What Is Rebrandly and How Are Its Links Different?
Rebrandly is an enterprise-focused URL shortening and link management platform that distinguishes itself through branded short domains. While bit.ly and TinyURL create links on their own domains, Rebrandly allows companies to create links using custom branded domains — for example, go.company.com/product instead of rebrand.ly/product. This creates more recognisable, brand-consistent links and strengthens trust signals in marketing communications.
From a technical perspective, Rebrandly uses standard HTTP 301 permanent redirects. The distinction is in the source domain — a Rebrandly-managed link can use any custom domain, making it indistinguishable from a direct link without expansion.
The Custom Domain Challenge for Safety
Rebrandly's custom domain feature creates a security analysis challenge: a link like secure.bank-support.com/verify cannot be identified as a Rebrandly redirect by visual inspection of the domain alone. It could be a legitimate bank support portal or a phishing page managed through Rebrandly's infrastructure. Our expander follows the redirect regardless of the source domain, revealing the true final destination and safety score.
This capability is particularly valuable for security teams investigating suspicious branded links in phishing emails. Even if the attacker has registered a convincing domain and configured it through Rebrandly, our expansion and safety checks will reveal where the link actually leads.
Rebrandly for Marketing: Link Audit Best Practices
Marketing teams using Rebrandly for campaign link management should periodically audit their link inventory to verify redirect integrity. Destination URLs can change if the target page moves, is deleted, or redirected to a different location, creating user experience problems and analytics discrepancies. Our Bulk URL Expander makes systematic Rebrandly link audits fast and exportable to CSV. Also see our Bit.ly Expander and affiliate marketer URL guide.