What is a vanity URL? Benefits and best practices
A memorable path under /r/ that you can say aloud - useful when a random code is not enough.
A vanity URL is a short address whose path is readable: something like /r/spring-guide instead of a random code. People ask for them when a link has to be spoken, typed from a slide, or remembered between a talk and a taxi.
On no-referer, vanity paths are optional aliases under /r/ on our host. Separately, paid plans can attach a domain you already own - aliases are not custom domains.
Benefits
- Easier to say in a room or record in a video.
- Cleaner on a slide than a paragraph-long destination.
- Scannable later in My URLs when you use a consistent pattern.
Best practices
- Describe the page: campaign-spring-guide beats a tease.
- Keep it short enough for SMS.
- Use letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores.
- Leave the field blank when a random code is enough.
- If the alias is taken, adjust the spelling or accept an automatic code.
How to create one
Paste a public https destination, enter the alias, submit, then open /r/your-alias once. Signed-in creates also land in My URLs with a click count.
A common scene
On a webinar slide you need something people can type from the room. /r/spring-guide is easier than a random code - as long as the words match the page that opens.
Watch out for
- An alias is not a custom domain. Paid BYO hosts are a separate Contact Sales path.
- Teaser aliases that do not match the destination erode trust even when the redirect is honest.
- If the alias is taken, change the spelling or leave the field blank.
The alias is part of the message. Write it the way you would label the link in a sentence.
