Branded short links: when a custom domain is worth it

By SoloWOS teamPublished October 19, 2026

IN SHORT

A branded short domain such as go.yourname.com is worth it when you share links in print, email or with cautious clients, because people trust a name they recognize and the links survive a change of tools. For occasional social posts, a standard short link is enough. The cost is a domain you already own plus a one-time DNS record.

Prices and limits as of October 26, 2026.

Key takeaways

A subdomain of a domain you already own (go.yourname.com) costs nothing extra to register; a new short domain is a yearly registration fee set by the registrar.
As of October 18, 2026, Bitly's pricing page listed custom domains from its Growth plan, Rebrandly's Free plan included 1 custom domain with a 10-links-a-month cap, and SoloWOS includes a custom subdomain on Solo and Team.
Setup is one DNS record (usually a CNAME) at your DNS provider, then waiting for the certificate.
The real risk is expiration: if the domain lapses, every printed and shared link on it breaks. ICANN requires registrars to send at least two renewal reminders before a generic domain expires.

A branded short link swaps the shortener's domain for yours: go.anaruiz.com/portfolio instead of a random string on a shared domain. This post weighs when that's worth doing, as part of our sharing and presence guides. For the security side of short links, read are short links safe?.

Is a branded short domain worth it? Decision table

When to use your own short domain vs a standard short link.
Situation	Standard short link	Branded short domain	Recommendation
Links on business cards, invoices, flyers	Works, but tied to the tool forever	Survives a change of tool	Branded
Links in emails to new or cautious clients	May look like spam	Shows your name	Branded
Corporate clients with strict email filters	Shared shortener domains are sometimes filtered	Your domain's reputation, not a shared one	Branded
Occasional social posts	Fine	Nice to have	Standard
You don't own a domain yet	Fine	Buy one first for your website and email	Standard for now
Links read aloud (podcasts, talks)	Hard to say	go.yourname.com/talk is easy	Branded

What a branded short domain costs

Custom domain support for short links, from each vendor's pricing or help page on October 18, 2026. Prices change; check the linked page.
Option	Custom domain included	Notes
Subdomain of a domain you own	n/a	No new registration: go.yourname.com uses the domain you already pay for
New short domain (e.g. anar.co)	n/a	Yearly registration set by the registrar; ICANN's own registrar-level fee is $0.20 per domain-year as of fiscal year 2026
Bitly	From the Growth plan ($29/month billed annually)	Free and Core plans don't include a custom domain
Rebrandly	1 custom domain on the Free plan	Free plan capped at 10 links a month
SoloWOS	1 custom subdomain on Solo and Team	Solo is $15/month; the same subdomain also serves your link page and booking page

How to set up a branded short domain

Pick a subdomain of the domain you already use for email and your website: go., links. or l. are short and clear.
In your short link tool, add the subdomain. The tool shows the DNS record to create, usually a CNAME pointing at its servers.
At your DNS provider (often the registrar), create that record exactly as shown. Don't touch your root domain or email (MX) records.
Wait for the tool to verify the record and issue an HTTPS certificate; this can take from minutes to a few hours.
Open one short link on the new domain on a phone and a laptop to check it redirects with HTTPS.
Turn on auto-renew for the domain at your registrar and keep your payment details current.

ICANN's renewal FAQ says registrars must notify you at least twice before a generic domain expires, about a month and about a week before. Make sure those reminders go to an inbox you read, because a lapsed domain takes every printed link with it.

Choosing the subdomain and slugs

Keep the subdomain short and generic: go., links. or l. all read well aloud and in print. Avoid a campaign name you'll outgrow.
Use slugs that describe the destination, not the date: /portfolio, /call, /prices. A printed /oct-promo looks stale by December.
Reserve your most important slugs on day one (call, book, portfolio), even if they point to your homepage for now.
Don't reuse a slug for a different purpose. Old business cards and emails still point at it.

Moving existing links to the branded domain

You don't have to replace links that are already out in the world. Links already printed or sent on the shortener's own domain keep working as long as you keep them in that tool. Use the branded domain for everything new, starting with the places that last longest: business cards, invoice templates, your email signature and your link in bio. After a few months, check which old links still get clicks and recreate only those on the new domain.

One caution if you're tempted by a clever short domain on an unusual extension: some extensions are often abused for spam, and corporate filters may treat them with suspicion. A subdomain of your main business domain avoids that, because it shares the reputation of the domain you already send email from.

Worked example

WORKED EXAMPLE

A consultant with a speaking calendar

He gives 8 talks a year and ends each with a link to his slides and booking page. Standard short links were a random string that nobody could copy from a slide in time. He set up go.marcoconsults.com on the domain he already owned: one CNAME record, about 20 minutes including the certificate. Now his last slide says go.marcoconsults.com/talk, which he reads aloud, and he points it at each talk's slides the morning of the event. Cost: nothing beyond the domain and short link plan he already paid for.

In SoloWOS

In SoloWOS you create short links with QR codes on solowos.com/s/your-slug, and on Solo and Team they also work on a subdomain you own, like go.yourbusiness.com/spring-offer. Connect it in Settings > Advanced > Custom domain by adding one CNAME record. The same subdomain serves your link page at its root and your booking pages, so one DNS record covers all your public links. SoloWOS supports one subdomain per workspace, not a root domain like yourbusiness.com. Solo includes 200 short links and Team 1,000. For more on the tools, see SoloWOS vs Rebrandly and Bitly vs Rebrandly.

Questions

Should I buy a separate short domain or use a subdomain?

Use a subdomain of the domain you already own, like go.yourname.com, unless you need a very short address for print. It costs nothing to register, carries your existing name and keeps renewal in one place.

Do branded short links get better click-through rates?

People are more willing to click a link that shows a name they recognize, especially in email. We haven't found an independent, primary study with a reliable number, so treat vendor percentages with caution.

Will a custom short domain affect my email deliverability?

A subdomain used only for redirects doesn't change your email setup if you leave MX and SPF records alone. Links on your own domain also avoid filters that flag shared shortener domains.

What happens to my short links if I switch tools?

On a branded domain, you point the DNS record at the new tool and recreate the slugs there, so printed links keep working. On a shortener's own domain, the links stay with that tool.

Sources

Facts checked against these sources on October 18, 2026. Rules and amounts change, so confirm them at the source before you file or sign.

Last reviewed: October 18, 2026

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