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· bah.is Team

7 Places You Should Be Using Short Links (But Probably Aren't)

Short links aren't just for tweets. Here are seven overlooked places where a clean, trackable short link makes a real difference.

Most people think of URL shorteners in one context: social media. Specifically, Twitter — or X, if you’ve updated your vocabulary. And yes, short links shine there. But that’s a fraction of where they actually add value.

If you’re only using short links for social posts, you’re missing out on better branding, cleaner communication, and data you’d actually find useful. Here are seven places you should be using short links right now.

Your email signature is seen by every person you correspond with professionally. If it contains a raw URL to your website, portfolio, or latest project, you’re wasting that space.

Compare these two:

  • https://yourcompany.com/team/yourname/about?ref=email_signature
  • bah.is/meet-alex

The second one is readable, memorable, and tells you exactly how many people are clicking through from your signature. That’s data most people never think to collect. If you’re running email marketing campaigns, a clean signature link creates consistency across every touchpoint.

Instagram gives you one link. LinkedIn gives you one featured link. TikTok gives you one link in bio. These spots get constant exposure.

A short link here does several things:

  • It looks professional and intentional
  • A readable slug sets expectations (bah.is/free-guide vs a raw URL)
  • You can swap the destination without updating your bio — just edit the redirect

That last point is underrated. If your bio link points to a short link you control, you can change where it goes anytime without touching your profile. For a full platform-by-platform breakdown, see our social media short links guide.

QR codes and short links are a natural pair. The shorter the URL, the simpler the QR code — and simpler QR codes scan faster and more reliably, especially when printed small.

A business card is already a premium touchpoint. Don’t ruin it with a dense QR code full of query parameters. Put bah.is/yourname on a clean QR code, print it, and know exactly how many people scanned it. We cover this in depth in our QR code marketing guide.

Long URLs in text messages look like spam. Seriously — if you receive a text with a 200-character link, your first instinct is not to click it.

Short links in SMS and messaging apps feel trustworthy and clean. They also survive the character limits and formatting quirks of different messaging platforms without breaking or wrapping onto multiple lines. Using branded short links makes the experience even more trustworthy.

How many times have you seen a slide with a URL that the audience has zero chance of typing correctly? https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgVE2upms/edit#gid=0 doesn’t belong on a slide.

A short link like bah.is/q3-report is readable, memorable, and the audience can actually use it. Bonus: you’ll know if anyone followed up after the presentation thanks to click analytics.

Podcast listeners are often driving, running, or working while they listen. They can’t click links. But they might search for what you mentioned, or come back to your show notes later.

Short links in show notes that are readable and memorable get used. If you say “go to bah.is/episode-42-resources” on air, that’s something listeners can actually retain and type later. A raw URL with UTM parameters is not. Speaking of which, learn how to use UTM parameters to track exactly which episodes drive the most traffic.

Flyers, menus, packaging, posters, direct mail — print is making a quiet comeback, and links on print materials are genuinely useful when done right.

The problem is that print links can’t be clicked. They need to be typed, scanned (via QR), or remembered. All three scenarios favor short, clean links. A menu that says “see our seasonal specials at bah.is/specials” is actually usable. A URL with seventeen path segments is wallpaper. According to research by Poynter Institute, readers spend less than two seconds evaluating whether to act on a printed call-to-action — making brevity essential.

One Tool for All Seven Use Cases

You don’t need a different tool for each of these use cases. bah.is handles all of them — short links with custom slugs, QR code generation, click analytics, and an easy dashboard to manage everything.

Each of these seven touchpoints is an opportunity to look more professional and learn something about your audience. The only question is whether you take it.

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