Google has announced that all old goo.gl links will be discontinued from August 25, 2025. Website owners are advised to update their links as soon as possible to avoid affecting traffic and user experience. Firebase Dynamic Links is an alternative.
Google: In the tech world, Google has made a significant announcement. The company has clarified that its popular but outdated service, Google URL Shortener (goo.gl), will be completely shut down from August 25, 2025. This directly implies that existing goo.gl links will no longer function, and users clicking on them will be directed to a 404 error page.
What's the matter?
Google had already announced in 2018 that it would gradually discontinue its URL shortening platform. However, the links created until then were functioning, and many websites and blogs were using them. But now, Google has made it clear that all these links will become inactive after August 25, 2025.
Why was this decision made?
According to reports, no user activity was recorded on 99% of goo.gl links by June 2024. Several alternatives now exist in the link shortening market, such as Bitly, TinyURL, and Rebrandly. Additionally, due to security reasons and declining usage, Google decided not to continue with this old technology.
Warnings Since 2024
From August 23, 2024, whenever a user clicked on an old goo.gl link, they were first directed to a warning page. It clearly stated that the link would soon be discontinued. Now, that warning will also be removed, and users will be shown a direct error message from August 25, 2025.
What was the Google URL Shortener service?
It was a tool that allowed anyone to convert a long and complex URL into a short link (such as – goo.gl/abc123). This service was particularly popular for social media, blogging, email marketing, and messaging. However, smart links and dynamic linking technology have replaced it over time.
Google's New Alternative – Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL)
Along with discontinuing the URL Shortener, Google has introduced a new solution – Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL).
- It doesn't just shorten links, but also
- Directs users to a specific page within a mobile app or a specific web location.
- It works better on both iOS and Android platforms.
- It is designed with advanced features for developers.
- What should website owners and marketers do?
If your website, blog, or email marketing content contains old goo.gl links, you should:
- Replace them with links from a new URL Shortener before August 25, 2025.
- Choose a reliable and long-lasting tool (such as Bitly, TinyURL, or Google FDL).
- Check your SEO and traffic data, as users clicking on broken links will be directed to an error page.
What if the links are not updated?
- Broken links on your site will increase.
- Search engine rankings will be affected.
- User experience will be degraded, and traffic will decline.
