Link Shortener

Getting started with Link Shortener

Link Shortener turns any web address, such as a retailer page, your website or a sign-up page, into a short address on tatb.link. Each link counts its clicks, and links never expire. Create a short link 1. Open Link Shortener from the sidebar. 2. Paste the full address into Web address, for example https://example.com/my-new-book. 3. Optionally, add a Label (only you see it), such as Newsletter swap, October. Labels can be up to 80 characters. 4. Optionally, type a Custom name. Leave it blank to get a random six-character name like tatb.link/k7x2qd. 5. Click Create short link. The new link is copied to your clipboard and appears at the top of your list. Your list of links Each link shows its tatb.link address, its label, the address it goes to, and its click count. Use the copy icon (Copy link) to copy it again. Click counts are updated every few minutes, so a click you just made may not show straight away. Good to know - A link always goes to the address you gave it. You can't change the destination later, so check it before you create the link. To send people somewhere else, create a new link. - Links can't be deleted, only paused, so printed links never point at someone else's page. - Each account can have up to 200 Link Shortener links. - Collaborators can use Link Shortener if their role includes Form Builder.

What custom names can I use for a tatb.link short link?

When you create a link in Link Shortener, you can type your own name into Custom name instead of getting a random one. The name becomes the part after tatb.link/, so my-new-book gives you tatb.link/my-new-book. The rules - 3 to 40 characters. - Letters, numbers and hyphens only. No spaces or other symbols. - It can't start or end with a hyphen, or have two hyphens in a row. - Capital letters are turned into lowercase, so My-New-Book becomes my-new-book. Names you can't use - Reserved names, such as words used for the site itself (for example help, login, settings or pricing) and the Author's Toolbox name. - Brand names that could make a link look official, such as names of retailers, payment companies and big tech companies, or words like verify or password. Any name containing one of these words is unavailable. - Names already in use anywhere on tatb.link, including names other authors are using and names used by forms. Every tatb.link name is permanent once it's taken, so names that were used before stay unavailable. Tips - Short, readable names work best in print, such as the book title or a series name. - If you leave Custom name blank, the random name avoids characters that are easy to confuse, like 0 and o or 1 and l, so it's safe to type by hand.

How do I pause, resume or stop using a short link?

Short links in Link Shortener can't be deleted. Instead, you pause the ones you don't want working. Pause a link 1. Open Link Shortener from the sidebar. 2. Find the link in your list. 3. Click the pause icon (Pause). The link is marked Paused. Anyone who opens it no longer reaches your page. Resume a link Click the play icon (Resume) on a paused link. It starts working again with the same address. Why there's no delete Short links end up in places you can't edit, like printed books, flyers and old newsletters. Keeping every name reserved means a link you've shared can never be taken over by someone else and sent to a different page. Can I change where a link goes? No. A link always goes to the address it was created with. To point people somewhere new, create a new short link and pause the old one if you need to. A link says Switched off A link marked Switched off was turned off by Author's Toolbox. You can't resume it yourself; trying shows This link was switched off by Author's Toolbox. Contact support. Get in touch with support if you think this was a mistake. Do paused links count toward my limit? Yes. Your 200-link limit counts every link you've created, paused or not.

What's the difference between Link Shortener links and form short links?

Author's Toolbox makes tatb.link short links in two places. Form short links Every published form in Form Builder gets its own short link automatically, and it always opens that form. You manage it from the form's Short link dialog, which is also where you'll find the form's QR code and detailed stats. These links don't appear in Link Shortener. Link Shortener links Link Shortener is for everything else: any web address you want to share, such as a book's retailer page, your website, a preorder page or a newsletter sign-up hosted elsewhere. You create these yourself, and they're listed in Link Shortener with a click count for each one. Which should I use? - Sharing a form you built in Form Builder: use the form's own short link. - Sharing anything else: use Link Shortener. QR codes and stats Link Shortener shows a total click count for each link. It doesn't make QR codes or show breakdowns by day, country or source; those are only in a form's Short link dialog. Names are shared Both kinds of link use the same tatb.link names, so a name used by one of your forms can't also be used in Link Shortener, and the other way round.

Why can't I create a short link?

When a link can't be created, Link Shortener shows the reason under the box it's about. Under Web address Enter a full web address, like https://example.com/my-page. The address isn't one a short link can point to. Check that: - It's a normal website address starting with http:// or https://. If you leave that off, https:// is added for you. - It's a public address, not a local network address or a bare IP address. - It isn't another tatb.link address. - It's under 2,000 characters. Under Custom name - Use at least 3 characters. or Use 40 characters or fewer. - Use only letters, numbers and hyphens. - Don't start or end with a hyphen. or Don't use two hyphens in a row. - That name is reserved. The name is kept for the site itself. - That name isn't available. It contains a brand name or a word that could make the link look official. - That name is taken. Someone, possibly one of your own forms, already uses it. Names stay taken permanently. Try a different name, or leave Custom name blank to get a random one. Other messages - You can have up to 200 short links. Pause the ones you no longer use. You've reached the limit. Paused links still count toward it, so pausing a link doesn't free up space. Contact support if you need more. - Slow down a little. You can create up to 20 links a minute. Wait a moment and try again. - Short links aren't available in the demo. Sign up for an account to create links. - You do not have permission to use short links on this account. Your collaborator role needs Form Builder access. Ask the account owner. I don't see the create form If you can see your links but there's no Web address box, your role can view Link Shortener but not create or pause links. The account owner can change this under collaborators in Settings. My short link doesn't open my page Check the link in Link Shortener. If it's marked Paused, click Resume. If it's marked Switched off, contact support. My click count hasn't changed Counts refresh every few minutes. Reload the page a little later.