To use Bitly, log in, create a link by pasting your long URL, then edit the back-half, add a title and tags, and copy the short link to share. Each link then gets its own click analytics, and you can add your own domain once your plan includes it.
Bitly's product page says you can create, share and track short links and QR Codes from one dashboard. This guide covers the short link side: making a link, editing it, tagging it, reading its click data and putting your own domain on it.
A quick note on where this comes from: Bitly's help centre sat behind a bot check when it was read for this guide, so the steps below come from Bitly's product page and its developer docs. Where those pages don't say something, I don't either.
Your first short link in Bitly
- Create a Bitly account on the vendor's site and log in to the dashboard.
- In the Links area, use the Create link action and paste the long URL you want to shorten.
- Edit the back-half (the part after the slash) if you want a readable short link.
- Add a title and tags, so the link is easy to find later.
- If it's for a campaign, add UTM parameters so you can track it.
- Copy the short link and share it in your post, email or message.
- Open the link's analytics to see clicks over time, locations, referrers and devices.
Steps three to five are optional. The link manager shown on Bitly's page lists each short link with its destination, tags, created date and click analytics, so the tags you add in step four show up there when you come back to find a link.
The sample link editor on the same page covers those edits in one place: you can edit the back-half, change the destination URL, and add a title and tags before saving your changes.
The four kinds of Bitly link
Bitly's developer docs describe four kinds of short link:
- A Bitly short link.
- A short link with a custom back-half.
- A branded link on your own domain.
- A fully custom link.
The docs add that customising the domain and the back-half depends on your plan, so check what yours includes. The product page describes branded links as turning a long link into a vanity URL with your own custom domain and back-half.
What Bitly's pages say it does
| Feature | What Bitly's pages say |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | Create, share and track short links and QR Codes in one place |
| Link manager | Each link listed with its destination, tags, created date and click analytics |
| Link editor | Edit the back-half, change the destination, add a title and tags |
| After sharing | Change where a link leads, or set it to expire automatically |
| Smart routing | Send people to different destinations by country, region, device and platform |
| Analytics | Real-time performance per link, with location and device data |
| Bitly Assist | An AI assistant that answers questions about click data |
| Custom domain | Replaces bit.ly in your links; DNS verification takes 24 to 48 hours |
Reading the clicks
The product page says analytics show real-time performance for every link, including location and device data. It also describes Bitly Assist, an AI assistant that answers questions about your click data.
The product page lists UTM parameters among the things you can add to a link, and the vendor's steps suggest adding them when you want to track a marketing campaign, which is step five above.
Changing a link after it's shared
Bitly's page says you can change where a link leads after sharing, so a link that's already out there can point somewhere new. You can also set a link to expire automatically.
The same page describes routing: links can send people to different destinations based on country, region, device and platform.
Putting your own domain on links
The custom domain guide says a custom domain replaces bit.ly in your short links. You can register a domain through Bitly or add one you already own by creating the DNS records Bitly gives you.
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Two practical points from that guide. You'll need an organization admin role and a plan that includes custom domains, and DNS verification is asynchronous and takes 24 to 48 hours. So allow for that wait before you need the domain live.
For developers: the API in a sentence
If you want to create links from your own app, the developer docs say a generic access token goes in the Authorization header, and acting on behalf of end users needs OAuth 2.0.
Short links, QR codes and where Bitly fits
Bitly's page also promotes QR Codes, link-in-bio Pages, an MCP connection for AI assistants and a directory of integrations, which this guide doesn't cover.
Bitly isn't the only option, and it may not be the right one for you. My guide to the best link shorteners compares it with the others. Because Bitly also makes QR Codes, it's worth reading this roundup of QR code generators for business too, and if you already design in Canva, here's how to make a QR code in Canva.
A simple first link
Make one link and fill in each part the vendor's pages describe: a readable back-half, a title, tags and UTM details. Share it, then open its analytics to see the clicks, locations and devices. The custom domain and routing options build on that same link.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to use Bitly?
Yes. A Bitly account is needed to create and track links from the dashboard.
Can I change a Bitly link after I've shared it?
Bitly's page says you can change where a link leads after sharing, and you can set a link to expire automatically.
How long does a Bitly custom domain take to work?
The custom domain guide says DNS verification is asynchronous and takes 24 to 48 hours.
Can I choose the words at the end of a Bitly link?
Yes, that's the back-half. The developer docs say customising it depends on your plan.
Does Bitly show where clicks come from?
The product page says analytics show real-time performance for every link, including location and device data.
