As site and blog owners, we all know that some links can get very long in length. This can make your links look very unprofessional. There is a WordPress Plugin that can take the long URL and create a shorter one which will include your domain name.
Small Description
GoCodes plugin – have you ever had to give someone a shortened version of a URL? Maybe you’re a podcaster, and you can’t say “visit mydomain.com/2008/01/03/my-post-with-a-long-url/ for more info.” Wouldn’t it be useful if you could just say “go to mydomain.com/go/mycoolpost/ ?”
- Developer: Matt Harzewski
- Website: webmaster-source.com
- WordPress link: GoCodes plugin
Note that the images and examples below have been created on a local installation of WordPress on my laptop.
Admin Settings
Once installed, the plugin will place a link in the ‘Settings’ panel whereby you can set the URL trigger that one would use. This is very simple to understand and set and will vary from user to user.
Some users use ‘recommend’, ‘go’, ‘refer’, etc. The list is actually endless. Try and use something short and catchy if you can. One of the main reasons for this plugin is to create shorter URLs with your domain name included, so try your best to not make it to long.
WordPress Plugin - GoCodes (admin settings)
The only URL trigger requirement is that you don’t use any slashes in the redirect url. This will be added automatically by the plugin when you add new URLs.
BONUS: You also have the functionality to set the redirect link to be ‘nofollow’. Now this would depend on the each users choice, some would want the ‘nofollow’ attribute and others would not mind. I know there are probably thousands of posts on the net which give the pros and cons for using nofollow, so I’m not going to go in detail about it.
Creating new GoCodes
When you have set the URL trigger, you can start adding shortcut URLs for you to use. To do this, you will have to go to the ‘Tools’ panel and there you will see a link for ‘GoCodes’. Here you will be presented with a form whereby you can enter the redirect link details.
The fields are:
- Redirection Key – this is where you can personalize the name of the link.
- Target URL – this is the target URL where you want the user to finally end up at.
- Count hits – if the box is checked, then it will keep a count of the number of clicks the URL is receiving. This is good to know as you will be able to see what URL is being clicked the most.
WordPress Plugin - GoCodes (add new)
An example would be:
- URL trigger – go
- Redirection Key – serradinho
- Target URL – http://www.serradinho.com
- Count hits – check box for tracking purposes
Your new short URL link would be:
http://localhost/wordpress/go/serradinho/Managing GoCodes
This is some what of a report of your short URLs. Here you will be able to see the key, target URL, number of hits as well as being able to either edit or delete the URL.
WordPress Plugin - GoCodes (manage URLS)
For easier viewing, the developer made 3 options for sorting the URLs . You can sort it by the date (date when added), the key and by the number of hits. This helps when you have entered many URLs and also when it becomes a time consuming process to find your URL.
You can reset the number of hits of an URL by clicking on the edit link, you will see a link by the check box. When the reset link is clicked, a message will appear at the top asking if you are sure. You can refer to the image below for an example.
WordPress Plugin - GoCodes (reset hits)
This plugin is very easy to use and I have seen it on multiple sites around the world.
Issues that I have
My only issue with this plugin is that you have to reset each URL individually, which can be time consuming depending on the number of URLs you have.
Final Thought
So, what did you think of plugin? Are you using it already or are you going to give it a try now? I would like to hear from you, so leave a comment below. All comments are welcomed.
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Article by George Serradinho
I am the proud owner of Serradinho.com and have made this my second home. I'm into blogging, downloads, WordPress and the internet in general. I also love meeting and helping others and learning new techniques.
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- Published Date: 1 December 2009
- Post Time Span: 275 days ago
- Word Count: 917
- Author Post Count: 756
- Categories: Featured, Reviews, WordPress Plugins, Wordpress
- Comments: 32
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{ 32 comments }
I m using this plugin and feel that this the best way to hide affiliate codes..
Rajesh Kanuri @ TechCats´s last blog ..Firefox 3.6 & Thunderbird 3.0 RC Released
@Rajesh – it is a nice way of hiding links, wonder how many users use this plugin and if not, what are they using?
Well, I am using it too. I do it for hiding affiliate links.
Senthil Ramesh´s last blog ..Interview with Simon from Teenius
@Senthil – do you have the same problem with resetting stats as me?
I really like Go Codes and using a lot on my affiliate blogs. Other than that, if one wants to go on a higher level to cloak their link then one can also try MaxBlogPress Ninja Affiliate Plugin. It simply cloaks the link, track the hits with referrers, also you can keep the link cloaked even at the destination page.
Typhoon´s last blog ..Commenting Idol 2 – $180 Cash Prize & Many Valuable Prizes | Now More Ways To Win It!
@Typhoon – I have heard of Ninja Affiliate Plugin before and the only reason I don’t use it is because its not for free. I would not mind doing a plugin review on it, but that would mean I would have to purchase it.
Yup, I agree that’s a premium plugin which one will have to buy..But if one wants to test it and don;t want to risk their money then they can download pirated version of it. Mail me if anyone wants it..I will try searching for it.
Typhoon´s last blog ..Commenting Idol 2 – $180 Cash Prize & Many Valuable Prizes | Now More Ways To Win It!
@Typhoon – download a pirated version, NO THANKS BUDDY. I think i would rather contact the developers and ask them if I could review it and maybe get a copy for a limited time or even a free copy.
I do not like this plugin as it will create more tables to our database and cause loading time too. However, you can try Google Shortlink do do so like mine at: http://go.blogviet.info and it is still working even your hosting die.
Another suggestion is to try WordTwit as it has this feature too with tracking analytic feature inside. Anyway, thanks for sharing this
Tinh´s last blog ..SharkSpace Offering Web Hosting Packages 50% Off for Life.
@Tinh – i actually heard about this plugin the other day (WordTwit) and it seems interesting.
In my honest opinion, having my domain in the link is cool and looks for professional to me.
That’s right! Google Shortlink is better.
minhmeo´s last blog ..BerryWeather – Dự báo thời tiết
It’s great to hide affiliate links but I believe su.pr works far more better since it allows you to track as well as easier to promote on StumbleUpon. But it requires some coding skill and API knowledge.
Phaoloo´s last blog ..How To Build A Remarkable Career In Computer Programming
@Phaoloo – I will have to go check it out, but this plugin will help those who are newbies as it’s all in WP backend.
I am using manual php redirection in my blog so not yet try this plugin.
Dana @ Online Knowledge´s last blog ..Big No Thanks in Thanks Giving
I will never suggest to use gocodes for URL shortener reason being it will add lots of manual work. There are many ways which you can use your blog as URL shortener. Though there is one catch here and that is
1. Domain name should be smaller. If its big it will lose all the benefit of URL shortener.
2. Should be easy enough to track the stats and other stuff.
Harsh Agrawal´s last blog ..Drag to Share Wordpress Plugin Extended : Share Image With one Click
@Harsh – nice points you mentioned. I would think it less manual work as creating php files and saving it in a folder.
This is for users who like to do most at the backend. Once again, all webmasters are unique and there are loads of plugins that can do the same. It’s your choice.
I was searching for it..as i seen this in 1 other blog..wasnt sure how to get this..
Thanks for share..as always ur tips are v informative..
Ankit @ All About India Blog´s last blog ..Indian players dominate CEAT Cricket Awards 2009
@Ankit – let me know if you need help although it should be easy to install and set up.
There are lots of service available for shorten the url like lu.ly. Well I am using blogger blog, so I can not use this.
chandan@work at home´s last blog ..How to submit article to article directories
@chandan – there are many url services and plugins, but this plugin will have your domain name in it. The reason is mainly make the link look better and to look as if it’s part of your site.
That is what i need. I always feel trouble with the long url. Thanks for sharing! I will give a try!
Kok Siong Chen´s last blog ..Cancer Research on Natural Compound (Cancer Review)
I am not using it, I am using Simple Link Cloaker plugin for hiding my affiliate links. It is really good.
Sahil Kotak´s last blog ..RED Twitter!!
@Sahil – I have not heard of Simple Link Cloaker before. I had a look and it seems very close. Let me know what you think if you try it.
Since branding is everything, having your domain in the link is best. It’s also been advised to use this type instead of tinyurl in places like twitter.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Whoopsy Commentluv Is Busted! You Have Permission To Leave ONE Link.
@Dennis – I agree with you on that point, but the decision lies with the webmaster.
I do have problems sometimes when I write a long title for my post and the url just shows lots of dots. This plugin is really helpful to. I will install it on my blog. The idea of hiding the affiliate links is cool.
Marlene´s last blog ..Alluring Lights In Winter Nights
Seems to be a useful plugins though. I need to give it a try. Thanks
steppinout´s last blog ..3 Firefox Plugins That Will Change Your Blogging Experince
With lots of affiliate now , i believe i have to go for it now. I will give GoCodes a try thanks alot sharing such a nice post.
Ruchi´s last blog ..What is Duplicate content and How to avoid it
@Ruchi – let me know if you need help with the plugin, wouldn’t mind to help if need be.
Hi George. I love GoCodes much as well. I hope someday it will be able to record how much click we get on the particular day, week, and month (not just cumulative), so we can monitor and compare our progress. Perhaps we need to give Matt some suggestions. I did once via Twitter. He’s a kind person.
Btw thanks for commenting on my blog
@Isaac – your suggestions are just awesome, would be nice to see it implementted. I also don’t like reseting it one by one, it’s one of my issues about the plugin on the post.
I used to use Gocodes but then I found out about the Pretty Link plugin which is much better. You can get a free version that works very well.
Anthony Bradley´s last blog ..Are you drifting apart from your spouse?