URL Split is a new service that allows web developers to create a single short URL that forwards to more than one destination -- seven destinations, actually. For example, http://www.urlsplit.com/UbbWn4Uh forwards to any one of the Read/WriteWeb network blogs. Why would anywone want to forward to multiple sites from a single URL?
As developer Dan Grossman explains on his blog, the service grew out of a frequent request from customers of his popunder traffic resale business. "Every few weeks one of my advertising customers asks if they can split the hits from their ad campaign among multiple URLs without buying multiple campaigns," Grossman said.
This site is smart for Grossman for two reasons: 1. listening to your customers is always a good idea, and 2. whenever you sign up for an account with URL Split, you're asked to opt-in to a mailing list to receive offers about his other web applications and services. Further, URL Split also provides users with statistics, broken down by URL, of how many visits each link has received, and displays the stats in a way that emulates the look and feel of his web stats service, W3Counter. That could help get people used to the "W3Counter way of doing things."
In general URL Split has a very limited audience and application, but it fulfills a specific need that Grossman's customers had. With a small amount of effort (the site took a few hours to make using the Symfony PHP framework, according to Grossman), he was able to add value for his customers and create a lead generation opportunity for his other products. There's a lesson to be learned there.
Disclosure: Dan Grossman and I both serve on the volunteer forum staff at SitePoint.com.
Comments
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Interesting concept for sure. I agree with you that "URL Split has a very limited audience and application, but it fulfills a specific need".
I would personally find it useful to be able to launch multiple windows on a single URL click. For example, if an article is referencing the Read/WriteWeb network blogs for me to be able to see all of those network blogs -- ones I might not have been aware of. Obviously too many open windows can get overwhelming, but I can see some true application in the power of 2 to 4.
Nice find, appreciate the write-up.
Posted by: Martin Ringlein | September 7, 2007 9:04 AM
This is quite random I have to say. How would the user know where he is going? Also, you can do this with 5 lines of JavaScript.
Alex
Posted by: Alex Iskold | September 7, 2007 11:04 AM
Interesting concept, but I would worry about the lost google juice resulting from the intermediate URL. Same problem I have with tinyURL, now that I think about it.
Posted by: Jason Kolb | September 7, 2007 11:15 AM
Thanks for the write-up Josh, I didn't expect this little tool to get any coverage. Martin, that's an interesting use I hadn't even thought of. URLSplit doesn't pick a random site from your 7 to redirect to, it picks the one with the lowest number of hits, which results in a rotation so that all the sites get even exposure. That means opening the same URL 7 times in different tabs, if nobody else hits it in the meantime, would open all 7 of your sites with no duplicates. Great idea.
Posted by: Dan Grossman | September 7, 2007 12:23 PM
Very interesting concept. It will be good to have the priority ( % weight) to each url, so that I can share the traffic in different proportions.
Posted by: Thejesh GN | September 8, 2007 1:24 AM
sir i need this code just for practice, i will be thankful for you if you provide me so. if it can be possible in php than it will be much better .
regards'
jarnail
stanford university
Posted by: jarnail | September 28, 2007 10:33 AM