Bit.ly is a URL shortening service that allows users to track clicks on shortened links. It provides metrics in real-time on link clicks. While a user can only generate one shortened link per original URL, adding additional code to the end of the URL will make it unique and allow generating multiple shortened links to separately track clicks from different mediums. Metrics on link clicks can be viewed by adding a "+" to the end of the shortened Bit.ly link or through the dashboard. Bit.ly metrics also show hourly and daily click data and can track clicks from other shortened links pointing to the same page.

1. “Seekrits” of Bit.ly
Carmen Collins, Senior Manager, Social Media, Citrix
All views my own

2. What’s Bit.ly?
Bit.ly is a commonly used URL
shortener to make long urls:
• Friendly for social media
• When characters count, a bit.ly
link takes up the fewest
number of characters
• Trackable with real-time click
info.

3. The Basics of Bit.ly
 Go to bit.ly in your browser
 Sign up for a free account
 You can shorten urls without
signing in, but you can’t keep
track of metrics unless you
create an account
 You’ll see a box that says
“Place url here to shorten”
 Hit enter.
 BOOM! A shortened link

4. Now, the “seekrits”
 YOU CAN ONLY SHORTEN A
LINK ONCE
 If you want to shorten a link to
send in an email, and also for
a Tweet, Bit.ly will only give
you one short link for both,
and will track all the clicks into
one number
 The secret:
 Adding some innocuous code
at the end of a link will make it
DIFFERENT, so you can
TRACK THE SAME LINK
USING DIFFERENT URLS to
get tracking for different
mediums

5. NOTES:
1) If your url has any kind of tracking code applied, the
tracking code should make the url unique, and
generate a new bit.ly. Adding any code in addition to
a tracking code will affect the tracking code.
2) Visitors WILL SEE THE CODE you include. Make it
either all numbers, or a professional code.

6. “Seekrit” 2
 How do you see the click
metrics on a link?
 When you shorten a url, it will
get added to your dashboard.
You can click on the link in
your dashboard at any time to
get metrics
BUT
 You could also cut and paste
the url into your browser, and
add a + (plus sign) to the end
to view the metrics.

7. NOTE:
Add the + (plus sign) only to see the metrics. Don’t
include it in the original bit.ly url that you send out, or
people will be taken to your metrics page.

8. “Seekrit” 3
• Bit.ly’s metrics can tell you
clicks hour by hour, day by
day.
• You can see metrics from
other bit.ly links that point
to your page as well.