Skip to content

Short Links & Custom Domains

Turn long, forgettable URLs into clean, branded short links your audience actually trusts — and change where they point whenever you need to, without ever touching the link you already shared.

A short link is more than a smaller URL. It's a stable, memorable handle for a destination you control: pick the back-half, put it on your own domain, cap how long it lives, and re-route it on the fly.

What you can do

  • Brand every link

    Shorten any URL and choose your own custom alias (the back-half after the slash). gbyt.me/spring-sale reads and shares far better than a string of random characters — and it's yours to name.

  • Create one or many

    Make a single link in seconds from the dashboard, or create links in bulk when you're launching a campaign, tagging a catalog, or migrating a batch of URLs all at once.

  • Set limits that fit the moment

    Give a link an expiry date or a maximum-click limit so a flash sale, a beta invite, or a limited drop shuts itself off automatically — no cleanup required.

  • Change the destination anytime

    Point a printed or already-shared link somewhere new. Edit the destination and the short URL stays exactly the same — every copy already in the wild keeps working.

  1. Open the dashboard and choose New Link.
  2. Paste your destination URL — the long link you want to shorten.
  3. Choose a custom alias (optional). Leave it blank for an auto-generated back-half, or type your own, like launch or q3-webinar.
  4. Pick a domain. Use the default GoByte domain, or select your own custom domain if you've connected one.
  5. Add options (optional) — an expiry date, a maximum-click limit, a custom social preview title and image, or campaign tags.
  6. Create the link and copy it. It's live immediately, ready to share anywhere.

Prefer to automate?

Everything above is available from the API, so you can mint links straight from your app, a spreadsheet script, or your CI pipeline. See the API Reference to get started, or the Quickstart to create your first link in a few lines.

Option What it does
Custom alias Choose the back-half of the link so it reads as your brand or campaign name
Expiry date The link stops working after a date you set — ideal for time-boxed offers
Click limit The link retires automatically once it hits a maximum number of clicks
Editable destination Re-point the link anytime; the short URL never changes
Custom domain Serve links from your own domain instead of the shared GoByte one

Expiry and click limits

When a link expires or reaches its click limit, visitors land on a friendly "link unavailable" page instead of your destination. Loosen or lift the limit whenever you like — the link comes right back to life.

Bring your own domain

On higher plans you can connect a custom domain so your links live on your brand — go.yourbrand.com/offer instead of a shared shortener. Same-brand links look more legitimate, earn more clicks, and reinforce trust every time someone sees one.

  • Trust — people click links that clearly belong to a brand they know.
  • Recognition — your domain travels with every share, on every platform.
  • Control — your links, your domain, fully yours to manage and move.
  1. Open Settings → Domains in your dashboard and add your domain.
  2. Add the DNS records GoByte shows you at your domain registrar.
  3. Wait for verification — once it's confirmed, your domain appears as an option every time you create or edit a link.

Plan availability

Custom domains are available on Pro and above. Bulk creation and higher link volumes scale with your plan too — see the pricing page for the details of each tier.

  • Campaigns

    Give every channel its own named, tagged link, then compare them side by side. Re-point a link mid-campaign if a landing page changes — no reprint, no broken URLs.

  • Print & offline

    Put a short, clean link (or its QR code) on a flyer, package, or billboard. Because the destination is editable, a printed link can point somewhere new long after it's on paper.

  • Brand trust

    A branded link on your own domain signals "this is really us." That credibility lifts click-through everywhere you share — bios, emails, ads, and social.

Where to go next

  • Use Cases — see how creators, marketers, and merchants put short links to work
  • Quickstart — create your first link via the API
  • API Reference — automate links, domains, and reporting