Sharing a YouTube link shouldn’t feel clunky. But long URLs can be tough to manage. They clutter your captions, are hard to type, and look out of place in a polished video description.
YouTube link shorteners like Bitly help turn long, messy URLs into short, user-friendly links that are easier to share and better for engagement. With Bitly, you can also customize your links, track performance, and build brand recognition—all in one place.
In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to shorten your YouTube links with Bitly, explain why it’s worth doing, and share short URL best practices to help you get the most out of every click.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
What is a YouTube link shortener?
A YouTube URL shortener takes a long link like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[abcdefg1234]
…and turns it into something short and shareable like this:
bit.ly/YourVideo
With branded links, you can go a step further, customizing the URL to reflect your brand and make it more recognizable:
Yourbrand.co/YourVideo
How to shorten YouTube links in 5 steps
1. Sign up or sign in to your Bitly account
Head to jp-paus.com and sign in. If you’re new to Bitly, creating an account is quick and easy. Once you’re logged in, move on to step two
2. Open the YouTube link shortener
Log in to Bitly and select the Create new button in the left-hand menu to open the link shortener. For an even faster shortcut, press the letter L anywhere in the Bitly app to open the link creation window.
3. Paste the long URL
Paste your long URL into the Destination box, whether it’s a specific YouTube video link or your full channel. If you plan to create a lot of short links, consider filling in other fields like a custom title to stay organized.
4. Customize your link
Now you can customize the back half of your link depending on your Bitly plan. Instead of a random string of characters, you might use something like bit.ly/WatchHere or bit.ly/MyLatestYT. This makes your link more recognizable and easier for your audience to trust and remember
5. Create the link and share it with your audience
When you’re ready, select Create your link. That’s it! You’ve created your custom YouTube short URL. Bitly will automatically copy it to your clipboard so you can quickly paste and share it anywhere: in comments, your video descriptions, social media bios, or anywhere else you’re promoting your channel and playlists.
Benefits of shortening your YouTube links
Wondering if short links are worth it? If your only goal is to get viewers from point A to point B, sure. But shortening your YouTube links unlocks much more than basic navigation.
With redirects through Bitly, you can update the destination behind a single short link without needing to change the URL itself. That means you can keep your campaigns flexible, whether you’re refreshing old content or directing viewers to a new playlist.
On top of that, Bitly gives you tools to track performance, add branding, and optimize your strategy. You get clean, user-friendly links that reflect your brand and deliver insights to help grow your channel, all from one place.
Here’s a deeper look at the key benefits of using a URL shortener like Bitly.
Short links help you make better, data-driven decisions
Just 0.28% of all YouTube channels have more than 100,000 subscribers. Building that kind of presence takes more than luck and great content. It takes data. That means knowing who your audience is, where they’re located, when they’re most active, and how they’re finding your videos.
Bitly Analytics helps you uncover those answers. Every Bitly Link you create unlocks detailed analytics such as total clicks, top-performing clicks, referrer, and location (city and country level depending on your plan). These metrics help you understand what’s working so you can optimize your content promotion strategy and grow your audience with intention.
Short links look better and attract more clicks
When someone discovers one of your videos, you want to keep them hooked and, ideally, watching more. That’s why it’s smart to optimize your video descriptions with clear, clickable links to your other content.
But long URLs don’t quite cut it. They tend to make descriptions look messy and unprofessional, taking up valuable real estate. Short links, on the other hand, keep things clean and polished. And because they’re more compact, you can include multiple links, giving viewers more paths to explore your channel.
Short links are optimized for social sharing
For YouTube content creators, social sharing is one of the fastest ways to expand your reach, and short links make it seamless. They’re quick to copy, easy to click, and simple to share across platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.
Plus, they come with a few added perks:
- They look more professional in social media bios and posts.
- They help you stay within character limits (150 for Instagram, 160 for X).
- Branded short links build brand recognition and trust with every share.
Short links enhance your brand
Branded links look polished and instantly recognizable. When your brand name is part of the URL, it builds familiarity with every click, whether someone sees it in a bio, a caption, or a message.
It’s a small detail that strengthens your presence across channels and builds trust with your audience. Over time, it also makes your links feel more reliable, increasing the chances that people will click and engage.
Check out our resource to learn more about how to grow your brand with short links.
Examples of link metrics you can track when using Bitly
Bitly’s trackable links turn every URL into a data goldmine. Here are the key metrics you’ll see in your dashboard and how to use them to make smarter decisions for your marketing campaigns:
- Total clicks: See how many times users clicked your link. A high number indicates strong interest or effective messaging, while a lower count might suggest it’s time to tweak your call to action (CTA), copy, or placement.
- Click timing: Bitly shows when clicks happen, broken down by day. These patterns can reveal which days your audience is more active, helping you time your promotions to align with peak engagement.
- Top locations: Understand where your audience is based by viewing the countries and cities driving the most clicks. These insights help you localize your messaging and uncover new growth opportunities.
- Referring sources: Learn which platforms are generating traffic—whether that’s Instagram, a blog post, your website, or a partner’s newsletter. This helps you double down on what’s working and refine what’s not.
- Device and browser types: See how people are accessing your content (mobile vs. desktop, Chrome vs. Safari). Use this data to optimize landing pages and ensure a seamless experience across devices.
Shorten your links and drive engagement with Bitly
Shortening your YouTube links isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s a smart way to improve shareability, reinforce your brand, and create a cleaner viewer experience across platforms. Whether you’re promoting playlists, channels, or individual videos, short links help you stand out.
With Bitly, you can shorten, brand, and track your YouTube links from one easy-to-use dashboard. Create custom URLs that reflect your channel’s identity, monitor performance with detailed analytics, and organize all your short links in one place. You’ll get insights into click volume, referral sources, and geographic data, giving you the tools to improve how and where you promote your content.
Shorten your YouTube links with Bitly today. It’s free to try, fast to set up, and built to grow with your channel. Get started now!
