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clic.to Short Link FAQs

Basics - About short links

Basics - Short link safety

More than just a link

A bit more technical

What are short links?

Simply, short links are an alternate web address for a web page, just a lot shorter.

For example:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Tower+Hill+Terrace,+Poplar,+England,+United+Kingdom&sll=
51.509649,-0.076027&sspn=0.007866,0.022638&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Tower+Hill+Terrace,+Poplar,+Greater+London,
+United+Kingdom&ll=51.50957,-0.076604&spn=0.008146,0.022638&t=k&z=16

can become clic.to/P or clic.to/TowerOfLondon

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Why would I use short links?

As short links are shorter, they have a number of advantages especially with clic.to.
  • A lot easier to remember than a long URL
  • Perfect for microblogging sites
  • Save space when quoting a long URL on your website
  • Save space when quoting a long URL in your printed materials
  • Use short links to quickly track traffic movement and sources

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Is clic.to service really free?

Whether you have an account or not, you can create as many clic.to short links as you like for free.

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Surely you charge for some parts of the service?

No, we are sponsored so everything is free!

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How long are clic.to short codes?

clic.to short link codes come in two forms:
  • Automatically Issued Codes - Unless a custom code is requested (see below) the clic.to software automatically issues the next available code using our algorithm. Once we've exhausted all character combinations the software will add another character to all new codes. Basically, the first clic.to short codes had only one character, as time passes and more codes are requested the codes will increase in length. That said, we estimate that before we reach the length of a normal top level domain name we can cater for around 75 trillion codes. Once they start getting too long, we'll implement our new algorithm which is ready to go. So you can be sure our links will never be too long.

  • Custom Codes - The clic.to algorithm is designed to cater for user custom codes which makes our short links easier to pass on. There are a few restrictions below, however they are case sensitive so you should be able to come up something informative.
    • Must not already exsist as a custom code or automatically issued code
    • Must not exceed 64 characters
    • Must only contain the characters inside quotes:

      'ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz_-'
      (All other characters will cause the short link creation to fail).

    • Custom codes can only be created via an clic.to account or via the clic.to API.
Example: clic.to/TowerOfLondon

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How long do short links last?

Forever, so long as they are created in accordance with our terms and conditions! So effectively we expect them to always be there excepting technical issues beyond our control and other issues covered in our terms and conditions.

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What about reliability?

We run reliable and well managed servers so it's not really an issue, however, we're always looking at ways we can improve our uptime.

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How will clic.to short links affect search engines?

All our links are via 301 redirects. A 301 redirect tells the browser that the current URL has permenantly moved to the new URL provided. This means that search engines should treat clic.to links exactly the same as the destination URL.

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How can I find out where clic.to short links redirect to?

Every clic.to short link has it's own preview page that tells you where it redirects to. The preview page also checks the destination URL against the latest SPAM, Malware and blacklist databases. If the preview page does not pass the SPAM, Malware and blacklist checks please do not visit the destination link.

To access an clic.to short link preview page just add [/p] straight after our short code.

Example: clic.to/O/p.

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Can I make clic.to short links more informative for people?

Yes, you can add whatever you like after our short link code, preceded by [/] so long as it doesn't match one of our switches, see below.

Example: clic.to/O/clic.to - Probably the best link shortner site.

To include clic.to switches and your own description split the switch and description text with [/].

Example: clic.to/O/p/clic.to - Probably the best link shortner site.

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What is Browser Auto Preview?

We are aware that not everyone is entirely happy clicking on a short link that masks the true destination, so we've a little feature that allows users to check where a clic.to short link goes everytime they click on one.

It works by storing a cookie on your web browser that tells the clic.to site whether you'd prefer to go straight to the destination URL or would prefer to go to the preview page first. With Browser Auto Preview set On, our site will always take you to the preview first. The default setting for this feature is Off.

This feature does not damage how search engines perceive clic.to short links as their bots do not use cookies and will be redirected to the destination URL using a 301 permenant redirect.

Don't forget you can always force users to be directed to the preview page by listing your clic.to short link with the [/p] switch. See How can I find out where clic.to short links redirect to? for more information.

See the preview page for clic.to/8op for an example.

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What checks do you perform on URLs before creating a short link to them?

Before our software issues a new short link code it checks the following:
  • The long URL actually exsists.
  • The long URL is not itself a 301 redirect. - this is to stop spammers chain linking short list services
  • The long URL is checked against Google's Safe Browsing lists for Malware and blacklisting - see below for more information
  • The long URL is checked against the SURBLs list of SPAM originating sites - see below for more information
Please note that these checks are only performed before the link is created, however these tests may be performed by anyone via the short link preview page, see How can I find out where clic.to short links redirect to? for more information.

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What are Google Safe Browsing checks that clic.to does?

The Google Safe Browsing API is an experimental API that allows clic.to to check URLs against Google's constantly-updated blacklists of suspected phishing and malware pages.

clic.to is commited to ensuring it's service is not used for the spread of malware, SPAM or viruses. You can report a link for our attention via the clic.to short link preview page or via our website.

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What is SURBLs?

SURBLs is a list of web sites that have appeared in unsolicited messages. Unlike most lists, SURBLs are not lists of message senders. The combined SURBL list clic.to checks against contains data sources including SpamCop, SpamAssassin, Outblaze, AbuseButler, Anti-Phishing Working Group, jwSpamSpy and Prolocation.

clic.to is commited to ensuring it's service is not used for the spread of malware, SPAM or viruses. You can report a link for our attention via the clic.to short link preview page or via our website.

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What are Short Link Groups?

Once you've created you clic.to account you'll be able to assign each link to a group name of your choice. This enables you to filter your links and compare links within that group. Groups are ideal for tracking the success of a marketing campaign against another. e.g. A mailshot against SMS message against blog against social networking site.

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Why do I need short link IDs?

Basically, IDs allow you to give your short links a name which is more meaningful than just the code itself. Sorry, but you need to create an account for this feature. It is free!

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What are public trends and why don't they have any numbers?

The trends displayed publicly are the total of all clic.to short link code redirections to any long URL for the last month. We do not publish the figures for these trends as not all site owners are happy to have this detailed information in the public domain. We respect this and this is why we only publish the trend.

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How do I use the information in the short link trends?

Available via an clic.to account only, short link trends allow you to see how many times each of your short link codes has been used and when. Short link trends display up to three months trend information from any period within the links life.

Pens - Short link trend pens can be set to any of your short link codes to enable you to compare how each link is performing against the other.

Note: You can only access this information for short links created in you account.

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How does the clic.to API work?

The clic.to API currently has one command:

new_url

Usage http://api.clic.to/new_url.php?un=[Username]&un=[Password]&url=[LongURL]&uid=[ID]&grp=[Group]&cde=[CustomCode]

  • [Username] = clic.to account username (required)
  • [Password] = clic.to account password (required)
  • [LongURL] = Long URL to be shortened (required)
  • [ID] = clic.to account short link ID (optional)
  • [Group] = clic.to account short link group (optional)
  • [CustomCode] = Desired custom code (optional)
Replies
  • clic.to/[#] = clic.to short link code created and added to account. [#] - short link code
  • No reply = Failed
  • Fail: User / Password = Failed - Unable to match username/password combination with an clic.to account.
  • Fail: URL = Failed - Long URL missing, malformed or does not exsist.
  • Fail: GoogleSafebrowsing = Failed - Long URL match found in Google Malware or blacklist list. See note 1 below.
  • Fail: SURBLs = Failed - Long URL match found in SURBLs list.
  • Fail: CustomCode] = Failed - Desired custom code already in use, contains illegal characters.
Note 1: See Google Safe Browsing API for how this information must be presented to the end user. Failure to provide this information to the end user as required by Google may result in access to the clic.to API being withdrawn.

Note: You can only access use the API with valid clic.to account information.

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Why do i have to complete the captcha code every time I create a short link?

Simply, the captcha proves to our website that you are human and stops automated software abusing our site. To remove the captchas, all you need to do is create an account, it's completely free and gives you far more information about your short link usage.

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I've forgotten my password, how do I log in?

Get a password reminder by completing the form here.

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What sort of data can I get about my links?

Find out where your short links are and when they are being used by using our live metrics data:

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