Top 9 Free URL Shorteners, like Friends with Benefits

Are your URLs too long, hard to paste and impossible to remember? Use one of these quick and free services to shorten any article web site address, YouTube URL, or any URL you want.

Plus, these URL shorteners are URL shorteners with benefits. Each one has a little extra somethin' somethin' to keep you coming back for more.

The main reasons to use a free service to shorten a web site address is simply because a URL to one of your articles or videos is just too long. It might get cut off in an email, or bleeds outside of a text box on a web site. You may also want an easy and short web site address for any links that you use all the time.

Some disadvantages to using URL shorteners: the "new" web site address may diminish credibility. Some users may be less likely to click on the URL because they have no idea that will bring them an article or video at Associated Content, or a YouTube article, or a MySpace page.

Top 9 Free URL Shorteners

SnipURL
Web site address: http://snipurl.com
Why Use It? SnipURL is a powerful web site address shortener. Not only can you shorten a web site address, you can modify the URL once it has been shortened. SnipURL also provides statistics, allowing you to see which of your shortened web siteaddresses are the most popular.

Need more reasons to use SnipURL? It allows users to make private shortened web site addresses. The biggest bonus? Shorten more than one web site address at once, thank you SnipURL!
Bookmarklet? Yes.
Drawbacks: SnipURL may not be the best choice for someone who just wants a shorter URL.
Example: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/240598/mommies_need_money_too_the_wahm_debate.html
became ---->http://snipurl.com/wahms

ReadthisURL
Web site address: http://readthisurl.com
Why Use It? Shorten the URL plus add more than one relevant keywords to the shortened web site address.
Drawbacks: None. I love it!
Example: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/240598/mommies_need_money_too_the_wahm_debate.html became ----> http://readthisurl.com/wahm+money

Doiop
URL: http://doiop.com
Why Use It? The main reason to use Doiop is that you can choose a keyword for the URL. keyword, shorter, easier to remember, to email, won't expire
Drawbacks: Doiop will be of limited once it gains more popularity.
Example: http://www.associatedcontent.com/pamgaulin becomes -------> http://doiop.com/pamgaulin
http://crafts4kids.blogspot.com became http://doiop.com/crafts

urlTea
Web site address: http://urltea.com
Why Use It? It makes a shorter URL for you, and it will remind you if you have already made a shorter URL. Also, with Urltea the user can add a ? and a descriptor to the URL, which may be useful for replacing URLs which are not descriptive of the content at hand.
Bookmarklet? Yes.
Drawbacks: Again, a shorter URL but not necessarily easier to remember.
Example: http://www.associatedcontent.com/pamgaulin became -------> http://urltea.com/k34

DwarfURL
URL: http://www.dwarfurl.com
Why Use It? DwarfURL lets the user check their shorter URLs for web traffic related statistics. If you want to use the statistics, you need to use a password.
Drawbacks: DwarfURL creates a shorter web site address, but not neccessarily one that is easy to remember.
Example: http://www.associatecontent.com/pamgaulin becomes -------> http://dwarfurl.com/e4920
Example: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/195125/what_every_parent_needs_to_know_about.html becomes ----->http://dwarfurl.com/ffb58

Memurl
Web site address: http://memurl.com/about
Why Use It? Memurl creates human-like web addresses. This one would be great for shortening any YouTube or Google video URL.
Drawbacks: The words that Memurl creates are fun to say, but are not real. You may not remember it without storing the new web site address somewhere.
Example:

Shorl.com
Web site address: http://shorl.com/
Why Use It? Shorl.com will shorten any URL quickly, and allow you to retrive statistics.
Bookmarklet: Yes.
Drawbacks: The new web site address is shorter, but impossible to remember or to identify. You will need to bookmark it.
Example: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/240598/mommies_need_money_too_the_wahm_debate.html became ---->http://shorl.com/stystypegrylevu

TinyURL
Web site address: http://tinyurl.com
Why Use It? TinyURL makes it easy to shorten any web site address, when you use the TinyURL bookmarklet. You can shorten your long URL simply by clicking on the TinyURL bookmarklet that you previously dragged to your favorite browser. Plus, TinyURL lets you see what the shortened web site address will look like.
Bookmarklet? Yes.
Drawbacks: The tinyURL may not be any easier to remember, just shorter.
Example: http://www.associatedcontent.com/pamgaulin became -------> became http://tinyurl.com/29dvba

Traceurl.com
Web site address: http://traceurl.com
Why Use It? TraceURL shortens any URL plus it will track traffic to the page through the TraceURL shortened web site address. Plus, it shows where the traffic originated. This could be a powerful tool for anyone trying to track which promotional tactics are working the best.
Drawbacks: TraceURl is one of the few URL shorteners with benefits that requires users to register and log in to use the free service. Also, the URL TraceURL creates may look "fishy" to web users who are concerned about privacy.
Example: http://www.associatedcontent.com/pamgaulin became -------> http://traceurl.com/rdS?r=60&l=8

Use these top 9 URL shorteners to make sharing and tracking web site articles, videos and more even easier.