2. DSLinker URL Shortener

DSLinker is one of the best URL shorteners to make money and is a software and tool I developed tools easily track and shorten links.

It’s specifically built for affiliate marketers, digital marketers, and bloggers like myself.

That’s why it’s my best and most recommended URL shortener.

DSLinker also lets you:

• View geography and device information
• Assess Browser Type, IP Address. URL referrers
• Scale your digital marketing business with link tracking
• Manage your traffic and assess what’s working

Plus, DSLinker is a completely mobile friendly URL shortener so you can view everything on-the-go on your phone.

Features Of DSLinker

• Advanced Targeting – The URL shortener allows you to do specific device targeting and location targeting in order to redirect users to different URLs dependent on device type and current location
• Password Protected Links – With the DSLinker URL Shortener you can create password protected links so that someone can only view the page upon clicking the link after entering in the correct password
• Link Groups & Link Tags – You can specify tags for certain links and place certain links into a group to stay more organized with your URL shortening links
• Dynamic Sub Ids For Affiliate Links – As an affiliate, I wanted to make sure that users can track sub ids dynamically.  This allows you to see which content is performing well and see where clicks are coming from that are converting into affiliate commissions and affiliate sales
• Attach Tracking Pixels To URL Shortened Links – Tracking pixels allow you to re-target users with ads on other platforms so you can make sales.
• Mobile Link Tracking – View your tracking links in real-time anywhere with an app on your Android or iOS phone.

There are tons of other features as well which you can view here.

DSLinker Plans & Pricing

DSLinker has two main plans to choose from which are the Basic Plan for free and the Pro plan for just $120/year.

I recommend getting started with the free plan and getting a feel for the URL shortener tool and then once you reach the limits you can get the Pro plan.  The Pro plan gives you unlimited everything.

8. DSLinker Link Tracker

DSLinker is one of the best link tracker software to make money and is a free affiliate link tracking software I developed to easily track and shorten links.

It’s specifically built for affiliate marketers, digital marketers, and bloggers like myself.

That’s why it’s my best and most recommended custom link tracker.

DSLinker also lets you:

• View geography and device information
• Assess Browser Type, IP Address. URL referrers
• Scale your digital marketing business with link tracking
• Manage your traffic and assess what’s working

Plus, DSLinker is a completely mobile friendly link tracker so you can view everything on-the-go on your phone.

Features Of DSLinker

• Advanced Targeting – The link tracker allows you to do specific device targeting and location targeting in order to redirect users to different URLs dependent on device type and current location.
• Password Protected Links – With the DSLinker link tracker you can create password protected links so that someone can only view the page upon clicking the link after entering in the correct password.
• Link Groups & Link Tags – You can specify tags for certain links and place certain links into a group to stay more organized with your tracking links.
• Dynamic Sub Ids For Affiliate Links – As an affiliate, I wanted to make sure that users can track sub ids dynamically.  This allows you to see which content is performing well and see where clicks are coming from that are converting into affiliate commissions and affiliate sales.
• Attach Tracking Pixels To URL Shortened Links – Tracking pixels allow you to re-target users with ads on other platforms so you can make sales.
• Mobile Link Tracking – View your tracking links in real-time anywhere with an app on your Android or iOS phone.

There’s tons of other features as well which you can view here.

DSLinker Plans & Pricing

DSLinker has two main plans to choose from which are the Basic Plan for free and the Pro plan for just $120/year.

What are dynamic sub ids?

Dynamic sub ids allow you to append or add on the sub ids to the end of any tracking link you create.  I created DSLinker as a free link tracker specifically to be able to use a custom domain and track sub ids dynamically for affiliate links.

Dynamic sub ids for affiliate links can be added one after the other, separated with a “/”.

So, if my tracking link is https://davidandrewsandy.com/dropfunnels.

Then I can add sub ids like this: https://davidandrewsandy.com/dropfunnels/sub-id1/sub-id2

This allows you to view the source of a click within DSLinker when viewing the statistics for an individual link.

Dynamic Sub ID Affiliate Tracking Step-By-Step

Here’s the steps to setup dynamic sub id affiliate tracking with DSLinker.

Step 1: Create Your DSLinker Account For Free

Start tracking affiliate links for free by creating your free link tracking account here.

Step 2: Create A New Short Tracking Link Using Dynamic Sub Id Tokens 

If you want to pass the sub-ids dynamically onto your affiliate link, then you need to simply add tokens appended to the end of the affiliate link in place of where the sub ids would normally go.

The tokens [s1]–[s5] can be used with DSLinker anywhere in your long URL and they will be replaced with the corresponding sub ID that is passed in with each click.

Here’s what that looks like:

Notice that I have my affiliate link as the long URL that I want to redirect to but have replaced where the sub ids would normally go with the tokens [s1] and [s2].

Step 3: Test Link Click With Sub Ids & View Link Statistics

In order to test my short link with dynamic sub ids, I added the following sub ids to the end: https://dspro.me/onefunnelaway/testing/dsofficial

This resulted in being redirected to:

Now go into the individual link statistics by clicking on the eye icon.

You can then view the recent clicks with the sub ids used.

And that’s it!

With this setup, you’ll only need to use one affiliate link for each product you promote and be able to track the source of clicks on your affiliate links.

How To Create A Branded Link Redirect Step-By-Step

Time to get started!  Here’s the step-by-step breakdown of how to create branded link redirects for free to start creating your own brand short links.

Step 1: Create Your Free DSLinker Account

The first step is to create your free DSLinker account.  Go here to get your free access link.

Once you’ve received the email with the link, create an account.

Note that it may take up to 5 minutes to receive the email with your free access link to start creating affiliate links.

Step 2: Go To The Custom Domains Tab And Point Your Domain To DSLinker

The next thing you need to do is click on the custom domains tab inside the DSLinker software and click to add a new custom domain to track your links with.

If you’re trying to connect the root domain (e.g. example.com), then you need to add an A record to the DNS records where you registered your domain or with your hosting provider.

If you’re trying to connect a subdomain (e.g. sub.example.com), then you need to add a CNAME record to the DNS records where you registered your domain or with your hosting provider.

Once you’ve done that and have waited up to 5 hours for the DNS records to propagate, you can click next and you will have finished connecting your custom domain to use as your branded link URL.

Step 3: Go To Links Tab And Create Your Branded Short Link

The next step is to head over to the Links tab within the DSLinker software once you’ve created your custom domain for the branded short link.

Click on ‘create’ to make a new track link.

From there, you can click on “Advanced Options” and choose from several different settings.

There’s 3 main types of branded short links you can create for free:

• Direct Tracking Link – Redirects user to the long URL instantly
• Frame Tracking Link – Shows the redirected page inside an iframe with the DSLinker navigation bar
• Splash Tracking Link – Shows a splash page with optional ads and then redirects the user to the URL after a delay

Step 4: Enter In A Custom Tracking Link ID For Your Branded Link Redirect

The custom link ID is where you can enter in a custom URL slug between 4-20 characters for your tacking link that will then redirect to the long URL that you specify.

Step 5: Set An Expiration Date And Time For The Branded Short Link

You can set an expiration date and time if needed for when the tracking link will be disabled and no longer redirect.  By default, this is left blank so the links you create will never expire.

Step 5: Set A Password If Desired

Next, you can also set a password for the tracking link if you want it to be secure and only accessible by certain users.

Step 6: Select The Custom Domain For The Branded Link Redirect

After that, you can select the custom domain you want the branded link redirect to be accessible on.  By default, the domain is set to be dspro.me for the domain if left blank.

Step 7: Assign A Title, Tags, & Description

You can also assign a title, tags, and description to organize the branded short links that you’ve created for you affiliate links.

Step 9: Target Specific Locations & Devices If Desired

Finally, you have the option to only target specific locations and devices to redirect to different URLs with the same tracking link.

Step 10: Confirm The Branded Short Link

Once you’ve figured out the settings, click ‘Confirm’ and your branded short link with your own custom domain will be created!

7 Best Branded Link Shortener Software 

Here’s the complete list of the best branded link shortener software beginning with my most recommended being a tool I had developed.

1. DSLinker

DSLinker is one of the best branded link shorteners to make money and is a software and tool I developed tool easily track and shorten links.

It’s specifically built for affiliate marketers, digital marketers, and bloggers like myself.

That’s why it’s my best and most recommended branded link shortener.

DSLinker also lets you:

• View geography and device information
• Assess Browser Type, IP Address. URL referrers
• Scale your digital marketing business with link tracking
• Manage your traffic and assess what’s working

Plus, DSLinker is a completely mobile friendly branded link shortener so you can view everything on-the-go on your phone.

Features Of DSLinker

• Advanced Targeting – The branded link shortener allows you to do specific device targeting and location targeting in order to redirect users to different URLs dependent on device type and current location
• Password Protected Links – With the DSLinker branded link Shortener you can create password protected links so that someone can only view the page upon clicking the link after entering in the correct password
• Link Groups & Link Tags – You can specify tags for certain links and place certain links into a group to stay more organized with your URL shortening links
• Dynamic Sub Ids For Affiliate Links – As an affiliate, I wanted to make sure that users can track sub ids dynamically.  This allows you to see which content is performing well and see where clicks are coming from that are converting into affiliate commissions and affiliate sales
• Attach Tracking Pixels To URL Shortened Links – Tracking pixels allow you to re-target users with ads on other platforms so you can make sales.
• Mobile Link Tracking – View your tracking links in real-time anywhere with an app on your Android or iOS phone.

There’s tons of other features as well which you can view here.

DSLinker Plans & Pricing

DSLinker has two main plans to choose from which are the Basic Plan for free and the Pro plan for just $120/year.

I recommend getting started with the free plan and getting a feel for the branded link shortener tool and then once you reach the limits you can get the Pro plan.  The Pro plan gives you unlimited everything.

How To Track Affiliate Links For Free Across All Devices

Here’s the step-by-step breakdown of how to get started tracking affiliate links for free.

Step 1: Create Your Free DSLinker Account

The first step is to create your free DSLinker account.  Go here to get your free access link.

Once you’ve received the email with the link, create an account.

Note that it may take up to 5 minutes to receive the email with your free access link to start creating affiliate links.

Step 2: Go To Links Tab And Create Affiliate Tracking Link

The next step is to head over to the Links tab within the DSLinker software once you’ve created your account and have signed in.

Click on ‘create’ to make a new track link.

From there, you can click on “Advanced Options” and choose from several different settings.

What Is A Free Custom Domain Link Shortener?

A link shortener is a software that you can use to take a long URL and shorten it to make it more appealing to the visitors on your website or viewers of you social media post.

A link that has been shortened can be used anywhere online across all platforms.

In particular, DSLinker allows you to create custom domains as part of your free account as well as many other cool features that you need to see for yourself!

How Do You Shorten A Link?

You can shorten a link by using a link shortener or URL shortener, as I had just discussed.

All you have to do is simply copy and paste any long URL that you want to be shortened into the tool and it will give you a shortened version of the link.