Clean URLs Build Subscriber Trust
Long, parameter-stuffed URLs look suspicious. When a subscriber sees a link like yoursite.com/lp?ref=em_032&src=nl_weekly&var=B&uid=8a3f2, they hesitate. It looks like a tracking link because it is one, and in an era of heightened privacy awareness, that hesitation kills clicks.
Short links solve this by replacing the noise with a clean, branded URL. A link like lynkd.co/spring-sale or yourbrand.co/webinar looks intentional and professional. The tracking still happens behind the scenes, but the subscriber sees a URL that feels safe to click.
In email testing across multiple campaigns, branded short links consistently outperform raw URLs. The improvement is especially noticeable in plain-text emails, where the URL is fully visible and cannot hide behind a button.
Track Which Emails Drive Actual Conversions
Most email platforms tell you how many people clicked a link. That is the easy part. The hard part is connecting those clicks to downstream actions: signups, purchases, demo requests.
When every link in your email sequence uses UTM-tagged short links, you can trace the full journey. You will know that Tuesday's newsletter drove 12 demo bookings while Thursday's product update drove zero. That insight is worth more than open rates and click rates combined.
Set up a consistent UTM structure for your email campaigns. Use utm_source=newsletter, utm_medium=email, and utm_campaign for the specific send. Then add utm_content to distinguish between different links within the same email, like header_cta versus footer_link.
A/B Test Link Placements Without Touching Your Template
Traditional A/B testing in email means duplicating templates, changing copy, and splitting your list. It works, but it is slow. Short links give you a faster alternative for testing link placement and messaging.
Create two Lynkd short links that go to the same destination but have different utm_content tags. Put one in the hero section and one in the body copy. Send the same email to your full list and let the click data tell you which position wins.
You can also use Lynkd's built-in A/B testing feature to split traffic at the link level. Create a single short link that randomly sends 50% of clickers to version A of your landing page and 50% to version B. No changes to your email template required.
Branded Domains Increase Click Confidence
Generic short link domains (bit.ly, tinyurl.com) have been abused by spammers for years. Email providers know this, and so do your subscribers. Using a generic shortener in email can actually hurt your deliverability and click rates.
With a custom branded domain on Lynkd, your links use your own domain. links.yourcompany.com/offer is immediately recognizable and trustworthy. It reinforces your brand with every link and avoids the spam-filter penalties that come with shared shortener domains.
Setting up a branded domain takes about five minutes in Lynkd. Add a CNAME record to your DNS, verify it in the dashboard, and every link you create going forward uses your domain automatically.
Retarget Email Clickers with Precision
Every click on a short link is a signal of intent. Someone who clicked your pricing page link is further down the funnel than someone who clicked your blog post link. Short links let you capture these signals and act on them.
By segmenting your analytics data by link and UTM tag, you can build retargeting audiences based on what subscribers actually clicked. Feed this data into your ad platforms to serve relevant follow-up ads to people who already showed interest.
For example, if 200 subscribers clicked your link to the enterprise pricing page, that is a ready-made audience for a LinkedIn retargeting campaign promoting your enterprise features. The short link gives you the data point. Your ad platform does the rest.
The combination of email and link-level analytics creates a feedback loop that gets smarter over time. Every send teaches you something new about what resonates, and every click gives you another data point for personalization.