How do I stop LinkedIn from shortening my URL?

Why LinkedIn Shortens URLs

LinkedIn automatically shortens URLs that are posted on the platform to save space and create cleaner looking posts. This is done by running URLs through a link shortener to generate shortened versions.

There are a few reasons why LinkedIn implements this URL shortening:

– Aesthetics – Shortened URLs help keep the look of posts and profiles tidy and uniform. Long URLs can make things look cluttered.

– Character limits – Many areas of LinkedIn have character limits, like messages, posts, and descriptions. Shortened URLs help maximize the number of characters.

– Tracking – LinkedIn’s link shortener allows them to track clicks and analytics for the URLs. This provides them with usage data.

So in summary, the URL shortening is meant to improve the visual cleanliness, adhere to character limits, and allow LinkedIn to track link clicks.

Problems with LinkedIn Shortened URLs

While LinkedIn’s goals with the URL shortening make sense for their platform, there are some potential downsides and issues for users:

– Limits SEO value – Shortened URLs are treated differently by search engines than full original URLs. The shortened versions provide less context and value for SEO.

– Loss of branding – Your original URLs often contain your brand names, keywords, or other helpful identifiers that aid branding and clicks. The shortened version loses this branding.

– Lack of context – For readers, shortened URLs provide no context or information scent. It’s impossible to tell where they will lead.

– Trust issues – Some readers may be wary to click on shortened URLs if they seem cryptic or obscure. This can hurt click-through rates.

– Analytics challenges – If you rely on your own URL analytics, the shortening can fragment data and make it more difficult to track full metrics.

– Link breakage – If LinkedIn’s link shortening system goes down or they change their formatting, it can lead to broken links and problems accessing your content.

So in many cases, the URL shortening that LinkedIn performs can negatively impact SEO value, branding, context, and analytics. That’s why some users want to prevent it.

Options for Stopping LinkedIn URL Shortening

If you want to stop LinkedIn from shortening your URLs, there are a couple of options you can try:

Use LinkedIn’s Text Editor

LinkedIn’s main post editor contains a text editing option you can expand to access HTML editing capabilities. If you paste your full original URLs into the text editor and publish, LinkedIn will no longer shorten them.

To do this:

1. Create your post as normal in LinkedIn.

2. Click on the text editor bar to expand it.

3. Switch the editor mode from Rich Text to HTML.

4. Paste or type your full URL. For example:

`https://www.example.com/example-blog-post/`

5. Publish your update.

LinkedIn will detect the full URL in HTML format and avoid shortening it. Just keep in mind the text editor only works for the main post content, not other fields like the summary.

Use a Link Redirection Service

Another option is to redirect your URLs through an intermediary link redirection service before sharing them on LinkedIn. This prevents LinkedIn’s algorithm from detecting and shortening the URL.

Some popular redirect services include:

– Bitly – Provides a custom shortener and click tracking.

– Rebrandly – Feature-rich shortener with analytics.

– Ow.ly – Link shortener created by Hootsuite.

To do this:

1. Sign up for one of the above link redirect services.

2. Enter your original long URL you want to share into the tool.

3. Use the redirected shortened URL provided in your LinkedIn posts instead of your original URL.

4. LinkedIn will see this shortened URL and not try to shorten it further.

5. You still get your full original URL and tracking while keeping the shared version short.

Just keep in mind some redirect services have character limits or require paid accounts if exceeding monthly click allotments. But this can be an effective workaround in many cases.

Best Practices

When trying to prevent LinkedIn from shortening your URLs, keep these best practices in mind:

– Be selective – Only use original URLs when necessary for SEO, branding, etc. Otherwise let LinkedIn shorten for aesthetics.

– Analyze redirect URLs – Use Google URLs Builder or other tools to preview redirect versions and confirm they function as expected before publishing.

– Test performance – Check optimized posts with original URLs against old shortened versions to see if stopping shortening helps achieve your goals.

– Watch character counts – When entering manual HTML, be mindful of character limits in various LinkedIn fields.

– Edit carefully – When editing existing posts with redirects, take care not to accidentally remove the HTML causing links to re-shorten.

– Shorten lengthy URLs – If your original URLs are excessively long, use your own trusted link shortener first before redirecting.

Pros and Cons

To decide if you should take steps to stop LinkedIn from shortening your URLs, weigh the pros and cons:

**Pros:**

– Maintain SEO value from original URLs

– Preserve branding signals and keywords

– Provide context to readers

– Reduce trust issues and increase clicks

– Maintain consistency in your URL analytics

– Avoid broken links if LinkedIn link shortener fails

**Cons:**

– Less aesthetic and uniform look

– May hit character limits in some fields

– Lose out on LinkedIn’s built-in link tracking

– Require manual HTML editing or redirect setup

– Could appear overly promotional

Conclusion

LinkedIn’s automatic URL shortening can in some cases hurt your SEO, branding, and analytics. But there are workarounds available using LinkedIn’s text editor or redirect services. Just remember to keep character counts, aesthetics, and reader experience in mind as you test ways to maintain your original URLs.

With the right selective approach, you can minimize the downsides of LinkedIn’s link shortening while benefiting from the platform’s reach. Carefully optimized URLs are just one part of an effective LinkedIn marketing strategy.