What is Vanity URL?

Vanity URL - a shortened, descriptive URL (sometimes referred to as a domain) that points to a related item indicated within the URL. Typically companies use vanity URLs to point the user to a specific product page. A vanity URL is simply an easy to remember URL used to promote a product, event or service.

When Should Vanity URLs be Used?

* Online Promotion - where the desired landing page URLs that you instruct your audience to go to are not easily translated (i.e. the URLs are long, dynamic with many parameters) into the promotional material (Flyers, Press Releases etc)

* When you want to direct users to your products - a vanity URL entices better user engagement, and will encourage users to bookmark and remember your pages.

* When you are launching a new product or service - especially when your CMS causes issues with URL naming and creates a non-user friendly URL. Ideally when you create your pages, they should be created with search engine (and user) friendliness in mind.

* When you want to direct users to the most appropriate landing page -as opposed to sending them to your homepage.

Why Vanity URLs Should Be Used?

Good, strong and memorable URLs are important, both from a search engine perspective and more importantly from a user perspective. As studies have shown, descriptive URLs for products and services will deliver a higher click through rate. With vanity URLs, you can describe a product or service using the words people automatically associate with the topic or product, encouraging them to click more.