Lesson 4 — Step 3: Get a Short Link Account

Why Short Links Matter

Ylopo adaptive search URLs are long and ugly — they look like spam in a social feed. A branded short link makes them clickable, professional, and trackable. Two paths.

Path A — TinyURL (Fastest, live in 10 minutes)

  • Free plan: works, but the link reads tinyurl.com/xxxxx — not branded
  • Pro plan (~$9.99/mo): branded slugs, click analytics, custom domain support
  • Best for: agents who want to ship today

Path B — Buy Your Own Domain (Recommended) ★

Branded forever. Costs about $25/year. This is what Kirby uses.

  • Where to buy: Namecheap, GoDaddy, or Porkbun
  • Kirby’s example: scofieldgroup.live
  • Slugs: any text after the slash (e.g., scofieldgroup.live/summerlin-pools) — fully branded, never competing with another agent’s TinyURL

Why a Branded Domain Beats TinyURL

Branded short links get 30–40% more clicks than generic ones. Your $25/year domain pays for itself the first time it generates a lead. They also build name recognition every time someone sees them in a feed.

Setup (Branded Domain Path)

  1. Buy your domain on Namecheap, GoDaddy, or Porkbun (~$20–30/year)
  2. Sign up for a redirect/short-link service (TinyURL Pro, Bit.ly Premium, or your domain registrar’s redirect feature)
  3. Point your domain to the redirect service via DNS
  4. Configure each Ylopo URL as a slug on your domain (e.g., scofieldgroup.live/summerlin-pools → full Ylopo URL)

Comparison Table

Option Cost Branded? Setup Time
TinyURL Free $0 No 2 minutes
TinyURL Pro ~$9.99/mo (~$120/yr) Yes (custom slug) 10 minutes
Your own .live or .com $20–$30/yr Yes (fully) 30 minutes

Pricing varies — verify on the provider’s site before you buy.