The Blrb Lab Notes
Stay updated with the latest in URL optimization, campaign tracking, and API development.
How to Set Up a Custom Domain Shortener
A branded link using your own domain doesn’t just look more professional than “blrb.ai/x7k2j9″—it converts 39% better according to industry click-through data. But if you’re setting up a custom domain URL shortener and all you get is a prettier link, you’re missing the entire strategic opportunity. The real value isn’t the vanity URL. It’s knowing […]
Free vs Paid URL Shorteners: Is It Worth It?
Most marketers treat link shorteners like digital scissors—a quick snip, paste, and move on. But when that shortened link drives 2,000 clicks and you can only see “2,000 clicks from United States,” you’re flying blind. The difference between free and paid URL shorteners isn’t just about removing a logo or adding a custom domain. It’s […]
Geo-Targeted Short Links for Localized Marketing
You launched a campaign targeting San Francisco and Phoenix. Same creative, same offer. San Francisco drove 4x the clicks but converted at half the rate. Phoenix visitors spent more, stayed longer, and came back. Your analytics platform told you the click counts. It didn’t tell you that your SF traffic came from zip codes with […]
The 7 Best Bitly Alternatives for 2026 (Compared on Analytics, Pricing, and Features)
Bitly is the default URL shortener for most marketers, and for basic link shortening, it works fine. But the moment you need analytics beyond click counts and city-level geography, you hit a wall — and that wall costs $35 to $300 per month to climb. If you’ve been paying for Bitly and wondering whether the […]
blrb.ai vs Bitly: Feature-by-Feature Comparison for 2026
Bitly is the most recognized URL shortener in the world. It’s been the default since 2008, and for a lot of marketers, “Bitly link” is synonymous with “short link.” But recognition isn’t the same as value — and when you compare what Bitly actually gives you at each price tier against what newer platforms deliver, […]
Link Click Heatmaps: Visualize Where Your Audience Is on an Interactive Map
When you hear “heatmap,” you probably think of website UX tools — Hotjar, Crazy Egg, Microsoft Clarity — showing where visitors click on a webpage. That’s one kind of heatmap. There’s another kind that marketers almost never see: a geographic heatmap showing where in the world people click your links. Not where they click on […]
Geographic Click Tracking: See Exactly Where Your Audience Engages (Down to the Zip Code)
You shared a link on LinkedIn, emailed it to your list, and posted it on Instagram. Three days later, you have 1,200 clicks. But here’s the question nobody’s tool is answering: where did those clicks come from? Not which platform — you already know that from UTM parameters. Where geographically. Which cities. Which neighborhoods. Which […]
Zip Code Level Click Analytics: The Marketing Data You Didn’t Know You Could Get
Every time someone clicks a link, they leave a trail. Not just “someone in the United States clicked” — but someone in zip code 30309, in a neighborhood where the median household income is $94,000, where 72% of residents hold college degrees, and where homeownership sits at 45%. That level of detail has always existed […]
Who Clicks Your Links? How to Get Demographics, Location & Device Data from Every Click
Most URL shorteners tell you how many people clicked. That’s it. A number. But what if you could see who clicked — their zip code, neighborhood income level, education demographics, and whether they’re browsing from a phone in Miami or a laptop in Minneapolis? That’s the difference between click counting and click intelligence. And it’s […]