The End of Google URL Shortener
In 2018, Google announced the deprecation and transition of Google URL Shortener (goo.gl) to Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL). This decision was driven by the evolving ways people find online content and the emergence of new, popular URL-shortening services. While new URLs could no longer be shortened with goo.gl, existing URLs continued to be served. However, the time has come to turn off the serving portion of Google URL Shortener. Here’s what this means for users and how to prepare for the change.
Who is Impacted?
Any developers or users relying on links built with the Google URL Shortener in the form https://goo.gl/*
will be affected. Starting August 25th, 2025, these URLs will no longer return a response, effectively becoming obsolete.
What to Expect
Key Dates
- August 23, 2024: Goo.gl links will begin displaying an interstitial page for some existing links. This page will notify users that the link will no longer be supported after August 25th, 2025, before navigating to the original target page.
- August 25th, 2025: All goo.gl links will cease to function and will return a 404 response.
Interstitial Page Impact
The interstitial page is a transitional measure to alert users and help developers track and adjust affected links. Over time, the percentage of goo.gl links displaying this page will increase. However, this page may disrupt the current flow of your links:
- Redirect Flow: If you are using other 302 redirects, the interstitial page might prevent these from completing correctly.
- Social Metadata: Embedded social metadata in your destination page may not display correctly due to the interstitial page.
To mitigate disruptions, you can suppress the interstitial page by adding the query parameter si=1
to existing goo.gl links.
Transitioning to Alternatives
To avoid broken links and maintain smooth operations, transitioning to an alternative URL shortener. T.LY provides a robust suite of tools for creating and managing short URLs, including customizable links, advanced analytics, and API integration.
While Google URL Shortener’s shutdown is a significant change, it also provides an opportunity to explore and adopt new, more advanced URL shortening services by transitioning to alternatives like T.LY.
Related Posts
Tim Leland
Ready to improve how you manage links?
T.LY URL Shortener makes long links look cleaner and easier to share! Add your own Custom Domains to personalize your brand. Create Smart Links to customize a URL's destination. Generate QR codes to promote your business.
Sign Up for Free