Custom Short Links You Can Edit Anytime

A short link is a small web address that sends people to a longer page. A custom short link is one you shape yourself. You can pick the readable text at the end, use your own domain at the start, or do both.

KeptLink builds short links and dynamic QR codes on one record. Here you can see how custom short links work, what you can change, what they cost, and what happens to them if you ever cancel.

Why generic short links hurt brand trust

A random link tells people very little. They cannot tell who sent it until after they click. A branded short link puts your name in the address, so people can see where it comes from first. You can use the same address in email, social posts, text messages and print.

Two parts of a short link can be customized. They are separate choices.

• The back-half is the text after the slash. It is also called a slug or an alias.
• The domain is the name before the slash. A custom domain is one you own, such as go.yourbrand.com.

Here is how the choices look side by side.

Link	What people can recognize
bit.ly/3x8yz	A shared shortener with random text
keptlink.app/summer-sale	A readable back-half on the default domain
go.yourbrand.com/sale	Your own domain and a readable back-half

Choose words that match the offer. A sale link can say “sale”. A product launch can say “launch”. Before you share a link, ask three questions.

• Does the domain show the brand you want people to remember?
• Does the back-half describe the offer or the page?
• Does the destination still match what your message promises?

If you do not pick a back-half, KeptLink makes a random one for you. Custom back-halves are part of the Pro and Business plans. Custom domains need a plan that includes them too, and the plan table below shows which ones do. Read link security and safe redirection if you plan to send links to customers.

app.keptlink.com

Edit the destination after you share the link

The destination is the page people reach after they click. A redirect is the step that sends them there from the short address. A dynamic link lets you change the destination while the short address stays the same.

Here is an example. A product team prints go.saasapp.com/v2-launch on conference handouts. Two days before the keynote, the demo sign-up page moves from HubSpot to Chili Piper. The team edits the destination in the dashboard. Nobody has to reprint the handouts.

Follow these steps when you change a link.

1. Open the link in your dashboard and change the destination.
2. Wait about 1 to 2 minutes. Changes are not instant.
3. Click the short link and scan its QR code to check the new page.

Every new destination goes through a safety check before people are sent to it. While the check is running, the previous destination keeps working. So an unsafe page never replaces a working one.

This helps with seasonal offers, sign-up pages that move, and links that lead to a broken page. For the basic choice between fixed and editable links, read static vs dynamic links.

No edit limits, no surprise upgrades

Before you pick a service, check how many destination changes each plan allows. A link allowance and an edit allowance are different limits. Room for more links does not mean you can keep changing the ones you have.

Bitly’s pricing page, checked on October 17, 2026, lists these limits for redirects. Here, a redirect means a change to an existing link’s destination. It does not mean the number of people who can click.

Bitly plan	Price	Destination edits
Free	$0/mo	0 redirects
Core	$10/mo billed annually at $120	5 redirects/mo
Growth	$29/mo billed annually at $348, or $35/mo monthly	20 redirects/mo

See the Bitly pricing plans for the current numbers. On that page, a custom domain comes with the Growth plan and not with Core.

KeptLink has no monthly redirect quota. You can change the destination of a link as often as your campaign needs. Your plan limits how many links you have, not how often you edit them. Editing needs an active paid plan, which the cancellation section explains.

Think through the changes a campaign may need. An offer can end, a page can move, or a form can change. Count those edits when you compare services, because they decide what you really pay.

Why text messages need a branded domain

Twilio is a company that provides business texting tools. Its carrier guidance says AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon block public shorteners such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com. Scammers use shared shorteners to hide harmful pages, so carriers filter them.

Business texting in the US runs under a system called A2P 10DLC. It is a set of rules for texts that a business sends to many people through software. The same guidance says carriers expect businesses to use their own branded short domains. You can read it in the Twilio SMS carrier filtering guidelines.

A branded domain is not a promise that every text will arrive. Carriers also look at other things, so review your setup with your messaging provider. Before you send a text campaign, go through this list.

• Use a short domain that you own.
• Check that no public shortener is left anywhere in the message.
• Open the destination page and confirm it shows the current offer.
• Compare your setup with your messaging provider’s carrier guidance.

Picture an online clothing store. It sends a flash sale text with shop.brandname.com/fall-flash. The address shows the brand and the offer inside the message itself. A link like bit.ly/3x8yz shows neither.

One record for the short link and the QR code

In KeptLink, every link is one record. That record holds a short address and a QR code, and both lead to the same destination. When you edit the destination, clicks and scans both follow it after about 1 to 2 minutes.

You manage one destination for both print and online use.

• Share the short address in a social post or a partner email.
• Put the QR code on a conference handout or a poster.
• Update the destination once when the page changes.

Many tools treat short links and QR codes as separate products with separate limits. Keeping them together means one list, one edit and one place to check.

A real estate broker is a good example. Yard sign riders are costly to print. When a home sells, the broker points the same short link and code to the next listing’s tour. An event team can do the same with a room guide. A short address such as summit.events/agenda can go on badge lanyards and in the event guidebook. If a speaker changes rooms, the team edits the destination, and attendees see the update in about 1 to 2 minutes.

Some jobs do not need an editable link. Use a plain web address or a static code when the destination will never change. This works if you do not need a custom domain or any counts. A static code is fixed once it is made. The free URL QR code generator makes one without an account.

Choose a dynamic link when you may change the destination after sharing. It also fits campaigns where you want to see how people use the link. KeptLink records each visit with an approximate location, the type of device and the page the visitor came from. Locations are approximate, and raw IP addresses are never stored.

How to connect your custom domain

Use a subdomain such as go.yourbrand.com, links.yourbrand.com or qr.yourbrand.com. A subdomain is a named part of your main domain. It keeps your link routing apart from your website and your company email.

A custom domain needs the Pro or Business plan, or the Founders’ lifetime deal. The steps take place in two places: your KeptLink workspace and your domain’s DNS settings. DNS is the system that tells the internet where a domain points. Follow this order.

1. Pick the subdomain you want to use.
2. Open your workspace, go to Domains, enter the subdomain and add it.
3. Copy the two DNS records that KeptLink shows. Add them at the company that hosts your domain’s DNS.
4. Select Verify on the Domains page.

The two records do different jobs. The TXT record proves that you own the domain. The CNAME record points your subdomain to KeptLink, so visitors reach your links. For a subdomain such as go.yourbrand.com, the CNAME target is domains.keptlink.app. The TXT value is unique to your workspace, so always copy it from the Domains page and not from a guide.

When KeptLink finds your TXT record, it sets up the HTTPS certificate for your domain. That usually takes a few minutes as long as the CNAME is in place. KeptLink renews the certificate automatically while the domain is active and the CNAME stays in place.

Adding these records does not change your website or your email. You only add records for one subdomain. If someone types just go.yourbrand.com with no back-half, you can choose where that opens in the Root fallback setting on the Domains page. Without one, the bare domain shows a “not found” page. The custom domain DNS setup guide has steps for 12 DNS providers and fixes for common errors.

Links that keep working after you cancel

Many link tools switch off your links when you stop paying. That is a risk when the address is already on signs, badges or brochures.

Paid codes keep working even if you cancel, subject to safety checks. Links made on a paid plan keep redirecting to their last destination after cancellation. The exception is a link that gets blocked for safety, for example because it leads to phishing or malware.

Cancelling changes what you can do, not what visitors see. Your workspace becomes read-only. You cannot edit destinations or create new links until you subscribe again. Visits keep being counted, and you see the full details again when you resubscribe. Links on your own domain only work while the CNAME record still points to KeptLink. That record sits in your DNS, so it is yours to manage.

The promise covers links created on a paid plan. Read do short links and QR codes expire before you choose links for printed materials. It is also smart to ask any service three questions before you print.

• Will the shared address keep redirecting if I cancel?
• Can I still use my branded domain?
• What do I need to pay for to edit links or see my visit data later?

Plans and limits

Plans differ in how many links you can have and which features come with them. These numbers come from the current KeptLink plans. Check KeptLink plans and pricing for the latest details.

Plan	Monthly billing	Annual billing	What is included
Starter	$10/mo	$8/mo billed annually at $96/yr	100 links
Pro	$29/mo	$24/mo billed annually at $288/yr	500 links, 1 custom domain, custom back-halves
Business	$69/mo	$55/mo billed annually at $660/yr	5,000 links, 10 custom domains, custom back-halves

The Founders’ lifetime deal costs $79 once and is limited to the first 100 buyers. It includes 100 links and 1 custom domain. It does not include custom back-halves.

Pick a plan by counting how many links you need and whether you want your own domain. If you want both your own domain and your own text at the end, you need Pro or Business. Every plan includes unlimited edits to the destinations of your links, while you keep an active subscription.