What is a Link Redirect?
When you redirect a link, you change its destination from one URL to another.
For example, if you have an ss88 link, say ss88.my/latest-blog, that points to a blog post you released in May, you can change that same link to point to a new blog post that you released in June.
Moving forward, whoever accesses the original short link will be directed to the new blog post.
Best thing about link redirect and updating your destination link is, you no longer worry to generate QR code that will fail you, because you know you can always update the redirect link to the proper/working link :)
Why Redirect a Link?
Correct a destination error
Sometimes, you might paste in the wrong URL when shortening a link. Instead of creating a brand new link, you can simply correct the original one by editing the destination URL. For example, say you created a link pointing to an FAQs page but you really wanted it to point to your About Us page. To make matters worse, you’ve already shared the link via email to customers.
Instead of sending out another email with a new link, you can redirect the original link to point to the right place. This is also valuable if your website itself changes, say yoursite.com/aboutus is moved to yoursite.com/main/aboutus. Updating the destination will ensure your visitors are always pointed to the most up-to-date page.
Update to a new destination
There are a number of reasons why you might want to update the destination of a link over time. For example, you might want to update the destination of a QR Code every few months to point to a new seasonal offer. Change the destination, but keep the same QR Code and the short link associated with it.
Many of our customers create Bitly links for their social media and digital marketing campaigns, and they use UTM parameters to track link and visitor information. If you ever need to change the parameters associated with a link, you can do it easily without changing the short link you’ve already shared.
Manually expire old links
We’re always working to ensure that any Bitly link you create remains active. But if a link you created is no longer valid for you—for example, if you’re running a limited-time promotion—you can manually change its destination. After all, some links are only meant to be active for a certain period of time. You can change the destination of that link when that time has passed.
For example, you might use a Bitly link in printed collateral to promote an upcoming event. After the event is over, you can redirect that short link to your homepage or any error page rather than the event registration page.
View link configuration history
Every time you redirect a link, we keep track of the previous destination URL and the clicks associated with it. This means you’ll be able to see when the different destinations were active for a particular Bitly link, as well as view the clicks associated with past destinations.