Google’s URL Shortener Is Here, And I Like It

 

Google just lowered its hammer on another web segment: URL shorteners. And as usual, they hammered it hard, because the new product works like a charm and will probably become the market leader soon.

It's called Goo.gl, and according to Google it has several advantages over competing services. Here is a quote from the announcement post:

There are many shorteners out there with great features, so some people may wonder whether the world really needs yet another. As we said late last year, we built goo.gl with a focus on quality. With goo.gl, every time you shorten a URL, you know it will work, it will work fast, and it will keep working. You also know that when you click a goo.gl shortened URL, you're protected against malware, phishing and spam using the same industry-leading technology we use in search and other products.

I tested it briefly and I must say I really like it. The security aspect alone would be enough to make me switch, but the redirect also worked much faster when compared to other URL shorteners, and Goo.gl is connected to your Google account, so it will track clicks for you automatically.

Check it out if you haven't yet.