Tiny URL and the like…good for SEO or not?

[MeanSEO]

I am considering using one of my very short URLs as my own TinyUrl for my own sites using Htaccess to redirect where I want it to – very handy for sending URLs out for links and gives me the ability to move traffic around after it is posted unlike what I can do with Tiny URL.

Anyone see a downside?

Will these links get indexed as the destination link or the tinylink and thus I lose juice an inbound link count – or can I have a duplicate content issues in the future?

I see great possibilities – show me what would be wrong with the idea.

[Webnauts]

Please explain what are the great possibilities there...

[MeanSEO]

Originally Posted by Webnauts

Please explain what are the great possibilities there...

Short consistent links I am in control of.

If I link to a something about a product in article on and the I decide to build a whole sit about that product the redirect can be shifted.

same can be said about affiliate links which notoriously have to be changed.

Also advertising codes in off line venues for example:

To take advantage of this offer go to tinkylink.com/abc that can be consolidated in the future and go with 20 other offers to the page tinkylink.com/xyz or split off where all offers went to one page now they go to individual page.

Way more control with easy urls and quick editing.

[Webnauts]

So you want to be in control and your users not? That is not for me.
Have a look here: Common HTTP Implementation Problems

[GP200]

Webnauts is of course correct, you should be complete control of your own user friendly URL's.

Apart from all the other reasons some browsers simply have problemds loading them, see Cannot access TinyURL.com for one example. That's reason enough not to use them.

But you can create/control your own.

[MeanSEO]

no one answered this:

Will these links get indexed as the destination link or the tinylink (my own tinyurl) and thus I lose juice an inbound link count – or can I have a duplicate content issues in the future?

[MeanSEO]

Originally Posted by Webnauts

So you want to be in control and your users not? That is not for me.

Have a look here: Common HTTP Implementation Problems

I would not put users where they were not expecting to go only to enhance their experience to going to a better or currently valid location. This is not to bait and switch.

Why build html pages when what I want to do can be done with .htaccess?

[arslan220]

hi i think tiny url is good to use sometimes.

[grishamist]

It's not that very effective because like many SEO Professionals opinions, "Keyword is the most important on every site".

[MeanSEO]

I will ask the question another way.

Anyone use tinyurls and have they been counted for you as unique IBLs or were they looked at by the SEs as spam or duplicate content?