New Blog Traffic 2011

You cannot move your head in either direction without meeting somebody talking about Twitter. So what does it means for blog users and their chance for more visibility? Will your Twitter followers really visit that ‘lil link mentioned in the right upper field in the profile of yours? How to write good micro messages? Well read on….here’s someone who have found something about the url-shortener application used:

Size Really Does Matter – At Least When it Comes to Twitter
By Merle (c) 2009 MerlesWorld.com (http://MerlesWorld.com)

Back in the days when newsletters first hit the Internet, they
were usually published in text format because many email clients
did not support HTML email just yet. One of the problems many
publishers faced was long URL’s being split in half and not
being clickable to the reader. To solve this problem, shortening
services started to spring up that would take a long URL and cut
it down to a reasonable size.

With the popularity of Twitter and the confines of 140
characters, URL (link) shortening services are in high demand
once again. When you have such a small amount of space to work
with, no one wants a long URL cutting into that precious real
estate.

There are a variety of shortening services to choose from, each
having their own specific features and benefits. Most of them do
work hand in hand with Twitter, allowing you to Tweet the link
once it’s been shortened. If you’re an avid Twitter user this is
a useful feature to have.

Some only offer a basic shortening service, but many allow you
to view stats and metrics on your newly shortened links if you
register. If you’re doing any form of social media marketing,
it’s nice to be able to see if anyone’s actually clicking on all
the links you’re sending out to the “Twitosphere”, or posting on
Facebook and other sites. Tracking will give you an indication
that you’re being heard and that people are actually paying
attention to what you have to say.

Another important thing to look for is whether or not the
shortening service uses 301 redirects. This is the most search
engine friendly, and forces the search engine to look at the
destination URL, not the domain of the shortening service
itself. A 301 stands for a permanent move, not temporary. What
this means is, you want the links you’re sending out to be given
credit by the search engines, not the shortening service itself.
Make sense?

Many allow custom URL’s, which allows you to use your name or
company name in the links you create. This is great for branding
purposes. Think of it as a vanity license plate. Instead of
being just a regular URL it’s your own special creation.

Let’s review a few options:

1) http://TweetBurner.com- A bare bones tracking service which
allows you to shorten any link and then share it instantly with
your Twitter followers or Friendfeed. Basic stat tracking is
available so you can see how many people clicked on your link.

2) http://Cli.gs – A shortening service which includes full
analytics. You can create links that include your brand in them.
Free to use. It’s easy to send your links to Twitter with one
click.

3) http://Bit.ly – This is Twitter’s default shortening service
and used by Tweetdeck.com. It allows you to track performance of
your links in real time. Easy to share generated links on
Twitter, Facebook, even Gmail. It also offers many extra tools
and plug-ins such as a browser bookmarklet and browser sidebar.

4) http://MyTwitterToolbar.com – Free to download and comes
complete with a massive list of URL shorteners as well as over
50 Twitter tools. Also includes 100 Twitter tips.

5) http://www.TwitClicks.com – A fairly simple service that
allows you to shorten a URL immediately and tweet it. Can also
see complete stats. Detailed stats show percentage of browsers
used and locations of those who clicked. Check out a short video
on how to use it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1ScPeCd6X4

6) http://www.ExpandMyUrl.com – This service takes a shortened
link and gives you the true URL that it points to. Perfect for
the paranoid individual who wants to know where the shortened
link will send them.

7)  http://www.TwitPwr.com – A short URL service which also
includes analytics and stats. Their home page shows the top 25
users with the most TwitPwr and also a “hot URL” list of those
URL’s that get the most clicks. Free to use.

http://1link.in – A multiple link shortening service. Simply
type in a list of links and get one link back for all. If you
click on the newly shortened link it goes to a page showing
details of what sites that link points to, and asks if you want
to open them all. If you answer yes, multiple windows will open
for each site.

9) http://Go2.me – A different type of link shortening and
discussion service which creates shorter links which also
contain a chat window to exchange comments with your readers.
It’s also easy to share on Twitter, Facebook or email with one
click.

10) http://Tw.itter.me – You can customize the shortened link
with your name or company name. From what I saw no stats are
available.

11) http://budurl.com/ – Another popular service which shows
you a real time view of your inbound clicks. This free service
allows you to track up to 250 Budurl’s. They offer 3 pay levels
of service from $4.00 a month to $49.00 a month. There is a 21
day free trial on any paid service. You can start out free and
upgrade your account at any time.

12) http://Tr.Im – Trim those long URL’s and instantly share
them on Twitter. If you want stats, you’ll need to register.
Offers many different tools and extensions to make for easier
sharing, such as a Firefox extension that allows you to view
your tr.im stats and tweet your new links quickly.

13) http://short.ie – Keeps all your shortened links in one
place. Tracks clicks and allows you to instantly share your list
with friends. It can also be connected to your Twitter account
for more features. Customization of URL’s also available.

14) http://hootsuite.com: Not really a URL shortening service,
but has the ability built-in. Hootsuite is a “Twitter Toolbox”
loaded with features which are all free. They use ow.ly as their
built in link shortener.

If you’ve never tried a url shortening service, you’ll want to
find one that fits your needs and start to really utilize it in
your online marketing activities. Finding out who’s clicking on
your links, time of day, where they’re from and other information
will be very valuable in your ongoing efforts as an Internet
Marketer.

Remember, when it comes to social media marketing T.M.I (too
much information) is a good thing, unlike when your Aunt Ethel
wants you to sit with her and go over every detail of her latest
vacation. One is helpful, the other just downright painful.
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Tips and tricks for online entrepreneurs, and marketers to grow
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