How to Create Vanity URLs on Your Own Domain

A vanity URL is a short, readable URL on a domain you control that redirects to a longer destination. For example, yourbrand.com/california can send visitors to a campaign URL with registration details and UTM parameters. Use the root domain when your website runs on www, use go.yourbrand.com when the root domain already hosts the website, and buy a separate short domain only when the extra brevity is worth the added maintenance.

What is a vanity URL?#

A vanity URL is a memorable branded path that points to another URL. It is useful when the destination is long, temporary, difficult to say aloud, or filled with campaign parameters.

For example:

yourbrand.com/california

could redirect to:

events.example.com/fall2026/register?ref=California&utm_medium=Screen&utm_source=Partner&utm_campaign=California

The public link is easy to print, read over the phone, or include in a campaign. The destination can still carry the tracking information your analytics needs.

VA.gov describes vanity URLs as short, simple, memorable, and readable URLs on an existing domain. Its guidance also stresses that a vanity URL should be easy to say and type because people may encounter it in print, video, or audio campaigns.

How to create a vanity URL on your own domain#

The setup has five parts:

1. Choose the hostname that will serve your vanity URLs.
2. Confirm that the hostname is available for redirect management.
3. Point its DNS to your redirect platform.
4. Create a readable slug and set the destination URL.
5. Test the complete redirect, including query parameters and the final page.

The first step deserves the most attention. A domain decision that fits your website architecture prevents avoidable DNS changes later.

Choose the right domain architecture first#

There are three practical patterns for custom domain short links.

Preferred: website on www, vanity URLs on the root domain#

When you control the domain and the website architecture allows it, use:

textwww.yourbrand.com             → main website
yourbrand.com/california      → vanity URL
yourbrand.com/events          → vanity URL

This keeps the public link as short as possible while preserving the full brand name. It also separates the website hostname from the hostname used for branded redirects. You do not need to register and maintain another short domain.

This pattern works best when a new site, redesign, or hosting change can use www.yourbrand.com as its canonical website address. Plan the website's canonical URL, redirects, cookies, email links, and internal links together before changing an established site.

Google Search Central recommends simple, logical, human-readable URLs and descriptive words instead of long IDs. That supports using a clear slug such as /california or /events, but a readable vanity URL is not a substitute for choosing the correct canonical URL for the website.

Safe fallback: keep the root website and use go.#

If the root domain already hosts the website and should remain unchanged, use a dedicated subdomain:

textyourbrand.com                → existing website
go.yourbrand.com/california  → vanity URL
go.yourbrand.com/events      → vanity URL

Only go.yourbrand.com points to the redirect platform. The main website stays where it is, so a temporary campaign does not require moving the entire site. A different label such as link. or get. can work too, but choose one naming convention and use it consistently.

This is usually the lowest-risk option for an established website. It also makes the purpose of the hostname clear to the team managing campaigns, DNS, and support.

Use a dedicated short domain only when the brevity matters#

A separate domain can make sense when you already own a recognizable short domain or when every character matters in an offline campaign:

textyourbrand.com      → main website
yb.co/california   → vanity URL

Do not buy a second domain by default. It adds another registration, DNS zone, SSL configuration, renewal, and brand asset to maintain. Choose it when the shorter address has a clear operational or campaign benefit.

Root domain vs. go. vs. a dedicated short domain#

The number of links or the length of a campaign does not, by itself, require a dedicated short domain. Start with the architecture that keeps ownership and maintenance simple.

The DNS limitation: paths are not DNS records#

DNS works at the hostname level. It can direct yourbrand.com, www.yourbrand.com, or go.yourbrand.com to a service. It cannot direct only yourbrand.com/california to a redirect platform while leaving the rest of yourbrand.com served by the existing website.

You cannot solve this configuration with DNS alone:

textyourbrand.com                 → existing website
yourbrand.com/california      → RedirHub

If the root domain must remain on the existing website, choose one of these options:

1. Use go.yourbrand.com for the vanity URL.
2. Move the website to www.yourbrand.com, then use the root domain for branded links.
3. Configure the path redirect in the existing web server, hosting control panel, or CMS.

RedirHub manages the hostname you connect. The domain redirect setup guide explains the DNS connection and verification flow. If you are creating your first rule, start with the redirect creation guide.

How to set up the link#

Once you have chosen the hostname, the implementation is straightforward.

1. Select a readable slug#

Use a short, specific word or phrase that matches the destination. /california, /register, and /fall-event tell the reader more than a random string. Keep slugs lowercase and use hyphens when you need to separate words.

Avoid broad or misleading slugs. VA.gov's guidance warns against shortening a specific campaign into a vague term that loses its meaning. The same rule applies to a company campaign: the URL should make sense when someone sees it without the surrounding ad or email.

2. Connect the hostname#

Add the root domain or subdomain to your redirect platform and copy the DNS value it provides. For a go. setup, this means changing DNS for go.yourbrand.com, not for the main website. Verify the hostname before creating public links.

RedirHub supports custom domains, automatic HTTPS, custom slugs, and redirect analytics. Its Branded Links page covers the product workflow; this guide focuses on the architecture decision around it.

3. Create the redirect#

Enter the destination URL, select the appropriate redirect behavior, and create the slug. Use a permanent redirect when the source is a lasting canonical move. For a temporary campaign or a link whose destination will be reused, select the behavior that matches that campaign's lifecycle.

Google Search Central distinguishes permanent redirects, such as HTTP 301, from temporary redirects, such as HTTP 302, because they send different canonicalization signals.

4. Preserve and test tracking parameters#

The vanity URL can stay clean while the destination contains a UTM query string:

textLong destination:
events.example.com/fall2026/register?ref=California&utm_medium=Screen&utm_source=Partner&utm_campaign=California

Clean public link:
go.yourbrand.com/california

Decide whether the campaign parameters are already present in the incoming URL or should be added by the redirect. Enable query forwarding when the incoming query string must reach the destination. Then test the full chain and confirm both the final URL and the analytics session contain the expected values.

Read the UTM preservation guide for edge cases such as existing destination parameters, encoded values, and a second redirect on the landing page.

Vanity URL best practices#

• •
  Use a domain your organization controls and can renew.
• •
  Keep the slug short, descriptive, lowercase, and easy to say.
• •
  Make the slug specific enough that it is not misleading out of context.
• •
  Avoid personal or sensitive information in public URLs.
• •
  Reserve important slugs before a campaign launches.
• •
  Choose a redirect type that matches whether the destination is permanent or temporary.
• •
  Test the link on mobile and desktop, with and without query parameters.
• •
  Follow every redirect hop. Avoid redirect chains when you can link directly to the final destination.
• •
  Keep the vanity URL stable when the destination changes. Update the redirect instead of reprinting a QR code or campaign asset.

For the URL and redirect principles behind this guide, see Google Search Central’s URL structure best practices and its redirect guidance. For practical guidance on memorable campaign URLs, see the VA.gov Design System vanity URL guidance.

Conclusion#

The right vanity URL starts with domain architecture, not the slug. Use yourbrand.com/path when your website can live on www, use go.yourbrand.com/path when the root domain already hosts the site, and add a dedicated short domain only when its brevity justifies the extra maintenance. Once the hostname is chosen, connect DNS, create a descriptive slug, preserve tracking parameters, and test the complete redirect before publishing.

If you are ready to create branded links on a domain you control, review the Branded Links workflow or start with RedirHub's pricing.