Bitly just made a huge change to its free plan, which could spell the end of Bitly as the go-to link shortener. If you’re using Bitly’s free service, your links will now show a preview page with ads before sending users to their final destination.

In this episode, I break down:

• What’s happening with Bitly’s new terms of service
• Why this shift is a major business model change for them
• How this impacts marketers, businesses, and casual users
• The risks of third-party link shorteners – and why I stopped using them
• A free alternative that puts you back in control
• Why do some freemium models (like Mailchimp) succeed while others fail

If you rely on Bitly for tracking links, running ads, or just making URLs shorter, this episode is worth a listen.

LINKS:

• Web Designer Depot’s Article - Goodbye Bitly… New Preview Page is a Major Step Back
• WordPress Redirection plugin by John Godley

FRUSTRATED BY YOUR MARKETING? is hosted by Jim DeMicco and presented by SkyeLine Studio.

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