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Naming Conventions for Readable Short URLs: A Complete Style Guide for Clean, Consistent Slugs

Readable short URLs are one of those “small details” that quietly shape trust, click-through rates, and team productivity. When your short links look clean and predictable, people feel safer clicking them, teammates can find and reuse them faster, and your analytics become easier to segment and understand. When your short links are messy, inconsistent, or cryptic, everything gets harder: support tickets increase, campaigns fragment into duplicates, and teams stop trusting the system.

This guide is a complete naming convention playbook for readable short URLs—meaning the part after your short domain (often called the alias, slug, or back-half). It focuses on clarity, consistency, and scalability. You’ll learn how to design a naming system that works across marketing, product, support, events, and internal teams—without creating a complicated ruleset that no one follows.

What “Readable Short URLs” Actually Means

A readable short URL typically has an alias that a human can understand at a glance. Instead of a random string, it uses meaningful words, a consistent structure, and familiar separators.

Readable does not mean “long.” It means:

  • Recognizable: You can guess the destination or campaign context.
  • Scannable: It’s easy to read quickly, even on mobile or in print.
  • Predictable: Your team can infer what the link should be named.
  • Typable: It’s not full of confusing characters or mixed casing.
  • Consistent: Similar campaigns follow similar patterns.

Readable short links are especially valuable in channels like presentations, posters, podcasts, video overlays, print ads, QR captions, SMS, and customer support scripts—anywhere a person might need to recognize, remember, or type the link.

Why Naming Conventions Matter More Than You Think

Most short-link problems aren’t technical—they’re organizational. Naming conventions solve a cluster of real-world issues:

1) Trust and Click Confidence

People decide whether to click based on signals. A clean slug is a subtle credibility cue. A messy slug can look suspicious, even if it’s legitimate.

2) Higher Reuse, Fewer Duplicates

Without conventions, teams create multiple links for the same destination because they can’t find what exists. Standard naming helps search, reuse, and prevents link sprawl.

3) Better Analytics and Reporting

If every campaign uses a different style, your reports become manual cleanup projects. Conventions enable reliable grouping, filtering, and dashboards.

4) Faster Collaboration

When your team knows the rules, they can create links confidently without asking for approval every time.

5) Easier Governance and Compliance

A good naming system prevents accidental inclusion of personal data, sensitive information, or copyrighted content identifiers that shouldn’t be exposed.

Readable naming isn’t just “nice to have.” It’s a scalability feature.

Key Terms: Alias, Slug, Back-Half, and Path

Different teams use different words. In this guide:

  • Slug / Alias / Back-half: The readable part you choose.
  • Prefix: A short segment at the beginning of a slug used for categorization (optional).
  • Tokens: Individual pieces separated by hyphens (words, abbreviations, dates, etc.).
  • Template: A repeatable structure, like team-campaign-offer-date.

The goal is to standardize how you form these pieces.

The Core Principles of Great Short-Link Naming

Before rules, you need principles. If your conventions break these principles, they won’t last.

Principle 1: Clarity Beats Cleverness

Avoid jokes, inside references, or “smart” abbreviations that only one person understands. Clarity helps future you—and coworkers you haven’t met yet.

Principle 2: Consistency Beats Perfection

A naming system that is “pretty good” but consistently followed is better than a perfect system no one uses.

Principle 3: Short, But Not Cryptic

Your slug should be as short as possible while still being meaningfully readable.

Principle 4: Optimize for Real Channels

A slug that looks fine in a spreadsheet may fail on a billboard. Your rules should favor readability in the messiest environments: small screens, print, speech, and quick typing.

Principle 5: Don’t Leak Sensitive Info

Readable should never mean exposing personal data, private segments, internal codenames, or anything you wouldn’t want forwarded publicly.

Readable vs Random: Choosing the Right Approach

Readable naming is powerful—but not always the best choice. Many teams use a hybrid model.

When Readable Slugs Are Best

  • Public campaigns (ads, social, email, influencers)
  • Offline-to-online (print, events, packaging)
  • Customer support (agents sharing links)
  • Partner programs (easy references)
  • Shareable resources (guides, downloads, signups)

When Random Slugs Are Better

  • Links that must not reveal content type
  • Sensitive internal workflows
  • Security-sensitive endpoints
  • Temporary links that may be shared out of context
  • Situations where guessing links could be a risk

A Hybrid Strategy That Works

Use readable slugs for “marketing-grade” or “human-facing” links, and random slugs for “system-grade” or sensitive links. You can still keep random links organized internally via labels, tags, folders, or metadata—without relying on the slug.

The Golden Rules: Your Baseline Naming Standard

If you implement nothing else, implement these rules.

Rule 1: Use Lowercase Only

Lowercase reduces typing errors and avoids confusion across systems that treat case differently.

Good: summer-sale
Risky: Summer-Sale or SummerSale

Even if your platform supports case sensitivity, humans do not handle mixed case reliably in real life.

Rule 2: Use Hyphens as the Primary Separator

Hyphens are the most readable separator in slugs.

Good: product-launch
Avoid: product_launch
Avoid: productlaunch
Avoid: product.launch

Hyphens are especially important when links are read aloud or copied from images.

Rule 3: Keep It Typable and Unambiguous

Avoid characters that are easily mistaken:

  • Avoid 0 (zero) vs o (letter o) unless context is obvious
  • Avoid 1 (one) vs l (lowercase L)
  • Avoid repeated hyphens or odd punctuation
  • Avoid special symbols that may be removed by some platforms

Rule 4: Avoid Stop-Word Bloat

Words like “the,” “and,” “of,” “for” often add length without adding clarity.

Better: pricing-update
Not ideal: update-for-the-pricing-page

That said, don’t remove words if it makes the slug confusing. The goal is clarity, not aggressive trimming.

Rule 5: Set a Default Length Limit

A readable short link becomes self-defeating if it’s too long.

A common, practical standard:

  • Target length: 6–20 characters (not counting hyphens)
  • Hard max: 30–40 characters total (including hyphens)
  • Exceptions: Only when a short name is truly unclear

If you need more detail than fits, use metadata, tags, or a description field—not a longer slug.

Designing a Slug: The “Three-Layer” Model

A reliable naming convention often has three layers:

  1. Category (optional): Who or what this is for
  2. Meaning: The core readable phrase
  3. Qualifier (optional): Date, region, version, or channel

For example, a structure like:

  • team-topic-qualifier

You don’t need all three every time, but thinking in layers prevents messy improvisation.

Choosing Your Token Vocabulary: Words, Abbreviations, and Codes

Readable naming depends on shared vocabulary.

Use Full Words for Public-Facing Links

Public links should favor full words over internal abbreviations.

Prefer: support-reset-password
Avoid: cs-rst-pwd

Use Approved Abbreviations for Internal Efficiency

If your organization uses abbreviations, standardize them in a small glossary:

  • faq (acceptable, widely understood)
  • sms (widely understood)
  • app (widely understood)
  • vip (context dependent)
  • intl (iffy—some will misunderstand)
  • eng (could mean engineering or English)

The key is not whether abbreviations exist—it’s whether they are consistently defined.

Avoid Personal Initials in Slugs

Slugs should not depend on who made them. Initials don’t help users and create privacy and governance issues.

Avoid: promo-jd-1
Prefer: promo-winter-1

Word Order: Put the Most Important Meaning First

The earlier tokens get the most attention. Lead with meaning.

Better: signup-discount
Less clear: 2025-signup-discount

Dates and qualifiers should usually go at the end unless the date is the main point.

Hyphenation Strategy: How Many Words Is Too Many?

Hyphens improve readability, but too many can create a “train” effect.

A practical guideline:

  • Ideal: 2–4 tokens
  • Acceptable: 5–6 tokens if needed
  • Avoid: 7+ tokens unless it’s purely internal

If you consistently exceed 5 tokens, your naming convention is trying to replace metadata.

Numbers in Slugs: When and How to Use Them

Numbers can improve clarity—if used carefully.

Use Numbers for Recognizable Versions or Editions

Good: event-2026
Good: report-q1
Good: guide-v2

Avoid “Mystery Numbers”

Numbers like -2 or -final signal poor governance.

Avoid: launch-2
Better: launch-emea or launch-jan or launch-v2

If you need a unique suffix, prefer a meaningful qualifier (region, channel, month) rather than a random counter.

Choose a Standard for Dates

Dates are powerful qualifiers but can create inconsistency fast.

Pick one standard and document it.

Common choices:

  • yyyy-mm for month-based campaigns (easy sorting)
  • yyyy-mm-dd for specific-day launches
  • q1-2026 for quarterly reporting
  • 2026w12 for week-based scheduling (only if your team truly uses weeks)

If your team doesn’t already use a date standard, choose the simplest one they’ll adopt. Sorting-friendly formats are typically best for internal organization, but public links might not need full precision.

Case Sensitivity: Why “All Lowercase” Wins Long Term

Even if your platform treats uppercase and lowercase as the same, humans will still create inconsistencies:

  • People copy titles and paste them into slug fields.
  • Some channels auto-capitalize.
  • Some fonts make letters ambiguous.

Lowercase-only conventions remove a whole class of errors.

If you want visual emphasis, use tracking previews, branded domains, or link titles—not mixed case.

Special Characters and Non-ASCII Text: International Readability

If you serve multiple languages, decide your approach up front.

Option A: Transliterate to Simple Latin Characters

Pros:

  • Very typable
  • Works everywhere
  • Easy to communicate in print

Cons:

  • Less natural for some audiences
  • Transliteration can be inconsistent

Option B: Allow Native Scripts

Pros:

  • Best readability for local audiences
  • More natural in-region

Cons:

  • Some systems encode characters in ways that become ugly
  • Typing may be difficult in some contexts
  • Copy/paste may introduce hidden characters

A Practical Compromise

  • Use Latin transliteration for links meant to be typed or spoken widely.
  • Allow native scripts for links shared primarily digitally within a specific language community.
  • Regardless, ban invisible characters, emojis, and punctuation that varies by keyboard.

Even if you support multiple scripts, keep one consistent separator system and one consistent case strategy where applicable.

Avoiding Confusing Characters and Look-Alikes

Readable naming is not only about words; it’s about avoiding mistakes.

Characters to Use Carefully

  • o vs 0
  • l vs 1
  • s vs 5 (in some fonts)
  • rn vs m (in some fonts)

Practical Rule

Use numbers only when they are obviously meaningful (years, quarters, versions), and avoid mixing letters and numbers in ways that create confusion.

Good: pricing-2026
Risky: pr1c1ng

Reserved Words and Protected Slugs

Every short-link system should define slugs that cannot be used because they conflict with product routes, admin pages, or high-risk terms.

Examples of categories (not a required list):

  • Authentication-related words (to avoid confusion and abuse)
  • System paths (dashboard, api, admin, login)
  • Common brand impersonation terms
  • Terms frequently used in scams

Your naming convention should include a policy:

  • What is reserved
  • Who can approve exceptions
  • What happens when someone requests a reserved slug

This isn’t just technical hygiene—it’s a safety feature.

Don’t Put Sensitive Data in Slugs (Ever)

This deserves its own section because it’s one of the most common mistakes.

Never Include:

  • Email usernames or phone-like identifiers
  • Customer names or order numbers
  • Ticket IDs that map to private systems
  • Anything that could be personal data
  • Internal codenames that reveal confidential projects

Even if the link is “private,” links leak. People forward them. Screenshots happen. Browsers autofill. Logs get shared.

If you need personalization, do it via:

  • Secure tokens
  • Authentication
  • Link metadata stored server-side
  • Access controls and expiration

A readable naming convention should be safe-by-default.

Naming by Use Case: Templates That Scale

One naming convention rarely fits everything. The best systems define a small set of templates.

Template 1: Marketing Campaign Links

Pattern: campaign-offer or campaign-topic

Examples:

  • summer-sale
  • new-features
  • free-trial

When you need a qualifier:

  • summer-sale-emea
  • summer-sale-sms
  • summer-sale-2026

Template 2: Product Feature Links

Pattern: product-feature

Examples:

  • app-download
  • pricing
  • upgrade-pro

If you have multiple apps or products:

  • productA-pricing
  • productB-pricing

Keep product identifiers short and official.

Template 3: Support and Help Links

Pattern: support-topic

Examples:

  • support-reset-password
  • support-billing
  • support-contact

Support links benefit from consistency because agents repeat them constantly.

Template 4: Events and Webinars

Pattern: event-name-date or event-series-episode

Examples:

  • webinar-growth-2026-03
  • summit-2026
  • demo-day-q2

If an event repeats:

  • summit-2026-register
  • summit-2026-agenda

Template 5: Internal Operations

Pattern: team-workflow-purpose

Examples:

  • ops-onboarding
  • hr-benefits
  • sales-playbook

Internal templates can include more shorthand, but the same rules—lowercase, hyphens, no sensitive data—still apply.

Prefixes: Should You Use Them?

Prefixes can be extremely useful, but they can also clutter public links.

When Prefixes Help

  • You have many teams creating links and need basic segmentation
  • You want predictable grouping in analytics
  • You have internal links mixed with public links

Examples of prefix concepts:

  • A team prefix (marketing, support, product)
  • A channel prefix (sms, email, social)
  • A campaign type prefix (promo, update, event)

When Prefixes Hurt

  • The link is meant for broad public use and the prefix adds noise
  • The prefix list grows to dozens and becomes a burden
  • People start inventing new prefixes without governance

A Balanced Rule

Use prefixes primarily for internal organization and analytics, not for every public link. If you use prefixes publicly, keep the list small and stable.

Channel Naming: Making Distribution Clear Without Being Verbose

Channels matter because they affect performance. But don’t turn slugs into full campaign briefs.

Best Practices for Channel Tokens

  • Use short, well-known tokens (email, sms, social, qr)
  • Put the channel at the end as a qualifier
  • Use channel tokens only when you truly need separate links

Examples:

  • summer-sale-email
  • summer-sale-sms
  • summer-sale-qr

If you are doing deep testing, store the complexity in tracking parameters or metadata and keep the slug human-friendly.

Region and Language Naming: Keep It Predictable

If you operate across regions, set region codes. Choose one standard and don’t mix formats.

Options

  • Full region words (europe, asia, usa) for readability
  • Standard region codes (emea, apac, latam) if your team already uses them
  • Country tokens (us, vn, fr) when you truly need country specificity

Rules That Prevent Chaos

  • Decide whether region comes before or after the campaign token (pick one)
  • Keep region tokens short
  • Use region only when performance or legal differences require separate links

Examples:

  • pricing-apac
  • pricing-europe
  • summer-sale-vn

Versioning: Updating Destinations Without Breaking Names

Short links often outlive campaigns. Your naming convention should plan for evolution.

Option A: Evergreen Slug, Change Destination

For ongoing resources:

  • Use a stable slug like pricing or app-download
  • Update the destination behind the scenes as needed

This keeps shareability high but requires governance so changes don’t surprise stakeholders.

Option B: Versioned Slugs for Historical Accuracy

For time-sensitive resources:

  • Use version tokens like v2 or date qualifiers
  • Keep old links intact for audits

Examples:

  • handbook-v2
  • report-2026-q1

Recommended Practice

Use evergreen slugs for evergreen content, versioned slugs for time-bound content. Don’t mix the mental models.

Avoiding Collisions and Duplication: The “One Concept, One Canonical Name” Rule

Readable naming fails when multiple slugs represent the same thing.

Adopt a rule:

  • Each major resource or campaign concept has one canonical slug
  • Variations are only created for defined reasons (channel, region, experiment)
  • If a new link is requested, search first and reuse if appropriate

To make this work, your platform or process should support:

  • Search by slug and title
  • Tags and descriptions
  • Ownership fields
  • Notes about intended use

Your naming convention is strongest when paired with light governance.

Handling Experiments and A/B Tests Without Ugly Slugs

A/B testing is where naming conventions usually break down.

What Not to Do

Avoid dumping experiment IDs into public slugs:

  • Hard to read
  • Confusing in screenshots
  • Makes links look suspicious

Better Options

Option 1: Keep slug stable; vary tracking and routing internally
Use one readable slug and let your system handle variation.

Option 2: Use subtle, structured experiment tokens
If you must differentiate publicly, use a consistent suffix:

  • -a and -b
  • -v1 and -v2

But define the rule clearly and keep the token short.

Examples:

  • summer-sale-a
  • summer-sale-b

Avoid adding more than one experimental token. If you need more complexity, it belongs in analytics metadata, not in the slug.

Preventing Typos: Designing for Human Error

Short links are often typed from memory. Design for “worst-case humans.”

Strategies That Reduce Mistakes

  • Lowercase only
  • Hyphens only
  • Avoid doubled letters in key tokens when alternatives exist
  • Avoid unusual abbreviations
  • Keep tokens familiar and pronounceable

If someone hears the slug in a meeting and types it later, it should still work.

Pronounceability: The Hidden Superpower

If your slug is pronounceable, it travels better in:

  • Podcasts
  • Video scripts
  • Live events
  • Word-of-mouth referrals
  • Team conversations

Good: launch-kit
Harder: lnch-kt

If you want truly shareable short links, treat them like product names: easy to say, easy to remember.

Slug Ownership and Governance: Who Gets to Name What?

Naming conventions collapse when everyone has equal rights without responsibilities.

A Simple Governance Model

  • Creators: Can create links following rules
  • Owners: Each link has an accountable owner (team or person)
  • Reviewers (optional): Approve reserved slugs or high-visibility links
  • Admins: Manage blocked words, reserved words, and conflict resolution

This doesn’t need to be heavy. The purpose is accountability and consistency.

Link Lifecycle Rules (Recommended)

  • Draft or inactive state for new links until verified (optional)
  • Ownership required
  • Notes required for public campaigns
  • Expiration or review date for time-bound links

Readable naming works best when paired with clear lifecycle management.

Naming Rules for QR-Friendly Short Links

QR codes are common for short links, but QR contexts are often messy:

  • People scan from a distance
  • Printed materials get cropped
  • Some users prefer typing instead

QR Naming Best Practices

  • Keep slugs extra short (often 2–3 tokens)
  • Use simple, high-contrast words
  • Avoid ambiguous characters
  • Prefer evergreen slugs for long-lived prints

Examples of QR-friendly patterns:

  • menu
  • tickets
  • event-pass
  • app

Even if you track QR campaigns separately, keep the slug human-friendly for those who type it.

Naming Conventions for Social Media Links

Social links are often copied, truncated, or screenshot.

Best Practices

  • Use clear, campaign-focused keywords
  • Keep it short; social posts already provide context
  • Add channel token only if needed for analytics separation

Examples:

  • giveaway
  • new-drop
  • holiday-sale

If you need separate influencer links, do not use personal names in the slug. Use an approved partner code list in metadata, or a short partner token that doesn’t expose identity.

Naming Conventions for Email and SMS

Email and SMS links often face spam filters and user skepticism. A clean, readable slug helps.

Email

  • Add campaign token if multiple email sequences exist
  • Keep the slug aligned with the subject line theme
  • Avoid overly “salesy” words if they trigger distrust in your audience

Examples:

  • welcome
  • getting-started
  • upgrade-offer

SMS

  • Keep it extremely short
  • Make it obvious and safe
  • Use one or two key words

Examples:

  • verify
  • reset
  • offer

Be extra careful that SMS slugs don’t look like scams. Readability and legitimacy matter.

Naming for Partnerships and Affiliates Without Revealing Private Details

Partner links often require tracking. But slugs should not expose partner identities if that’s sensitive.

Safe Approaches

  • Use a partner category slug plus a short approved code (not a name)
  • Or keep the slug generic and store partner mapping internally

Examples:

  • partner-offer-p01
  • referral-p02

If you want maximum readability publicly, keep the slug about the offer and handle partner tracking behind the scenes.

Naming Conventions for Internal Documentation Links

Internal links benefit from clarity and findability.

Best Practices

  • Use a stable prefix or category token (ops, hr, it, sales)
  • Keep the core topic in plain language
  • Use version tokens for major revisions if needed

Examples:

  • hr-onboarding
  • it-security-basics
  • sales-discovery

Avoid embedding tool names unless they are stable. Tools change; topics remain.

Common Naming Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

Mistake 1: Inventing New Styles Midstream

If you start with hyphens and later switch to underscores, your archive becomes inconsistent.

Fix: Declare one standard and normalize older links gradually.

Mistake 2: Over-Abbreviation

Short doesn’t mean understandable.

Fix: Use abbreviations only if widely understood and documented.

Mistake 3: Overloading Slugs With Metadata

Slugs become unreadable when used as full records.

Fix: Keep slugs minimal; store details in titles, tags, descriptions, and tracking.

Mistake 4: Using Trendy or Ambiguous Words

Words like “boost,” “hack,” or “free” can create trust issues in some contexts.

Fix: Use neutral, descriptive language.

Mistake 5: Not Planning for Reuse

Teams create sale, then later need another sale.

Fix: Choose a strategy: evergreen (sale) or qualified (sale-2026). Don’t mix without a rule.

Building Your Official Short-Link Style Guide

A naming convention becomes real only when documented and easy to follow.

What to Include (Minimum)

  1. Allowed characters
  2. Separator rules (hyphens)
  3. Case rules (lowercase)
  4. Length targets and max
  5. Approved prefixes (if used)
  6. Date format (if used)
  7. Reserved words policy
  8. Sensitive data prohibition
  9. Examples for common use cases
  10. Ownership and review rules

Make It Easy to Apply

Your guide should fit on one page. If it takes 10 minutes to read, people won’t read it.

A Practical, Ready-to-Use Naming Standard

Here’s a simple convention many teams adopt successfully:

Slug Rules

  • Lowercase only
  • Hyphens only
  • Letters, numbers, and hyphens only
  • 2–5 tokens typically
  • Max 40 characters total
  • No personal data, no internal secrets
  • No repeated hyphens
  • No trailing or leading hyphen

Recommended Templates

  • Public campaign: campaign-topic
  • Public campaign + channel: campaign-topic-channel
  • Public campaign + region: campaign-topic-region
  • Support: support-topic
  • Product: product-feature
  • Event: event-name-yyyymm (or your chosen date standard)

This is enough structure to create consistency without slowing teams down.

Normalization Rules: How to Convert Titles Into Slugs

If your system supports auto-generating slugs from titles, define normalization rules so you don’t get unpredictable results.

A Standard Normalization Flow

  1. Trim whitespace
  2. Convert to lowercase
  3. Replace spaces with hyphens
  4. Remove punctuation (or replace with hyphens)
  5. Collapse multiple hyphens into one
  6. Remove leading/trailing hyphens
  7. Enforce max length (truncate cleanly, don’t cut mid-token if possible)
  8. Check against reserved words and blocked terms
  9. If collision occurs, add a meaningful qualifier (region, channel, date)

If you don’t define this, every team member becomes their own “slug generator,” and consistency disappears.

Collision Handling: What To Do When the Perfect Slug Is Taken

Even with conventions, collisions happen.

Best Practice Order for Resolving Collisions

  1. Add a qualifier that reflects real difference (channel, region, date)
  2. Use a version token only if it’s truly a version
  3. Avoid random numbers unless there’s no meaningful qualifier

Examples of good conflict resolution:

  • pricing already exists → pricing-apac (if regional)
  • event already exists → event-2026 (if year-based)
  • guide already exists → guide-v2 (if version-based)

Avoid “just add 2” unless your system is internal-only and the number has meaning.

Migration: Cleaning Up Old Slugs Without Breaking Everything

If you already have a library of inconsistent short links, you can still move toward a clean standard.

Step 1: Define the New Standard

Choose rules you can commit to long term.

Step 2: Categorize Existing Links

  • Evergreen resources
  • Past campaigns
  • Active campaigns
  • Internal-only links
  • High-visibility printed links

Step 3: Decide What Gets Renamed

Be cautious: if a slug is printed or widely distributed, renaming it can cause real harm.

Safer options:

  • Keep old slugs working
  • Create new canonical slugs that redirect to the same destination
  • Mark old links as legacy in metadata
  • Use an internal “preferred link” indicator for teams

Step 4: Train the Team With Examples

Adoption is behavioral. Show “before/after” patterns and provide templates.

Measuring Success: How to Know Your Naming Convention Works

Naming conventions should produce measurable improvements.

Signs of a Healthy System

  • Fewer duplicate links for the same destination
  • Faster link creation with fewer questions
  • More consistent analytics segmentation
  • Cleaner dashboards and easier reporting
  • Higher confidence in sharing links publicly

Quick Metrics to Track

  • Duplicate rate (multiple links pointing to same destination without reason)
  • Average slug length
  • Percentage of links that follow the template
  • Count of collisions and how they were resolved
  • Frequency of support requests about “wrong link” or “can’t find link”

If you track these, you can improve the system over time instead of arguing about preferences.

A Complete Checklist for Creating a Readable Short Link

Before publishing any new readable slug, check:

  1. Is it lowercase?
  2. Does it use hyphens only?
  3. Is it short enough to type easily?
  4. Does it clearly describe the destination or campaign?
  5. Does it avoid sensitive information?
  6. Does it follow the agreed template for this use case?
  7. Is it unique, and if not, is the qualifier meaningful?
  8. Will it look trustworthy in SMS, print, and screenshots?
  9. Does it remain useful six months from now?
  10. Is ownership and purpose documented in metadata?

If you can say “yes” to these, your short URL naming is in excellent shape.

Final Thoughts: Readable Naming Is a Product Feature

Most people think of short links as a tiny utility. In practice, they behave like a shared infrastructure layer across your entire organization. Naming conventions are the human interface to that infrastructure.

When your naming system is readable, consistent, and safe, you unlock real benefits: smoother collaboration, stronger trust, clearer analytics, and fewer operational headaches. The best part is that you don’t need complicated rules—just a stable set of conventions your team can follow every day.