Should I Build It Should I Build It
11 Apr 2025
Analytics Marketing

Link Shortener with Analytics – Track clicks and geographic data on ...

...shortened links.

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.

Your are here

You're entering a crowded space: link shorteners with analytics. Our analysis shows 27 similar products, placing your idea firmly in a 'Swamp' category. This means there are already many mediocre solutions out there. Engagement is low, with similar products averaging only 1 comment. Crucially, we didn't detect any net positive user signals, such as people wanting to use or buy similar products, which means users are generally indifferent or have already found solutions that work for them. To succeed, you'll need a radical differentiator, not just another "me-too" product. Otherwise, you might just want to save your energy for something else.

Recommendations

  1. First, deeply investigate why existing link shorteners haven't captured significant market share or user love. Don't just look at features; understand the underlying user needs and pain points that aren't being addressed. Are users struggling with usability, privacy, cost, or something else entirely? This will involve user interviews, competitive product teardowns, and analysis of customer reviews.
  2. If you decide to proceed, narrow your focus to a specific niche or user group that's currently underserved by existing solutions. Are there specific types of content creators (e.g., podcasters, YouTubers, newsletter writers) or industries (e.g., real estate, e-commerce) with unique link-shortening and analytics needs? Tailoring your product to a niche market increases your chances of resonating with users and establishing a foothold.
  3. Instead of directly competing with established link shorteners, explore opportunities to build complementary tools or integrations for them. Could you create a plugin that enhances their analytics capabilities, or a service that automatically optimizes shortened links for social media? This allows you to leverage the existing user base of established players and avoid a head-on collision.
  4. Consider related problems that might be more promising or less saturated. For example, instead of focusing solely on link shortening, could you develop a comprehensive content distribution platform that includes link shortening as a feature? Or perhaps a tool that helps users track the performance of their content across multiple platforms, regardless of whether they use shortened links. This could open up new avenues for growth and differentiation.
  5. Given the competitive landscape and lukewarm user response to existing link shorteners, it might be wise to explore alternative ideas or projects. Are there other problems you're passionate about solving, or other areas where you see greater potential for impact and growth? Don't be afraid to pivot to a more promising opportunity.
  6. Address ID collision concerns. Hop2 URL Shortener's users had questions about ID creation and collision management, so that might be something you have to consider.

Questions

  1. What unique value proposition can you offer that differentiates your link shortener from the dozens of existing solutions and truly resonates with a specific user group?
  2. How will you address user concerns about link context and potential traffic handling issues, as highlighted in the feedback for similar products like 'Link Shortener: URL Shortener in browser'?
  3. Considering the lack of net positive user signals for similar products, what assumptions are you making about user needs and behaviors that lead you to believe your link shortener will be different?

Your are here

You're entering a crowded space: link shorteners with analytics. Our analysis shows 27 similar products, placing your idea firmly in a 'Swamp' category. This means there are already many mediocre solutions out there. Engagement is low, with similar products averaging only 1 comment. Crucially, we didn't detect any net positive user signals, such as people wanting to use or buy similar products, which means users are generally indifferent or have already found solutions that work for them. To succeed, you'll need a radical differentiator, not just another "me-too" product. Otherwise, you might just want to save your energy for something else.

Recommendations

  1. First, deeply investigate why existing link shorteners haven't captured significant market share or user love. Don't just look at features; understand the underlying user needs and pain points that aren't being addressed. Are users struggling with usability, privacy, cost, or something else entirely? This will involve user interviews, competitive product teardowns, and analysis of customer reviews.
  2. If you decide to proceed, narrow your focus to a specific niche or user group that's currently underserved by existing solutions. Are there specific types of content creators (e.g., podcasters, YouTubers, newsletter writers) or industries (e.g., real estate, e-commerce) with unique link-shortening and analytics needs? Tailoring your product to a niche market increases your chances of resonating with users and establishing a foothold.
  3. Instead of directly competing with established link shorteners, explore opportunities to build complementary tools or integrations for them. Could you create a plugin that enhances their analytics capabilities, or a service that automatically optimizes shortened links for social media? This allows you to leverage the existing user base of established players and avoid a head-on collision.
  4. Consider related problems that might be more promising or less saturated. For example, instead of focusing solely on link shortening, could you develop a comprehensive content distribution platform that includes link shortening as a feature? Or perhaps a tool that helps users track the performance of their content across multiple platforms, regardless of whether they use shortened links. This could open up new avenues for growth and differentiation.
  5. Given the competitive landscape and lukewarm user response to existing link shorteners, it might be wise to explore alternative ideas or projects. Are there other problems you're passionate about solving, or other areas where you see greater potential for impact and growth? Don't be afraid to pivot to a more promising opportunity.
  6. Address ID collision concerns. Hop2 URL Shortener's users had questions about ID creation and collision management, so that might be something you have to consider.

Questions

  1. What unique value proposition can you offer that differentiates your link shortener from the dozens of existing solutions and truly resonates with a specific user group?
  2. How will you address user concerns about link context and potential traffic handling issues, as highlighted in the feedback for similar products like 'Link Shortener: URL Shortener in browser'?
  3. Considering the lack of net positive user signals for similar products, what assumptions are you making about user needs and behaviors that lead you to believe your link shortener will be different?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 27
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 1
  • Net use signal: 35.4%
    • Positive use signal: 35.4%
    • Negative use signal: 0.0%
  • Net buy signal: 0.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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