How to Create a URL Shortener Website Using Blogger: Step-by-Step Guide

URL shortening has become a popular feature, particularly for social media, where character limits make long links inconvenient. While there are dedicated services like Bitly or TinyURL, you may want to create your own URL shortening tool for personal or business use. Surprisingly, you can design a basic website that shortens URLs using Blogger, a free platform by Google. This article will guide you through the steps of setting up a URL shortener on Blogger, offering a simple, user-friendly solution.

Why Use Blogger for URL Shortening?

Blogger is a free and easy-to-use platform that allows you to create websites with minimal technical knowledge. With some customization, it can serve as a simple URL shortening tool. While it won’t offer the advanced analytics of a service like Bitly, it’s an effective way to manage shortened links without incurring costs.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a URL shortener using Blogger.

1. Set Up a Blogger Account

To get started, you need a Blogger account. If you already have a Google account, setting up Blogger is straightforward.

Step 1: Go to Blogger.com.

Step 2: Sign in using your Google account.

Step 3: Once logged in, click on "Create New Blog".

Step 4: Choose a name for your blog (this can be anything you want) and select a blog address (URL). This address will serve as the base for your URL shortener, so make sure it's short and easy to remember.

Step 5: Pick a template that you like — it doesn’t have to be too flashy since we’re focusing on functionality.

2. Customize Your Blog Layout

Once your blog is created, it’s time to customize the layout to make it function as a URL shortener. You’ll need to design the blog in a way that makes it simple to generate shortened URLs.

Step 1: In your Blogger dashboard, go to Layout.

Step 2: Remove any default widgets that are unnecessary for a URL shortening tool, such as the blog archive or about me section.

Step 3: Add a new widget where you can place your URL shortening tool. This will likely be an HTML/JavaScript widget that houses your URL shortener’s code.

You’ll want the design to be minimal and focused on the URL input field to make it as user-friendly as possible.

3. Implement the URL Shortening Code

Next, you need to implement the actual code that performs the URL shortening. While Blogger doesn’t support server-side scripting languages like PHP, you can use JavaScript to create a basic URL shortener. Here’s a simple approach using JavaScript and a free URL shortening API, like the TinyURL or Bitly API.

Step 1: In the Layout section, click Add a Gadget.

Step 2: Select HTML/JavaScript and place it in a prominent position on your blog.

Step 3: Paste the following basic code into the HTML/JavaScript box:

<form id="shortener">
  <input type="text" id="longUrl" placeholder="Enter your long URL" required>
  <button type="button" onclick="shortenUrl()">Shorten URL</button>
</form>

<p>Shortened URL: <a id="shortenedUrl" href="#" target="_blank"></a></p>

<script>
  function shortenUrl() {
    var longUrl = document.getElementById("longUrl").value;
    if (longUrl) {
      fetch(`https://api.tinyurl.com/create?api_token=API_TOKEN&url=${encodeURIComponent(longUrl)}`,
{
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          'Content-Type': 'application/json'
        }
      })
      .then(response => response.json())
      .then(data => {
        document.getElementById("shortenedUrl").href = data.data.tiny_url;
        document.getElementById("shortenedUrl").innerText = data.data.tiny_url;
      })
      .catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));
    }
  }
</script>

This script sends the long URL entered by the user to the TinyURL API and returns the shortened URL. You’ll need to sign up for an API key from TinyURL or another URL shortening service. Insert your API key where it says API_TOKEN.

Step 4: After pasting the code, click Save.

4. Test Your URL Shortener

After adding the HTML widget with the URL shortening code, it’s time to test the functionality. Go to your Blogger site and try entering a long URL into the input field. Click the "Shorten URL" button, and a shortened URL should appear below it.

Make sure that the shortened URL works correctly by clicking on it and confirming that it redirects to the original long URL.

5. Customize and Refine the Design

Now that the URL shortening function works, you can focus on customizing the design to improve user experience. Consider the following tweaks:

• Minimalist Design: Since the site’s primary purpose is to shorten URLs, keep the design clean and straightforward. Remove unnecessary elements, such as sidebars or other widgets.
• Responsive Design: Ensure that your website is responsive and mobile-friendly, so users can easily shorten URLs from their phones.
• Custom Domain: For branding purposes, you might want to use a custom domain for your Blogger site. You can purchase a domain through Google Domains or another provider and link it to your blog. This will make your shortened URLs look more professional.

6. Track URL Activity (Optional)

If you want to track how many people are clicking on your shortened URLs, you’ll need to use a URL shortening API that provides analytics. Bitly, for example, offers detailed analytics on the usage of your shortened links, including click-through rates and geographic data.

To integrate analytics, you’ll likely need a paid API key from a service like Bitly or Rebrandly, but the data can provide valuable insights into how your links are being used.

7. Promote Your URL Shortening Website

Once your URL shortening tool is live, you’ll want to promote it. Share it with your audience on social media, through email newsletters, or via your other online channels. Since Blogger integrates well with other Google services, you can also use Google Ads to drive traffic to your URL shortening site.

Conclusion

Designing a URL shortening website using Blogger is a cost-effective and straightforward solution for individuals and businesses. While it may not offer the advanced features of commercial URL shortening services, it provides a customized tool for basic URL shortening needs. By leveraging Blogger’s free platform and some simple JavaScript, you can create a fully functional website to shorten URLs for your audience.

With ongoing customization and tweaks, you can improve the functionality and user experience of your site while keeping costs minimal. As your project grows, you might consider upgrading to more sophisticated tools, but for a start, Blogger provides an easy entry into the world of URL shortening.