trends over time
Viewing Click Analytics
To view your link analytics:
- Go to Post Scheduler
- Click Shortened Links in the secondary navigation
- View click counts for all your shortened URLs
Link Analytics
Click View Analytics next to any shortened link to access detailed performance data.
Analytics Overview
The analytics page shows key metrics at a glance:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Clicks | Total number of times the link was clicked |
| Created | When the shortened link was first created |
| First Used | When the link received its first click |
Link Details
View the full short URL (vrl.link) and destination URL. Copy either to share or reference.
Clicks Over Time
A chart showing click activity over time. Track patterns and see when your links receive the most engagement.
Geographic Data
Understand where your clicks come from:
- Top Countries — Ranked list of countries where clicks originated
- Top Cities — Ranked list of cities where clicks originated
Device & System Data
See what devices and operating systems your audience uses:
- Devices — Breakdown by device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- Operating Systems — Breakdown by OS (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, etc.)
This data helps you understand your audience and optimize your content for the devices they use.
Managing Shortened Links
Access all your shortened links from the sidebar:
- Go to Post Scheduler
- Click Shortened Links
- Browse all links with their click data
From here you can:
- View click counts for each link
- Copy shortened URLs to use elsewhere
- See which posts use each link
External Providers (Bitly, Dub.co, Rebrandly)
Beyond the built-in vrl.link shortener, Viraly can mint short URLs through your own Bitly, Dub.co, or Rebrandly account — so shortened links use your own branded domain (e.g. go.yourbrand.com) and appear in your external provider’s own analytics dashboards too.
External providers are available on every plan, including Free — Viraly just relays to the shortener you already pay for. The built-in vrl.link shortener is included on every plan with a monthly link cap that scales with your tier (50 / month on Free, 500 on Influencer, 5,000 on Business, 25,000 on Agency, unlimited on Enterprise).
Supported Providers
| Provider | Auth | Custom Back-Half | Branded Domain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitly | OAuth (one-click Connect) | Yes | Yes — any domain attached to your Bitly account |
| Dub.co | OAuth (one-click Connect) | Yes | Yes — any domain attached to your Dub workspace |
| Rebrandly | API key (paste from Rebrandly account) | Yes (Rebrandly calls it a slashtag) | Yes — any domain attached to your Rebrandly account |
Connecting a Provider
- Go to Post Scheduler → Shortened Links.
- Expand the Providers panel at the top of the page.
- Click Connect on the provider you want:
- Bitly / Dub.co — you’ll be redirected to the provider’s login page to authorize Viraly, then bounced back.
- Rebrandly — paste your Rebrandly API key into the dialog. Find it at rebrandly.com/account/api-keys. The key is stored encrypted.
- (Optional) Click Make default on the card to set this provider as your workspace default for new shortened links. The built-in vrl.link shortener is the default until you change it.
Picking a Different Provider per Post
In the post composer, click the shortener badge above the caption to open the per-post configuration modal. You can override the workspace default for a single post and, on providers that support it, specify a custom back-half (the text after the slash, e.g. go.yourbrand.com/launch).
Automatic Fallback
If your selected provider is temporarily unavailable (rate-limited, API key revoked, OAuth token expired, etc.), Viraly automatically falls back to the built-in vrl.link shortener so your post still publishes with a trackable short URL. The composer surfaces a small (fallback) indicator on the shortener badge so you know which provider actually minted the link.
Disconnecting a Provider
On the Shortened Links page, expand Providers and click Disconnect on the provider’s card. Existing short URLs minted through that provider keep working — disconnecting only stops new links from being created through it. To revoke access entirely, also remove Viraly’s authorization in the provider’s own settings (Bitly Apps page, Dub Settings → Integrations, or rotate the Rebrandly API key).
Best Practices
- Use for important links: Shorten links you want to track—landing pages, products, sign-up forms
- Compare performance: Test different CTAs and see which drive more clicks
- Check analytics regularly: Monitor which content drives traffic
- Save characters: Shortened links help on platforms with character limits
When to Use Shortened Links
- Product pages you’re promoting
- Blog posts and articles
- Landing pages and sign-up forms
- Any link where click tracking is valuable