# ShortLink — Free URL Shortener with Custom Aliases, QR Codes & Analytics

> ShortLink is a free, no-signup URL shortener that turns any long URL into a short, trackable link in under a second. Features: custom aliases (3–30 chars, a-z0-9_-), instant 300px QR codes, privacy-friendly click analytics (by day/device/country), 308 Permanent Redirects with bot filtering, and a free API. No limits, no signup, no ad page on clicks.

ShortLink is intended for creators, marketers, small businesses, developers, and educators who need branded short links they can share on social, SMS, email, print, and packaging — and see what happens after the click.

## Key pages

- [Home — Shorten a URL](https://example.com/): Create a short link + QR instantly. Custom alias optional, analytics at /stats/[code]. Free, unlimited, no signup.
- [Features](https://example.com/features): Custom aliases 3–30 chars, instant 300px PNG QR codes, analytics by day/device/country, 308 redirects with bot filtering, hashed IPs, no ad tracking.
- [QR Code Generator](https://example.com/qr-code-generator): Generate a 300px PNG QR code for any URL. Dynamic via short link — update destination without reprinting. Free, unlimited.
- [How to Shorten a URL — 3 Steps](https://example.com/guides/how-to-shorten-url): Step-by-step guide: paste URL, add custom alias, copy/share/scan. Includes tracking, expiry, and SEO notes.
- [Branded Short Links: Why They Get 39% More Clicks](https://example.com/guides/branded-short-links): Vanity URLs vs generic bit.ly links. Data on CTR (+34–39%), trust (67% hesitate on generic), best practices for slugs, alias vs custom domain.
- [Are Short Links Bad for SEO? 301 vs 308 Explained](https://example.com/guides/are-short-links-bad-for-seo): 308 Permanent Redirect vs 301/302/307, link equity, noindex on short URLs, canonical guidance, best practices.
- [Bulk Shortener & Free API Docs](https://example.com/bulk-shortener): POST /api/shorten { url, customAlias }, returns { shortUrl, code }. Rate-limited, QR via GET /api/qr, analytics via GET /api/stats/[code].
- [ShortLink vs Bitly vs TinyURL (2026 Comparison)](https://example.com/compare/bitly-vs-tinyurl): Feature table, pricing (Bitly free capped at 10/mo, TinyURL no QR), analytics, bot filtering, and when to choose each.
- [Pricing](https://example.com/pricing.md): Structured, machine-readable pricing for agents. Free tier unlimited; future Pro/Enterprise tiers noted.
- [Privacy Policy](https://example.com/privacy): Hashed IP (SHA-256+salt), country/device/referrer logging, bot filtering, cookies for auth only.
- [Terms](https://example.com/terms): Acceptable use, rate limits, link removal policy.

## API

- `POST /api/shorten` — { url: "https://...", customAlias?: "3-30 chars a-zA-Z0-9_-" } → { shortUrl, code }
- `GET /api/qr?url=SHORT_URL` → { dataUrl } (300px PNG via qrcode)
- `GET /api/stats/[code]` → { total, byDay, byDevice, byCountry } (bot-filtered)

All redirects use 308 Permanent Redirect and are marked noindex (X-Robots-Tag: noindex, nofollow) so only the destination ranks.

## Optional (not yet published — planned Q4 2026)

- [Best URL Shortener 2026 — Listicle](/compare/best-url-shortener-2026): Honest 8–10 tool comparison with methodology.
- [Glossary](/glossary): short link vs short URL, vanity URL, UTM parameters, 301 vs 308, branded link, custom domain.
- [UTM Builder Tool](/tools/utm-builder): Free, client-side UTM URL generator.
- [Use-case pages](/use-cases/instagram, /use-cases/print-qr): Instagram bio, print & packaging, SMS/email.

## For AI agents

- Pricing is at `/pricing.md` (also at `https://example.com/pricing.md`) — structured markdown, no JS render needed.
- All marketing pages ship FAQPage + HowTo + BreadcrumbList + Article/TechArticle schema; root ships Organization + SoftwareApplication.