How do public URL shorteners affect email deliverability and what are the best practices for app download links in email?

Key findings

• Reputation risk: Using shared public URL shortener domains can negatively impact your sender reputation, as these domains are frequently abused by spammers and are often found on email blacklists (or blocklists).
• Spam filtering: Mailbox providers often flag emails containing generic shortened URLs as suspicious, increasing the likelihood of messages landing in the spam folder rather than the inbox.
• Lack of transparency: Recipients cannot see the final destination of a shortened link, which can lead to distrust and fewer clicks. This obfuscation is a common tactic in phishing attacks, making such links inherently risky.
• User experience for app links: App download links, especially those using public shorteners, might not provide an optimal user experience across different devices (e.g., desktop versus mobile, iOS versus Android), potentially leading to frustration and abandoned downloads.

Key considerations

• Avoid generic shorteners: Whenever possible, avoid using public URL shorteners such as Bitly (unless it's a branded one) in your email campaigns. These can hurt your email domain reputation.
• Use branded links: If you must use a shortened URL, opt for a white-label or custom-branded shortener service with your own domain. This provides trust and maintains your brand identity.
• Direct linking: For app downloads, directly link to the respective app stores where feasible. This reduces redirection hops and provides clearer user paths, improving the overall user experience.
• Landing page strategy: If direct app store linking isn't optimal, link to a dedicated, branded landing page on your website. This page should clearly present options for different devices and guide users to the correct app store, ensuring a pleasant experience. As EasySendy states, URL shorteners negatively affect email deliverability.

Key opinions

• Control is key: Many marketers question whether the sender truly controls the shortened URL's landing page, or if a third-party shortener dictates the experience.
• Deliverability risk: There's a strong belief that public shorteners carry a substantial risk to email deliverability and could lead to messages being blocked or sent to spam.
• Tracking concerns: Questions arise about how various link shorteners (and their redirects) might interfere with an Email Service Provider's (ESP) click tracking capabilities, potentially obscuring important engagement data. This is covered more in depth in our article on ESP click tracking.
• User experience focus: Regardless of the shortener used, marketers emphasize that the "get the app" experience must be smooth and well-designed across all devices.

Key considerations

• Desktop vs. mobile behavior: It is crucial to test how shortened links behave on both desktop and mobile devices, especially if they are intended to redirect automatically to app stores.
• Branded shortener solutions: To mitigate risk, marketers are advised to use white-label shortener services that allow for a custom, branded domain, enhancing trust and control over the link's reputation (also known as a vanity URL).
• Strategic linking alternatives: If a custom shortener isn't an option, consider linking to a website page first, where recipients can then access the app download links without direct shortener exposure in the email.
• Consistent experience: Ensure that the landing page for app downloads is well-designed, branded, and offers clear navigation to the correct app stores, potentially including options like texting the link to a phone. As LinkDrip notes, shortened URLs can harm deliverability if not managed properly.

Key opinions

• Reputation damage: Public URL shorteners are widely known to negatively affect sender reputation and can lead to emails being blocked.
• Spam association: Many shared shortener domains are associated with spam and phishing, causing mailbox providers to treat any email containing them with suspicion.
• Custom domain necessity: If shortening is unavoidable, experts strongly recommend using a custom domain with the shortener to retain control over the link's reputation and avoid inheriting issues from shared pools. This is a common recommendation to improve domain reputation.
• Transparency: The obfuscation provided by shorteners makes it difficult for recipients to trust the link, a factor that can contribute to lower engagement and increased spam complaints.

Key considerations

• Proactive monitoring: Regularly monitor your sending domain and IP for any blocklist (blacklist) listings, especially if you must use third-party links or redirects. Understanding what happens when your domain is blocklisted is critical.
• Direct links are safer: Whenever possible, use full, descriptive URLs in your emails. This enhances transparency and user trust, which are crucial for deliverability.
• Consider deep linking alternatives: For app downloads, direct deep links to app stores or a smart landing page with clear choices are preferred over generic shorteners to ensure optimal user experience and deliverability. As SpamResource points out, avoiding unnecessary redirects can improve inbox placement.
• Educate clients: It's vital to educate clients and stakeholders about the deliverability risks associated with public URL shorteners and the benefits of using branded alternatives or direct links for app promotions. WordtotheWise often emphasizes the importance of domain consistency in email reputation.

Key findings

• Security risk: Shortened URLs can conceal malicious destinations, making them a common tool for phishing and pharming attacks. This makes them inherently suspicious to security systems and users alike.
• Transparency preference: Best practices often advocate for clear, unshortened URLs to build user trust and allow recipients to verify the link's destination before clicking.
• Tracking implications: While shorteners offer click tracking, this functionality can sometimes conflict with email client tracking mechanisms or create additional redirects that impact deliverability. See our guide on email link cloaking and click tracking.
• User experience on redirects: Documentation suggests that unnecessary redirects, often a component of shortened URLs, can degrade user experience and trigger spam filters if not handled carefully.

Key considerations

• Direct app store links: Official guidelines for app promotion typically recommend direct links to app stores (e.g., Apple App Store, Google Play Store) to simplify the user journey and avoid intermediary steps that could introduce friction or distrust.
• Branded redirect domains: If a redirect is necessary (e.g., for analytics or device-specific routing), using a custom, branded domain for the redirect is advised to maintain brand trust and control over its reputation. Learn more about deliverability drawbacks of redirects.
• Phishing awareness: Users should be educated about the risks of clicking shortened or suspicious links in emails, particularly from unknown sources, as they are a common vector for phishing. As Fortinet suggests, never click a shortened web link in an email if unsure of its origin.
• Link quality: Ensuring the integrity and security of all links in an email, including those for app downloads, is paramount to maintaining good sender reputation and protecting recipients.