Landing pages are powerful, but they aren’t always necessary. In many cases, creating and maintaining a full page adds friction, delays launches and introduces more things that can break. Short links offer a simpler alternative when speed, clarity and control matter more than presentation.
Knowing when to use a short link instead of a landing page can save time and still deliver strong results.
What Landing Pages Do Well
Landing pages shine when you need to:
- tell a detailed story
- explain a complex product or offer
- capture leads through forms
- control layout, visuals and messaging tightly
- optimise conversion rates through design
For high-value campaigns or long-term offers, a dedicated landing page is often the right choice.
Where Landing Pages Add Friction
Landing pages also come with overhead. They require:
- design and copywriting time
- development or CMS work
- QA and testing
- ongoing maintenance
For short-lived campaigns or quick experiments, this effort can outweigh the benefit.
When Short Links Are the Better Option
Short links work best when the goal is simply to get someone to the right place — fast. Common examples include:
- email call-to-action links
- social profile links
- SMS campaigns
- QR codes on print materials
- support or help links
- temporary promotions
Instead of building a new page, you can point a short link directly to an existing product, article, form or section of your site.
Speed Matters More Than Perfection
In fast-moving campaigns, speed often beats polish. A short link lets you launch immediately, then refine the destination later if needed.
With Tinyr, you can update the destination without changing the visible URL, which means you’re never locked into an early decision.
Short Links Still Give You Insight
Even without a landing page, short links provide valuable data:
- how many people clicked
- when they clicked
- what devices they used
- where they were located
- which channel sent them
For many campaigns, this level of insight is enough to make confident decisions.
When Landing Pages Are Still Worth It
Short links aren’t a replacement for landing pages in every situation. You should still use a landing page when:
- you need to educate before converting
- design and messaging strongly affect outcomes
- you’re running paid campaigns with high CPC
- you’re collecting detailed lead information
In these cases, a short link still plays a role — as the clean, trackable entry point to the page.
Use Both, Intentionally
The choice isn’t short links versus landing pages. It’s knowing when each tool makes sense. Short links excel at speed, flexibility and clarity. Landing pages excel at persuasion and depth.
The most effective campaigns use both — deliberately, not by default.
